This study examines the design and delivery of an undergraduate Game Design elective tailored for students from non-computing disciplines. Conducted over three years in three editions of the same course, this study involves 215 students, 4 teaching staff members, and 9 teaching assistants. We outline the pedagogical approach adopted to support learners with limited technical backgrounds and describe the key learning activities implemented throughout the course. We present data on student perceptions and engagement, highlighting both successes and areas for improvement. We offer critical reflection on the challenges encountered, including balancing technical complexity with accessibility and fostering creative confidence. Finally, we share practical insights and recommendations for educators seeking to integrate authentic game development experiences into curricula for non-cognate learners.

Educational games, with their interactivity and engagement, have become a promising strategy for promoting the learning and development of children with disabilities. However, the existing literature remains thin and fragmented in its coverage and lacks systematic analyses of game content and design features. Therefore, this scoping review explored the evidence on games used in educational contexts for children with disabilities and aimed to synthesise evidence across four dimensions: who the participants were; what types of games were implemented; how games were delivered; and how games for children with disabilities were evaluated. The study aims to identify the relationships between game purposes, types, and forms, uncovering design trends and offering structured insights into the future development of educational games.

In this research, we investigate the effectiveness of asymmetric interactions (HandStylus, HandController, and TwoHands) in Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Extended Reality (XR) for 3D digital drawing overlaying on physical and virtual objects. We evaluate the input accuracy and fatigue of these object-based 3D drawing experiences using quantitative measurements and further explore the correlation between these outcomes with subjective questionnaires. We found significant independence between environments and interface types, which considerably influence the performance and usability of 3D immersive drawing. We noted discrepancies between users’ subjective experiences and objective performance. Specifically, although AR drawing on physical objects provides superior accuracy and minimal muscle fatigue due to tangible feedback, and the TwoHands interaction offers the highest precision, the subjective results show the reverse outcome. Based on these findings, we propose design recommendations and discuss directions for future research in immersive drawing environments.

This research investigates fast and precise Virtual Reality (VR) sketching methods with different tool-based asymmetric interfaces. In traditional real-world drawing, artists commonly employ an asymmetric interaction system where each hand holds different tools, facilitating diverse and nuanced artistic expressions. However, in virtual reality (VR), users are typically limited to using identical tools in both hands for drawing. To bridge this gap, we aim to introduce specifically designed tools in VR that replicate the varied tool configurations found in the real world. Hence, we developed a VR sketching system supporting three hybrid input techniques using a standard VR controller, a VR stylus, or a data glove. We conducted a formal user study consisting of an internal comparative experiment with four conditions and three tasks to compare three asymmetric input methods with each other and with a traditional symmetric controller-based solution based on questionnaires and performance evaluations. The results showed that in contrast to symmetric dual VR controller interfaces, the asymmetric input with gestures significantly reduced task completion times while maintaining good usability and input accuracy with a low task workload. This shows the value of asymmetric input methods for VR sketching. We also found that the overall user experience could be further improved by optimizing the tracking stability of the data glove and the VR stylus.

Despite recent initiatives, the number of women in programming and software engineering has continued to drop over recent years. One potential reason for this drop is that girls “learn” early on that programming is a boys’ activity and that they are not good at it. Therefore, they are less likely to choose topics relating to programming as they progress through their studies. Thus, one approach to increasing women in programming is to target girls at an early age and show them that programming is both doable and fun. This paper presents a pilot study involving a robotic programming system for girls aged five to ten. The children used a tangible-based programming system to program ballet dances on a Nao robot in a real-world classroom. The results indicate that the participants enjoyed the system and could build programs without many issues. While this study only includes a small data set, it does validate the overall idea and suggests that further research in the area is beneficial.

There has been considerable interest in measuring cognitive load . While researchers use retrospective think aloud methods to gauge an individuals cognitive load, others have expressed concerns about the reliability of think aloud methods. Moreover, others have expressed concerns about the reliability of using think-aloud methods with young children. This article provides evidence of non-invasive psycho-physiological tools that can be used to measure the cognitive load of young children. The authors employ eye-tracking technology to measure the players cognitive load through changes in endogenous blinks and fixations. Our process finds significant changes in cognitive load between childrens first and second attempts at playing puzzle-based computer games. The results of the study provide game developers with tools that indicate when users struggle with the information or content in a computer game.

Although there is an increase in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) career opportunities in most developed economies, the lack of qualified graduates to take these opportunities is a serious concern. Increasing participation in STEM education and experiences has the potential to address this issue. Furthermore, through increasing diversity of STEM qualified graduated not only has the potential to increase participation in STEM careers, but also assist in increasing product and service variety.

There has some initial work on using game play and game development to engage young children in STEM learning [5, 22, 23]. However, there not been a lot of recent work on using game development to engage young children in improving computational thinking. In this paper, the author provides an overview of an exploratory study of a group of forth grade and a group of fifth grade students during summer 2017. Both groups of students used a free game development platform from Microsoft (Kodu Game Lab) to make computer games. The results found that the participants in both camps demonstrated significant changes in attitudes and perceptions of CS.

As a student, educator, and researcher, I have long been interested in the learning opportunity that video games represent a corollary of a pedagogic awareness of the considerable benefit of applied and practical learning experiences.

Integrating games into classroom programs to enrich learning has become easier with the increased range of digital media and the greater access to cost effective computing. In this proposed research a series of exploratory studies is planned to see if student engagement could be enhanced by embedding games and game development into a regular classroom program. An integrated game development environment will be used to provide an exploratory context for creativity and games to engage students in learning programming concepts.