This study design combines Gather Town's realistic space, multi-dimensional scaffolding mechanism, and multiple professional fields real-person NPCs (Non-player Character) in a remote strategic planning educational game, and explores learners’ learning effectiveness, scaffolding usefulness, game fidelity, and game acceptance. There were 52 participants, including the Experimental Group (using a game with real-person NPCs), and the Control Group (using a game without real-person NPCs). The results of the study found that games using the mechanism of real-person NPCs can significantly improve learning effectiveness and have better learning effectiveness than those without real-person NPCs or general case studies. In terms of the usefulness of scaffolding, real-person NPCs could jointly improve the effect of other dimensions of scaffolding, allowing learners to experience more useful learning guidance. In terms of fidelity, the introduction of real-person NPCs allows learners to be easily involved in the learning roles and mission objectives of the game. © 2025 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
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