Exploratory Study of the Influence of Immersion Games on Computational Thinking among University Students

This study aims to explore how users' immersion in games affects their computational thinking and problem solving abilities and to obtain basic knowledge for applying games to health promotion and treatment. "The Japanese version of the Game Engagement Questionnaire (GEQ-J)" was prepared to grasp the immersion of games, and "the Japanese version of the Computational Thinking (CT) Scale" was prepared to measure CT. Correlation analysis was conducted to examine their relationships. We analyzed their relationships using correlation analysis and generalized structural equation modeling (GSEM). The results of the correlation analysis showed both weak positive correlations and weak negative correlations between the immersion factor and CT skills, indicating the importance of striking an appropriate balance between increasing player immersion and improving CT skills during game design. The results of generalized structural equation modeling revealed that while increased presence promoted creativity, high immersion hurt algorithmic thinking, flow state hurt problem -solving skills, and the factor of game immersion had no significant effect on cooperative skills. These findings suggest the importance of considering game design elements that target specific cognitive abilities in designing game -based health promotion and treatment programs. For example, immersive game design may effectively enhance creativity and problem -solving skills. This study is expected to contribute to the development of new approaches in the field of game -based health promotion and treatment.