Five countries, one evidence base: DigPlay completes its research phase

Research phase complete: DigPlay’s evidence base is in place

Six months in, DigPlay has finished its first phase of research. Across Bulgaria, Croatia, Ireland, Italy and Slovenia, partners have mapped how young people’s digital skills are developed and assessed today, and asked the people who work with them what a better approach should look like.

The results are brought together in the Comparative Research & DigPlay Requirements Report, the evidence that will shape how DigPlay assesses digital skills through games.

What we did

The research ran in three strands, led by JA Bulgaria with STEP Institut.

• National needs analyses. Each national team reviewed how digital competences are developed, assessed and supported in secondary and VET settings, and mapped national digital education policies. These five national reports were then compared to find common trends, differences and ideas that can travel across borders.
• Stakeholder consultation. Between 20 June and 25 July 2026, we consulted 104 stakeholders through a common online questionnaire and expert interviews. They came from schools, companies, universities, NGOs and public administration, and included teachers, school leaders, researchers and policymakers.
• Mapping existing tools. We reviewed 33 assessment tools and game-based learning approaches already in use, digital and analogue, with a focus on DigComp-aligned tools, transversal skills such as problem-solving and collaboration, and approaches that work for underserved groups and low-resource settings.

What we found

Stakeholders see digital skills assessment today as fragmented, and they broadly welcome a game-based approach, provided it is fair, simple for teachers and safe for learners. The sample was chosen for expertise rather than to be statistically representative, so the results are best read as design priorities.

• Assessment is patchy. 78% of those asked said there are barriers to assessing students’ digital skills. The most common barrier is that teachers and specialists lack the capacity to use assessment tools. Only 39% said VET students’ digital skills are assessed at all, and 46% knew of no dedicated assessment tool.
• Some learners are being left behind. 40% said some groups’ needs are not being met, including learners with special educational needs, Roma and migrant learners, and students from low-income or rural backgrounds.
• Strong but conditional support for DigPlay. 67% said the concept would be useful for students and 53% said it would help teachers. Only 2% opposed using games for learning and assessment. Doubts were about putting it into practice, not about the idea itself.
• Trust has to be built in. 55% raised ethical, privacy or transparency concerns. Informed consent and data protection topped the list.
• Employers want practical skills. Business respondents ranked protecting personal data as the most important skill for new hires. They named evaluating information as the skill recruits most often lack, and the one expected to matter most in the next 3–5 years.

“Gamification and invisible, non-invasive competence assessment are the keys to success.” — Stakeholder, Croatia

Read the full Stakeholder Survey Summary, with national snapshots for each country, alongside an infographic and a short video.

What comes next

This research gives DigPlay a clear set of priorities for design and piloting. Stakeholders told us to:

• Assess competence, not gaming skill, with simple controls, clear onboarding and more than one way to solve a task.
• Keep it simple for teachers, with short training, ready-to-use activities and results that are easy to read.
• Design for inclusion, with different proficiency levels, adaptations for special educational needs and full localisation.
• Give meaningful feedback on strengths and next steps, not just a score.
• Co-design and pilot with teachers, students and assessment specialists from the start.
• Take AI into account, both as a new digital skill and in how genuine competence is recognised.

The findings now feed directly into the DigPlay Assessment Framework, led by STEP Institut with Outplayed. The framework will map DigComp competences, including the new AI-related competences expected in DigComp 3.0, to game mechanics. In parallel, the team is building a library of game scenarios and assessment templates that educators and youth workers will use in schools and youth settings.

Get involved

Are you an educator, youth worker or school leader interested in game-based digital skills assessment? Register your interest to hear about training and pilot opportunities.