The purpose of this qualitative, descriptive scientific phenomenological study was to explore what it is like for a community college student to experience group dynamics in a team-based gamified learning environment in the Southwestern U.S. Although the student or "player" experience is at the center of a gamified curriculum, it is not known what it is like for a community college student to experience group dynamics in a team-based gamified learning environment. The theoretical foundations for the study consisted of various theories and frameworks that pertain to the chosen phenomenon of group dynamics in a team-based, gamified learning environment, including play theories, collaborative and competitive learning theories, team dynamics theory, and group development theoretical models. The first research question explored what it is like for a community college student to experience group dynamics in a team-based, gamified learning environment. The second research question examined how the key constituents of group dynamics in a team-based learning environment emerged in the lived-experience of a community college student. A non-probability, purposive sample of five students from four gamified classes at a southwestern community college served as the participants in this study. Per a descriptive scientific phenomenological research design, data were gathered using unstandardized, phenomenological interviews. The interview transcripts were subsequently analyzed using Giorgi's five-step descriptive phenomenological analysis. The resultant general structure of the experience and key constituents revealed a sense of intersubjective, playful learning is at the center of the student experience in gamified classrooms. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]