g a m e m a k i n g f o r le a r n i n g :

a g u i d e to d i g i t a l a p p l i ca t io n s

J e f f r e y E a r p

I n s t i t u t e f o r E d u c a t i o n a l T e c h n o l o g y , C N R , I t a l y

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Jeffrey Earp

Istituto per le Tecnologie Didattiche

Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche

Via de Marini 6, 16146

Genova Italy

jeff@itd.cnr.it

tinyurl.com/JE-online

luglio 2015

Reuse of this document is governed by the conditions of Creative Commons Licence CC BY-NC-SA 3.0

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s t a r t

In this guide you’ll find a chart describing around sixty

digital game making applications that are suitable for

use with and by learners. To help you compare the

different options available, the main characteristics of

each tool listed in the chart are shown as a series of

icons.

These icons are explained in the legend boxes

underneath the chart, which also present some ideas to

help you choose – and use – a game making application

for learning. Finally there are some links to useful

resources for adopting game making in education.

a c c e s s

a c c e s s

a c c e s s

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a p p l i c a t i o n s

TOOL ACCESS DNA ENTRY AGE EDITING MODE 2D/3D APPLICATION

MODE OPERATING SYSTEMS GAME PUBLISHING INFO

Adventure Game Studio

2D

Adventure Maker

2D

AgentCube

AgentSheets

2D

Alice

from Carnegie Mellon University. Available in

Spanish

AR Learn

for location based

Alternate Reality games

Aris

for location based

Alternate Reality games

Atmosphir

In features multiplayer mode

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TOOL ACCESS DNA ENTRY AGE EDITING MODE 2D/3D APPLICATION

MODE OPERATING SYSTEMS GAME PUBLISHING INFO

Beta

2D

Clickteam Fusion 2.5

2D

Code Studio

2D

Platform from

Code.org®

Construct 2

2D

CraftStudio

Real-time collaborative

authoring mode

eAdventure

2D

l

Scorm & LMS compliant. UCM University (SP)

Multilingual

Etoys

2D

Flappy Creator

2D

Just for fun!

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TOOL ACCESS DNA ENTRY AGE EDITING MODE 2D/3D APPLICATION

MODE OPERATING SYSTEMS GAME PUBLISHING INFO

Flowlab

Game Editor

Game Studio

GameDevelop

2D

Available in EN, FR, RU, SP

Gamefroot

2D

Gameinventor

2D

Gamelabs

2D

sponsored by the Austrian Ministry of

Education

GameMaker: Studio

2D

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TOOL ACCESS DNA ENTRY AGE EDITING MODE 2D/3D APPLICATION

MODE OPERATING SYSTEMS GAME PUBLISHING INFO

GameSalad Creator

2D

GameSprout Beta

community platform

for crowdsourcing new game design ideas

Gamestar Mechanic

2D

gameworld

GDevApp

2D

browser-based version of GameDevelop

Globaloria

2D

U.S. schools initiative

Hopscotch

2D

Various packages available. Available in

Chinese & Spanish

hyperPad

2D

Klick N Play

2D

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TOOL ACCESS DNA ENTRY AGE EDITING MODE 2D/3D APPLICATION

MODE OPERATING SYSTEMS GAME PUBLISHING INFO

Kodu

Microsoft platform.

Multilingual.

Ladybug Maze

2D

Quick intro to coding

Magos Lite

2D

Produced In EU Project. Also Available

In Italian & Finnish

MissionMaker

From Institute of Education at London

University

Pixel Press Floors 2D

converts paper designs to digital games; other

editors available

Project Spark

gameworld; Microsoft platform based on Kodu. Multilingual.

Pulado

2D

Roblox

sandbox gameworld

Roblox Mobile

sandbox gameworld

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TOOL ACCESS DNA ENTRY AGE EDITING MODE 2D/3D APPLICATION

MODE OPERATING SYSTEMS GAME PUBLISHING INFO

RPG Maker VX Ace Lite

2D

Editor for making role playing games

RPG Toolkit

2D

Editor for making role

playing games

Sandbox

Scratch

2D

produced at MIT.

Multilingual.

ScratchJr

2D

produced at MIT

Scrolling Game Dev.

Kit 2

2D

Snap

2D

offshoot of Scratch

Spark beta

beta to be released

Sploder

2D

website contains advertising

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TOOL ACCESS DNA ENTRY AGE EDITING MODE 2D/3D APPLICATION

MODE OPERATING SYSTEMS GAME PUBLISHING INFO

StarLogo Nova

produced at MIT

StarLogo TNG

produced at MIT. Also available in SP, PT, GR.

Stencyl

2D

advanced version of Scratch

The Games Factory 2

2D

From Clickteam

ToonTalk 3

2D

From Oxford University. Also available in

Swedish.

Torque 2D

2D

Unity 4

popular engine used in gaming industry

Unreal Engine 4

wimi5

2D

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a c c e s s

open source free of charge free lite version commercial restricted or not yet publically released

• Open source applications are, by definition, free of charge.

• Some applications are free of charge to use for making games but impose a fee for publishing the games online in

game/app stores.

• Free lite versions commonly have less extensive authoring features and/or fewer game publishing options than the

corresponding full commercial application.

• Trial versions of commercial applications, i.e. applications valid to use only for a brief time period, are not considered

here.

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D N A

core educational gaming / educational gaming

• core educational: tool developed expressly to support learning processes. Most likely produced by - or in conjunction with

– an academic or research institution.

• gaming/educational: not originally designed with education in mind but promoted as a learning tool; bundled with

resources or support services targeted specifically at educators.

• gaming: designed for entertainment purposes and for apprenticeship or professional use within the entertainment gaming

sector.

The opportunity to connect with a user community (experts, teachers, learners) who use the application for educational purposes lends considerable added value.

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e n t r y a g e

5-7 years 8-12 years 13+ years

• Age suitability is expressed here as a suggested entry level. Maximum age ceilings for game editors can be arbitrary,

especially when users produce games for players younger than themselves.

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e d i t i n g m o d e

coding point-&-click, drag-&-drop hybrid

• coding: game making involves generation of text-based script or, more commonly, interaction with a simplified visual

coding system purposely designed to facilitate programming and familiarise the user with computational logic.

• point-&-click / drag-&-drop: high-level authoring systems designed to simplify (and accelerate) game implementation,

allowing users to concentrate on design factors.

• hybrid: applications that offer multiple forms of game implementation.

For those who see game making chiefly as a way to promote computer programming and nurture computational

thinking skills, the opportunity for learners - of whatever age - to code is essential. Other practitioners value the

potential game making offers for developing transversal skills like collaboration and problem solving, or for enhancing

curriculum-oriented learning. In this case, higher-level authoring systems based on point-&-click or drag-&-drop

interaction may help to focus learners’ attention on the salient aspects of the (iterative) design cycle and facilitate

classroom deployment as well.

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2 D v s 3 D

2D

a due dimensioni a tre dimensioni

• 3D: includes applications with an existing (multiuser) 3D environment in which users embed the games they make. These

are also called sandbox games.

The immersive nature of 3D games can strengthen the engagement of game players and game makers alike.

However, this affordance needs to be weighed up against the greater complexity of 3D game editors and authoring

processes, which normally require more time and effort, both inside and outside the classroom. The choice also

depends on the educational value that game-world building offers for expected learning outcomes.

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a p p l i c a t i o n t y p e s

desktop application browser based mobile app

• desktop application: program to be downloaded from the internet and installed either on a school network server or on

individual computers

• browser based: program that runs directly in a web browser without the need for installation.

• mobile app: applications that run on a tablet or smartphone.

Check the system requirements of desktop applications: school computers must meet the minimum requirements

and ideally should match the recommended requirements. Learners may want to use the application in their own time

on their own devices; in this case browser based applications offer the advantage of running on various operating

systems and on mobile devices as well as computers. Check which browser/s the producer recommends as not all may

be supported. In any case it may be necessary to install or enable browser add-ons or plugins (mini programs the that

browser requires to run certain applications). Before adopting a game making application, make sure to test it

thoroughly on the system/s that the learners will be using.

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o p e r a t i n g s y s t e m s

Windows Mac Linux ios android Xbox all major systems

• Windows, Apple Mac and Linux are operating systems that run desktop applications, while ios and android are found on

tablets and smartphones.

Check the specific version/s of the operating system listed in the system requirements. Learners may well want to

continue making games in their own time on their own devices, so applications that run on a range of operating

systems definitely offer advantages in that case.

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g a m e p u b l i s h i n g

Windows Mac Linux ios android html5 java Adobe flash all major systems

hosted

• When learners are ready to publish their games, they generally have a range of formats to choose from. In addition to

selecting a particular operating system or device type, they sometimes have the chance to export their game for browser

based play, i.e. by publishing the game in HTML, HTML5, Java or Flash.

The options available for learners to publish their games can affect how these are shared within the group (for peer

review) and within learners’ networks and the world at large, where appropriate. Most browser-based authoring

applications have on online space where the user community can publish and share games. These environments

include features for managing access and privacy, as well as for exchanging comments and ratings. Remember that

the special provisions for using copyright material in educational settings for educational purposes DO NOT apply if

the material is published publicly online.

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f i n d o u t m o r e

MAGICAL - a European project on

game making for learning

Community library of game making

applications suitable for learning

The latest news on game making for

learning from around the world