Phases for Developing an Educational Game

Here is a design process you can consider when developing an educational game for use in a school setting.

A work plan for the development of an educational game prototype can be divided into three phases.

To create the prototype, a team should use an iterative design process involving feedback from subject matter experts, students and teachers. The process should involve three distinct but overlapping phases.

Phase One
The first phase is the Design Phase. In this phase, the team will create a design document, storyboards and concept art. One that is done, the artwork and concept of the game should be explained to teachers and students to gain feedback for the educational game prototype. Feedback should be incorporated into the design prior to any programming.

Phase Two
The second phase is the Programming Phase. In this phase the prototype game will be developed including in-game artwork and activities. The goal of this phase is to create a playable version of the game so learners can get a sense of the game and the development team can understand the programming challenges involved with creating the game.

Phase Three
The third phase is the Formative Evaluation Phase. In the third phase, the working prototype should be evaluated on three aspects; the first is the impact on learning using a pre-test, post-test design. This will answer the question, “Did students gain knowledge from the game?” The second aspect to be evaluated is the element of fun and engagement, the question to answer is “Were students engaged in the game and did they have fun playing it?” The third major question to investigate is teacher reaction: “Did teachers react favorably to the game?”

Follow these steps and you are well on your way to creating an effective and engaging educational game.