The three musketeers—Kelly, Megan, and I—jetted off to Singapore, entering the new world of the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT), and finding ourselves in the midst of college students designing board games. Except, these weren’t your average “roll the dice, buy some property” kind of games. They were tackling big topics: financial literacy, mental health, cybersecurity—stuff that could change lives if done right.
When we got there, we felt the stress the students were in immediately. Final presentation season, adrenaline high, and everyone in crunch mode. These students were using popular games as their inspiration—Monopoly, Game of Life, Exploding Kittens—to create educational games. Sounds cool, right? Except…they were getting a bit too comfy with the classics.
Don’t get us wrong—Monopoly and Game of Life are fun (maybe not so much for our CEO), but when it comes to serious games, borrowing mechanics from these hits doesn’t guarantee players are going to walk away having learned something. We’d sit down with a group excited about teaching ergonomics through an Exploding Kittens-style card game, but halfway through, we’d be like, “Where’s the actual lesson here?”
That’s where the real challenge of serious games kicks in. Games aren’t just about mechanics—they’re about meaning. If you want people to understand budgeting or mental health, you’ve got to make every roll, card, and decision mean something. That’s easier said than done. It’s a wild dance of making sure players are hooked and learning. And trust us, without a clear takeaway, even the flashiest game falls flat.
We spent a lot of time emphasizing one crucial tool: playtesting. A game might seem genius in your head but in the hands of players? Total chaos. Playtesting showed the students exactly where the wheels were falling off—and sometimes they had to cut even their favorite mechanics because they didn’t serve the message. Painful? Yes. But worth it.
Working with the SIT students was a rollercoaster of “aha” moments, last-minute pivots, and creative breakthroughs. Watching them go from a concept to clearer, more purpose-driven designs was incredible. By the end, we could feel that they were onto something big. These games had the potential to make learning fun.
So yes, designing serious games is tough. But seeing these students struggle, adapt, and level up made it all worth it. They’re proving that educational games can be more than lectures in disguise. Excited to see and play all their final prototypes soon! And to the students reading this, we loved your final presentations (and best of luck for your exams)! Extra credit will be given to you all (joking of course… unless).
