Category: Games areas

March 28, 2025

Playing games

This section aims to support educators to provide opportunities to play games in education. Games are valuable, meaningful and engaging to people of all ages, including children and young people. Play is a valuable and recognised aspect of learning and child development.

Below are links to information, ideas and resources to help educators implement playing games in their setting.

Scottish Schools and Colleges Esports Competitions – Expression of Interest

Scottish Esports are the national body for gaming and esports in Scotland and are conducting a survey to assess the viability of a national esports competitions for Scotland’s schools and colleges. This initiative aims to provide a structured competitive framework that supports Curriculum for Excellence, develops learners’ meta-skills, enhances digital… Read more

Island Saver from NatWest

Island Saver is a free-to-play game from NatWest. It is designed to develop children and young people’s understanding of finance, including saving and tax. It can be played on consoles or iPad. Find out more about the game here: Island Saver Wiki Read more

Minecraft Build Battle in North Lanarkshire Council

The Digital School Team at North Lanarkshire Council have shared this summary of their recent work using Minecraft with primary school learners. To find out more get in touch with Alan Cooper Curriculum Manager CooperAl@northlan.gov.uk and Lauren McIntyre Digital Education Support Officer McIntyreLa@northlan.gov.uk at North Lanarkshire Council All resources and… Read more

Restore by Glitchers – a game about land use

Restore by GLITCHERS Restore is part of an academic research project called RestoreID (HORIZON-CL6-2023-BIODIV-01-17). This research project investigates the relationship between nature restoration, biodiversity, and disease prevention. The restore game is led by Dr Brad Duthie and Prof Nils Bunnefeld at the University of Stirling. The game will take… Read more

Tinderbox Games Collective

Tinderbox is a collective of young people, musicians, artists and youth workers in Scotland. Their work uses music and the arts to bring people together and strengthen communities, providing exciting opportunities that support young people to build their confidence, skills, self-esteem, and professional experience. Find out more about Tinderbox here… Read more

January 13, 2025

Making games

 go to the Games in Education page

This section contains information and resources to support educators make games with learners. As valuable as playing games is the opportunity to make them.

Below are some free-to-use game making platforms. Registering learners as users will require your local authority’s guidance on data security – please check before registering.

Do you work with children or young people who enjoy making games?

The Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity has launched a summer games jam to raise funds to buy adapted gaming equipment, consoles and video games for the boys and girls at the children’s hospital in Glasgow. Fundraising will also support the hospital’s Gamer-in-Residence – so that children in hospital always have someone to play with.

Find out more about the project with this link to the Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity page

Or go straight to the Weans Game Jam page with this link to itch.io

GameMaker is a development tool for making 2D games, used by indie developers, professional studios, and educators worldwide. Users can create games for Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS, HTML5, Xbox, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch.

Remember to check with your local authority data security team/officer before registering any learners as users.

Explore tutorials using this link – Learn How To Develop Games

Find out more about the Game Maker Education license with this link – Teaching Using Game Design

Microsoft MakeCode Arcade is a free online learn-to-code platform where anyone can build games.

Remember to check with your local authority data security team/officer before registering any learners as users.

Find out more about MakeCode Educator guides using this link – MakeCode Arcade Educator Page

January 13, 2025

Esports

 go to the Games in Education page

This section is home to information, resources and links to esports in Scottish education.

Esports is competitive video-gaming. There are now huge competitions and events organised around these games and this is often spoken about as much as the actual game playing in the esports industry. There is a growing number of countries that recognise, and treat, esports as a sport.

Mark McCready of Scottish Esports recently provided this update on esports in education, covering:

Scottish Esports Education landscape
What are the pathways and organisations they can work with locally for engagement
The new HNC ESports being developed

Esports organisations and competitions

Scottish Esports

Digital Playhouse (UKIE) esports

Esports learning resources and courses

The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) offers esports qualificaitons at level 4, level 5 and level 6.

The YMCA delivers the HP Gaming Garage programme