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Visionary educator though you may be, the first few steps of a journey can always feel a bit daunting.
Take heart, brave adventurer! Using smart frameworks and tool can make the process of worldbuilding considerably easier.
Every great world begins with a blueprint. Whether you’re a seasoned game-based learning architect or just beginning your first foray into playful design, these practical tips provide a clear map for building immersive, effective learning environments.
A Field Guide to Worldbuilding
A Field Guide to Worldbuilding
- Establish Learning Objectives
No quest is complete without a purpose. Learning objectives are the “main questline” that keeps your adventurers on track.
How to apply:
Start by asking: What do I want learners to be able to do after this adventure?
Map objectives directly to curricular or skill outcomes.
Think of side quests: optional goals that extend or deepen the journey.
2. Develop the Setting
2. Develop the Setting
The setting is more than decoration—it’s the soil where learning grows. Whether historical, futuristic, or speculative, the world must connect meaningfully to the knowledge you want learners to acquire.
How to apply:
Choose themes that resonate with learners’ lives, aspirations, or curiosities.
Embed subject matter naturally into the lore (e.g., a math puzzle as a dungeon riddle, history lessons as the lore of ancient kingdoms).
Offer cultural breadth—worlds should welcome diverse heroes.
3. Bake In Engagement
3. Bake In Engagement
A static world is just scenery. Interactivity is what makes it breathe.
How to apply:
Decide how players will act in your world: role-play, choices, challenges, or collaborative quests.
Balance rules with freedom: structure sets the stage, but agency drives the story.
Build in multiple paths to success: encourage creativity and problem-solving.
4. Test & Iterate
4. Test & Iterate
Worlds are living things. They grow stronger with feedback, refinement, and adaptation.
How to practice:
Run test quests with a small party of learners or colleagues.
Gather feedback on clarity, engagement, and inclusivity.
Adjust mechanics, story pacing, or accessibility features to better serve adventurers.
Remember: iteration is not failure—it’s evolution.
Where Can I Use Immersive Worlds in Education?
Where Can I Use Immersive Worlds in Education?
Worldbuilding can— and should—be applied anywhere you would implement game-based learning!
It's particularly powerful (and easy to integrate) in a number of areas, such as:
History: Using worldbuilding to teach history and cultural studies via reenactment or alternate history scenarios.
STEM & Problem-Based Learning: Immersive, challenge-based scenarios enhance science and math education. Rather than memorising formulas, use them to save a near-future city.
Language Learning & Literature: Building immersive fictional worlds can encourage linguistic engagement and literary analysis. Why did this world's greatest bard choose the literary devices she did?
Business & Social Sciences: Simulating economic systems, governance structures, and ethical dilemmas in an alternate reality encourages innovation and out-of-the-box solutions to real problems.
MAGIC Worldbuilding tools
MAGIC Worldbuilding tools
Summon Aid
Summon Aid
Designing a world is like weaving a tapestry. Objectives form the loom, narrative the threads, interactivity the patterns, and iteration the finishing touches. Together, they create a realm where learning can thrive.
Explore More
Explore More
Suggested Readings
Suggested Readings
Nicholson, S. & Cable L. (2021). Unlocking the potential of puzzle-based learning. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications.
Whitton, N. J. (2018). Playful learning: Tools, techniques, and tactics. Research in learning technology, 26, 1-12.
Gee, J. P. (2003). What video games have to teach us about learning and literacy. Palgrave Macmillan
McGonigal, J. (2011). Reality is broken: Why games make us better and how they can change the world. New York: Penguin.
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