Gameful design for skills development of youths in marginalised urban communities

Abstract

Unemployment is high among youths living in marginalised communities in South Africa. One of the reasons is that many young people are either un- or low-skilled to gain employment in a digital economy requiring high-skilled individuals. The fourth industrial revolution (4IR) also exacerbates the future of work for these youths if they remain unskilled. Training with digital technologies is becoming the norm (especially with COVID–19) but engaging and motivating youth to learn skills is challenging. Gameful design, when effectively used, can create engagement and motivation. This study investigated what gameful elements can engage and motivate youths in marginalised communities to learn employable skills and how these elements can be incorporated into a system. We conducted a series of co-participatory workshops, including self-reflection tasks with some youths from a marginalised urban community in the Western Cape, South Africa. The study finds twenty-three system-based gameful design elements and three nonsystem-based elements to engage and motivate youths. The results provide insights for gameful designers, development centres, and policymakers involved with youth skills development.