Entertainment or Distraction? The Impact of Gamification and Enjoyment on Learning Outcomes in Immersive Virtual Reality: A Systematic Review

<title>Abstract</title> <p>Problem: Immersive virtual reality (IVR) is widely promoted in education because it is engaging and often enjoyable. Gap: Enjoyment, presence, and gamification are frequently treated as if they were learning, and previous reviews have not isolated when entertainment improves outcomes versus when it competes with them. Objective: This systematic review examines when entertainment, enjoyment, or gamification improves measurable learning in IVR and when it becomes a source of distraction or extraneous cognitive load. Methods: Following PRISMA 2020, English-language records were retrieved on 13 August 2026 from OpenAlex, PubMed, Crossref, and Europe PMC (Semantic Scholar was queried but returned HTTP 429). After deduplication, 4973 unique records were screened; 234 reports were assessed at full-text/abstract eligibility; 141 empirical studies were included. A reporting-complete core set was extracted in detail. Heterogeneity in tasks, comparators, and game elements precluded a defensible meta-analysis; structured effect-direction and narrative synthesis were used instead. Findings: IVR reliably increases enjoyment, presence, and motivation relative to less immersive media. Objective learning is mixed: several tightly controlled science lessons show higher liking with equal or worse posttests, whereas spatial, safety-transfer, and well-scaffolded inquiry tasks sometimes show learning gains. Game elements that function as instructional feedback or manageable challenge tend to support performance; spectacle, unconstrained exploration, and complex mechanics more often raise load. Pre-training, segmentation, signaling, and generative strategies can restore learning without requiring entertainment to be removed. Implications: Design should treat entertainment as a limited attentional budget, not as a proxy for achievement. Contribution: The review separates subjective from objective outcomes, evaluates a dual-pathway entertainment–learning framework against evidence, and specifies conditions for an engagement–learning trade-off rather than a uniform benefit of gamified IVR.</p>