Emotional competence is a cornerstone of therapeutic effectiveness in psychiatric nursing, encompassing essential skills such as emotional intelligence, empathy, self-awareness, and emotional regulation. Despite its importance, emotional education remains underrepresented in traditional nursing curricula. This chapter explores gamification as an innovative, theory-based strategy for fostering emotional competencies in undergraduate psychiatric nursing education.

Grounded in constructivist learning theory, experiential learning, self-determination theory, and flow theory, gamification offers an engaging and pedagogically robust framework to address the emotional demands of mental health care. A four-week sample training module is presented, featuring immersive simulation, role-play, reflective feedback, and narrative-driven game mechanics to strengthen affective learning outcomes.

The chapter further outlines evidence-based outcomes—including improved empathy, emotional regulation, and learner engagement—while proposing a comprehensive multi-method evaluation strategy. Recommendations are offered for curriculum integration, culturally sensitive design, and faculty development. Future directions emphasize the need for longitudinal impact studies, AI-enhanced personalization, and interprofessional implementation.

By formalizing this model, the chapter contributes not only to pedagogical innovation but also to the evolving scholarly discourse on affective learning in psychiatric nursing. The training framework, design principles, and evaluation strategies outlined herein provide a conceptual and empirical foundation for future research, policy development, and curricular integration. This framework lays the groundwork for nurturing more competent and empathetic professionals in mental health care, enhancing the methodological and conceptual underpinnings of emotional competence development in nursing education.