Agonistic Games and Student Motivation in Higher Education: A Review from the Social Learning Theory

Abstract

The purpose of this review article is to synthesize and analyze recent scientific evidence (2019–2025) on the impact of agonistic games, also known as competitive games, on student motivation in higher education. To this end, a systematic search was conducted in academic databases such as Scopus, Web of Science, Scielo, and MDPI, using keywords in Spanish and English related to gamification, competitive games, intrinsic motivation, and higher education. Inclusion criteria were applied that considered only peer-reviewed articles in Spanish or English, published during the study period, that reported the effects of competition or gaming in university contexts, while gray literature documents and those without empirical results were excluded. The resulting corpus was classified into thematic dimensions such as intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, social interaction, teaching role, academic performance, and research gaps. In general terms, agonistic games are seen as a pedagogical tool with the potential to increase student engagement in higher education, provided their application respects the principles of self-determination theory and social learning theory, fostering autonomy, competence, and positive social interaction. However, significant gaps in the literature are identified: a lack of longitudinal studies measuring the permanence of the motivational effect, a paucity of research in Latin American contexts, and limitations in comparing results across disciplines. It is concluded that future research should focus on experimental designs and long-term follow-up, as well as on regional contextualization, in order to strengthen the validity of the findings and consolidate agonistic games as an innovative strategy for motivation and performance in higher education.