Abstract:
Despite the positive demographic profile and national innovation agenda, entrepreneurship education in emerging economies like Bangladesh still faces the challenge of entrepreneurial intention among Generation Z university students. Because traditional teaching methods fail to spark the motivation needed to build entrepreneurial intention, there is growing interest in gamification as a hands-on alternative. This study develops a framework to explain how specific gamification mechanics drive entrepreneurial intention by boosting intrinsic motivation, drawing on Self-Determination Theory and the Theory of Planned Behaviour. The research adopts a qualitative conceptual paper design, which synthesises the evidence from literature indexed in Scopus and Web of Science under five thematic sections. The critical thematic analysis results in a framework that places five mechanics as antecedents that vary in their ability to satisfy autonomy, competence, and relatedness needs. Intrinsic motivation mediates these effects, moderated by digital access and institutional support. Six formal propositions can be identified: Narrative challenges and mastery feedback are the strongest triggers of intrinsic motivation; leaderboards have curvilinear effects; badges need to align with milestones; and structural moderators are the conditions under which the scalability is realised, especially for female and rural students. The framework breaks down gamification into specific components, shows how intrinsic motivation links these components to student intentions, and applies broad theories to the unique context of Bangladesh. This study provides a mechanistic level of precision to entrepreneurship education scholarship, SDT-TPB integration for contexts in the Global South, and evidence-based design principles for scalable pedagogy. It provides a theoretical ground for the generativity of Bangladesh, and it sets empirical agendas with the promise of socioeconomic impact.
