Sharing and Evaluating GamesActivities & Teaching Strategies
Active learning works for sharing and evaluating games because students must test, justify, and refine their work in real time. When pupils play each other’s games and discuss their experiences, they develop critical digital literacy skills that go beyond simply building a project.
Learning Objectives
- 1Analyze peer feedback to identify specific strengths and weaknesses in an interactive game.
- 2Evaluate the effectiveness of game design elements, such as controls and events, based on user experience.
- 3Justify design choices made in their own game, explaining their purpose and intended effect.
- 4Propose concrete improvements to their game by synthesizing feedback received from peers.
- 5Critique their own game's user flow and engagement based on observed playtesting.
Want a complete lesson plan with these objectives? Generate a Mission →
Gallery Walk: Game Playtesting
Display student games on classroom computers or tablets. Groups rotate every 5 minutes to play a game, recording one strength, one challenge, and a suggestion on feedback sheets. After rotations, students review notes from all players on their own game.
Prepare & details
Evaluate the effectiveness of a peer's game based on user feedback.
Facilitation Tip: In Gallery Walk, rotate groups every 5 minutes so students experience multiple games and perspectives.
Setup: Wall space or tables arranged around room perimeter
Materials: Large paper/poster boards, Markers, Sticky notes for feedback
Feedback Pairs: Design Justification
Partners play each other's game for 4 minutes then switch: the designer explains choices while the player shares observations. Each pair agrees on two key improvements. Pairs report one insight to the class.
Prepare & details
Justify the design choices made in your own game.
Facilitation Tip: For Feedback Pairs, provide sentence starters on feedback sheets to guide constructive comments.
Setup: Wall space or tables arranged around room perimeter
Materials: Large paper/poster boards, Markers, Sticky notes for feedback
Reflection Carousel: Improvement Planning
Post feedback sheets around the room. Students visit three sheets, adding their own game parallels or tips. Back at stations, they prioritise changes and sketch quick prototypes.
Prepare & details
Predict how you would improve your game based on the feedback received.
Facilitation Tip: During Reflection Carousel, ask students to write down one improvement idea before moving to the next poster to ensure accountability.
Setup: Wall space or tables arranged around room perimeter
Materials: Large paper/poster boards, Markers, Sticky notes for feedback
Whole Class Debrief: Feedback Trends
Project anonymised feedback quotes. Class votes on common themes like 'confusing start screen' and brainstorms solutions. Each student updates their game log with one action.
Prepare & details
Evaluate the effectiveness of a peer's game based on user feedback.
Facilitation Tip: In Whole Class Debrief, record feedback trends on the board to highlight patterns across all games.
Setup: Wall space or tables arranged around room perimeter
Materials: Large paper/poster boards, Markers, Sticky notes for feedback
Teaching This Topic
Teachers should model how to give feedback that is specific, kind, and helpful by demonstrating on a sample game. Avoid letting students dismiss feedback by saying, ‘I just like it.’ Instead, guide them to focus on usability and clarity. Research shows that structured peer feedback increases both learning outcomes and student confidence in evaluating digital products.
What to Expect
Successful learning looks like students giving specific, actionable feedback to peers and using that feedback to improve their designs. They should confidently explain their choices and plan concrete next steps for their games.
These activities are a starting point. A full mission is the experience.
- Complete facilitation script with teacher dialogue
- Printable student materials, ready for class
- Differentiation strategies for every learner
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
Common MisconceptionDuring Gallery Walk, watch for students who say, ‘I like your game’ without explaining why or suggesting changes.
What to Teach Instead
During Gallery Walk, hand students feedback sheets with three prompts: ‘What worked well?’, ‘What was confusing?’, and ‘Suggest one change.’ Circulate and remind students to fill all sections with specific details.
Common MisconceptionDuring Feedback Pairs, watch for students who accept all feedback without questioning or justifying their own design choices.
What to Teach Instead
During Feedback Pairs, provide a template for students to record one piece of feedback they agree with and one they disagree with, explaining their reasoning in a sentence.
Common MisconceptionDuring Reflection Carousel, watch for students who write vague improvement plans like ‘make it better’ without clear steps.
What to Teach Instead
During Reflection Carousel, give each student a sticky note to write a single, specific improvement (e.g., ‘add a start screen with instructions’) and stick it on their game poster before sharing with the class.
Assessment Ideas
After Gallery Walk, collect all feedback sheets and use them to assess whether students provided specific, actionable comments. Look for evidence of clear likes, confusions, and improvement suggestions.
After Feedback Pairs, ask students to share one piece of feedback they found most helpful and explain why. Listen for justifications that connect feedback to their design choices.
During Whole Class Debrief, ask students to hold up fingers (1-5) to show their confidence in explaining a design choice. Then ask for volunteers to share one choice and their reasoning.
Extensions & Scaffolding
- Challenge: Ask students to redesign one element of their game based on the most common feedback they received.
- Scaffolding: Provide a word bank of feedback phrases (e.g., ‘I noticed that…’, ‘One suggestion is…’) to support struggling students.
- Deeper exploration: Invite students to research one game design principle (e.g., balance, pacing) and apply it to their next iteration.
Key Vocabulary
| User Feedback | Information and opinions provided by someone who has used a product or service, in this case, a game. This helps identify what works well and what needs improvement. |
| Design Choice | A specific decision made by a game creator about how the game looks, sounds, or plays. This includes choices about characters, backgrounds, sounds, and how actions happen. |
| Iterative Design | A design process that involves repeating cycles of designing, testing, and refining. This game sharing activity is a step in this process. |
| Usability | How easy and intuitive a game is to play. Good usability means players can understand the controls and objectives without confusion. |
Suggested Methodologies
More in Events and Actions: Interactive Games
Understanding Input Devices
Exploring how physical actions like clicking or pressing keys interact with software.
2 methodologies
Output Devices and Feedback
Identifying various output devices (screen, speakers) and how they provide feedback to the user.
2 methodologies
Introduction to Event-Driven Programming
Programming scripts that 'wait' for a specific trigger before executing a command.
2 methodologies
Using Multiple Events and Conditions
Creating more complex interactions by combining multiple event listeners and conditional statements.
2 methodologies
Game Design Principles: User Experience
Considering the user experience when creating interactive software and games.
2 methodologies
Ready to teach Sharing and Evaluating Games?
Generate a full mission with everything you need
Generate a Mission