Making futures playable: role-based virtual reality career exploration to promote student imagination and creative self-efficacy

As artificial intelligence and automation reshape the landscape of work, conventional educational models are proving insufficient for preparing students to navigate their future careers. This creates a critical gap in the development of essential human competencies, such as imagination and creative self-efficacy, which are vital for adaptability in a rapidly changing economy. This paper proposes and offers an initial pilot evaluation of an evidence-informed design framework to support those outcomes. We present Career XRcade: Esports Land , a VR platform built on embodied role-play, narrative, and game-based learning. A mixed-methods pilot ( N = 35 ) assessed a sequential, within-subjects use pattern (lecture → VR). For the subset of students who completed both interventions ( N = 13 ) , paired-samples t-tests on consistent single-item anchors suggested the VR session produced additional gains in creative self-efficacy ( p = . 014 , d z = 0.80 ) and career interest ( p = . 006 , d z = 0.92 ). The difference for imaginative capability was directionally positive but not statistically significant. Qualitative themes confirmed that students preferred the immersive format, describing it as more tangible and effective for visualizing future careers and building confidence. We contribute a promising design framework structured around principles of embodied enactment, game-based learning (GBL), and authentic world-building, and provide preliminary evidence of its potential to add meaningful gains beyond what a traditional lecture provides.