gamified digital storytelling in marketing education: evidence from vietnam on engagement and skill development

This study examines the efficacy of integrating gamified interactive digital storytelling (DST) into marketing education to enhance student engagement, critical thinking, and professional skill development. Grounded in Self-Determination Theory and Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory, the intervention was tested with undergraduate marketing students (N = 60) at a Vietnamese university. Students were assigned to either a control group receiving traditional instruction or an experimental group participating in a semester-long narrative-based marketing simulation with embedded game elements. Quantitative measures assessed engagement, critical thinking, and applied professional skills, while qualitative reflections provided contextual insights. Results showed that students in the gamified DST group reported significantly higher engagement, achieved stronger critical thinking scores, and delivered superior marketing project outcomes compared to the control group. Qualitative feedback further highlighted creativity, immersion, and collaborative problem-solving as key benefits. The findings demonstrate that gamified DST not only supports autonomy, competence, and relatedness but also operationalizes experiential learning cycles in applied marketing contexts. The study contributes novel evidence for gamified storytelling as an innovative pedagogy that engages digital-native students and enhances professional preparation. While limited to a single institution and timeframe, the results offer promising directions for longitudinal studies, cross-cultural replications, and integration with AI-driven adaptive storytelling.