Conference Program

Educating for democratic citizenship has never been a simple matter, and the task grows more pressing in contexts marked by systemic instability, increasing complexity, and the pervasiveness of techno-scientific reasoning. Cognitive skills, while necessary, are not sufficient on their own. Learners also require socio-relational competencies and practical strategies for regulating emotions. Neuropsychological research consistently shows that facilitative emotional conditions support deep cognitive processing, while sustained anxiety and tension tend to foster withdrawal, rigidity, and diminished critical engagement (Deci et al., 2001). A credible approach to citizenship education must therefore address cognitive and affective dimensions in tandem.

This contribution explores the educational potential of two instruments that are receiving growing attention in both research and practice: tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs) and generative artificial intelligence (GenAI). TTRPGs create experiential learning environments built on collaborative narrative and shared decision-making (Zagal & Deterding, 2018). Within a low-stakes fictional frame, participants encounter situations involving uncertainty, competing interests, and ethical tension, allowing space for reflection and revision without the consequences of real-world failure (Barone, 1997). In doing so, gameplay engages components of emotional intelligence that conventional instructional formats seldom reach.

Existing literature suggests that these practices can foster competencies aligned with the European LifeComp framework (European Commission, 2020). Shared narrative construction calls for perspective-taking and active regulation of group dynamics. The distribution of agency within the game demands mediation, attentive listening, and the negotiation of collective decisions. Rotating roles across sessions encourages situated leadership and relational coordination. The ADVENTURE framework (Capobianco & Manganello, 2025) gives operational form to these principles through a five-phase methodology that integrates Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan) with LifeComp competencies. At its core lies the Adventurer’s Diary, a formative assessment tool structured around the psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness.

GenAI, in turn, can function as a complementary instrument for cognitive and emotional mediation. Following a three-dimensional model (Masi, Boccuzzi & Manganello, 2025; Masi et al., 2026), GenAI may operate as a design partner, supporting educators in developing culturally inclusive scenarios through iterative elaboration; as a critical friend, providing adaptive feedback informed by diverse cultural frameworks and calibrated to individual communicative styles; and as a work participant, moderating cross-cultural exchanges and prompting metacognitive reflection on strategies, emotional responses, and the consequences of in-game choices. Understood in this way, GenAI does not serve as a control mechanism or evaluative authority. It operates instead as a scaffold for cognitive well-being, with the potential to reduce performance-related anxiety and strengthen learners’ sense of self-efficacy.

This paper argues that combining structured game-based practices with generative artificial intelligence may open space for educational ecosystems that resist reductionist accounts of techno-science and extend learners’ capacity to engage critically with complex contemporary systems. Resilience, self-awareness, and democratic agency are not incidental by-products of such approaches but rather what this kind of pedagogy, at least in principle, is meant to cultivate. The paper further discusses conditions for effective implementation across educational levels, questions of equity and agency in the joint use of games and digital tools, and directions for future empirical research.