Development of soft skills competencies through the use of FLIGBY

ABSTRACT Traditionally, serious games have been used in the development of hard skills, particularly in technical areas such as health, engineering, defence or the environment. However, they can also be applied in the assessment and development of soft skills, which are increasingly key competencies for an individual in the twenty-first century. In this sense, this study proposes the adoption of the FLIGBY serious game in a higher education institution to evaluate and develop students’ skills in this field. The findings indicate a large correspondence between the soft skills fundamental to the twenty-first century and the assessment dimensions recorded by the game. Furthermore, the findings reveal that FLIGBY can be used primarily to develop skills in dimensions such as leadership, conflict management, diplomacy and emotional intelligence. These findings are relevant for higher education institutions that intend to include and foster the development of soft skills competencies in their curricula.