<p>Educational game designers face persistent challenges in integrating learning activities seamlessly into gameplay. Existing content integration strategies, such as intrinsic and extrinsic integration, often struggle to balance motivation, engagement, and learning outcomes effectively. This paper addresses these long-standing challenges by proposing a novel content integration approach that combines the benefits of both strategies while offering players flexibility and choice in engaging with learning activities. The study examines students’ intrinsic motivation, player experience, and learning outcomes while playing a game featuring Java programming puzzles. Results demonstrate that the novel approach motivated students to engage with learning tasks, improved their understanding of Java programming, and provided a positive player experience. These findings have significant implications for advancing learning content integration methods and enhancing the design of educational games.</p>