Numbers PlayRoom: a VR serious game to enhance children's engagement and numeracy skills

This master's thesis work presents the development of a serious game in VR designed to enhance learning in mathematics through a series of mini-games that increase children's engagement. In particular, these minigames are targeted at elementary school children, and would aim to help those who manifest a learning disorder in this area. This focus has led to the development of three games that attempt not only to create a more engaging experience in the subject, but also to improve the numerical perception of those who manifest difficulties. The application uses the Meta Quest 2 device, a virtual reality device. The experience created simulates a virtual classroom, in which the playing student can interact with the surrounding objects using their hands through total visual immersion. With the support of this technology, it aims not only to engage and entertain, but also to help maintain focus on the goal by removing all external stimuli. The application has been validated in several test phases with both target and non-target users, providing quantitative and qualitative results that demonstrate its effectiveness as a complementary tool in modern education.