Created for Deascuola (Mondadori Group) and listed among the Top Applied Games of 2022, “Ross e la Sgrammanebbia” is the first educational video game that teaches the fundamentals of Italian grammar, designed to adapt to the ministerial programs and be used as a teaching support tool by teachers.
A video game designed for classroom play
Educational video games (edugame) are nothing new. Nor is their use as a support for teaching; they can be crafted to cover any topic, enhancing learning through play.
But, until now, their employment was limited to after-school activities as support for studying or rehearsing at home. A specific videogame tool for teachers was actually missing, a support for teachers to use during the lesson.
This is the innovative component of Deascuola’s request: to create an educational video game to be played in the classroom.
The need
Today, educational video games are designed for a generic target that often corresponds to families and are not crafted as support for students in school or for homework. Teachers struggle to adapt the digital tools they need to search online and analyse before including them in their course syllabus” – blog.deascuola.it
With “Ross e la Sgrammanebbia”, Deascuola had two goals:
- create a video game that could support teachers during class hours
- analyse and understand the impact of video games on teaching
Specifically, the customer wanted a solution to trasnform the traditional exercises into an engaging experience, as they are often considered boring by students.
Customization
To attain the desired outcome, we had to grant the teacher the flexibility to modify exercise content at their discretion, allowing for seamless adaptation to their students’ levels and requirements. Put simply, our approach should have involved crafting a game with the highest degree of customizability possible.
Moreover, the solution needed to guarantee the spontaneity of exercise content, enhancing the gaming experience with an element of unpredictability.
How we did it
In video games, likewise books and movies, an unspoken narrative pact exists between the game developers and the players. This agreement entails players willingly surrendering themselves to the immersive narrative, in exchange for a captivating and compelling story.
For the Deascuola video game to succeed, it was imperative that the educational intent seamlessly integrated into the narrative flow without disrupting the established pact, ensuring a harmonious balance between engagement and learning.
Design studio
The most ambitious aspect of the project revolved around the meticulous transposition of grammar exercises from traditional classroom teaching into a video game. This endeavour demanded a delicate balance, preserving the didactic purpose while simultaneously crafting an immersive and captivating storytelling experience.
The greatest effort was intricately tied to the design study, specifically exploring how to effectively portray a grammar exercise within the confines of a video game.
Features
Teacher
The final solution allows the teacher to:
- structure the use of the video game in alignment with its educational programme by thoughtfully selecting and arranging the order of levels;
- limit students’ access to the game through unlock codes that teachers provide to the class before delving into a new topic – this ensures a structured and synchronized progression in line with the educational plan;
- access each individual educational activity to reintroduce the game even in class without following the narrative;
- integrate the educational offer with the instructions provided in the video game guide available in the dedicated area.
Student
The final solution allows the student to:
- tackle both educational and playful challenges at each level, earning an overall score;
- discover new elements every time they play the game;
- improve their score by replaying a level multiple times;
- pause the game without losing the accumulated score up to that point, thanks to the intermediate checkpoints present in each level.
Graphics and programming
From a graphic perspective, “Ross and La Sgrammanebbia” features a 2D aesthetic that aligns well with the educational context in which it is employed. The use of 2D animations allows a clear and direct presentation of grammatical concepts, essential to facilitate learning. The character and scenery design is simple yet effective, employing colors and shapes that capture students’ attention without diverting focus from the educational content. The decision to opt for 2D graphics is also strategically advantageous, as it enhances accessibility and reduces hardware resource requirements, enabling effective functionality even on devices with limited technical specifications.
Being a web app, the game is easily accessible through a browser, making it particularly suitable for educational environments where students might not have access to specific gaming devices.
Result
With “Ross e la Sgrammanebbia”, Deascuola enhances the traditional and essential grammar rulebook and exercises through the immersive experience of a video game.
This marks the first project of its kind in Italy.
Numbers and data
To scrutinize and comprehend the influence of video games on education, in alignment with the objectives set by Deascuola in developing Ross e la Sgrammanebbia, data and feedback were systematically gathered from select classroom samples.
- 2 cities (Turin and Milan)
- 6 schools
- 10 teachers
- 10 classes
- 185 students aged 11-12
Feedback
The study phase concluded with an interview involving the actual protagonists of the project: teachers and students.
For teachers
The teachers involved in the testing phase identified three distinct objectives for introducing the game/video game in the classroom:
- motivational objectives (foster enthusiasm and interest in the subject)
- social objectives (collaborative learning with peers)
- the training objective (reinforce previously acquired content through repetition)
The time actually allocated to the game, in certain cases, surpassed the total duration of the lesson.
For students
The activity received a positive evaluation from over 85% of the students, with a higher level of appreciation among girls than boys. About 95% of them stated that video games can be introduced into schools for the learning of disciplinary knowledge.
Opportunities in the field of edutainment
The use of games in Italian schools and, more broadly, in the field of education, is still quite restricted, often geared towards pure entertainment or exercise rather than being recognized as a genuine learning environment.
Video games present an opportunity to align teaching with the digital native generations, who effortlessly transition between real-world contexts and virtual environments.
At Game Thinkers, we delve into and implement innovative educational solutions that cater to specific needs, exemplified by projects like “Ross and Sgrammanebbia” for Deascuola.
