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5 Reasons Why Game Design is the Best Method for Teaching STEAM in Schools
As technology accelerates, keeping up with essential digital skills is difficult. The modern workforce increasingly demands digital literacy. But, many students – while engaging in a plethora of digital media and tools – fail to turn those interactions into practical and employable skill sets. They lack access to effective learning mechanisms that make acquiring these skills engaging and intuitive – despite the best efforts of parents, caregivers and educators. So how can schools and districts address this challenge?
Below, we explore this disparity: Students’ exposure to the digital world is increasing, but their ability to translate that exposure into in-demand skills is not. We then outline the top five reasons why game design provides an ideal vehicle to harness students’ appetite for gaming, and digital mediums at large, to teach the STEAM competencies that modern society and the workforce require.
Whether in elementary, middle or high school, game design techniques can be applied to age-appropriate assignments that practically prepare students for real-world challenges.
Can’t wait? Book your GameU demo to transform digital play-time into digital skill-sets
Keen to see how we can integrate video game design into your district or school curriculum? Book a demonstration of GameU’s Hybrid+ Platform today:
Built specifically for K-12 school environments, GameU’s Hybrid+ Program transforms students’ love of gaming into valuable STEAM skills with a blend of live instruction, on-demand learning and 1-to-1 training for in-classroom educators. Discover how GameU can help boost your STEAM engagement and learning outcomes.
The Gap: Digital natives, but not digitally literate
According to the National Skill Coalition, 92% of jobs require digital skills. And while today’s school-aged students are digital natives in many ways, that isn’t quite true when it comes to digitally-based productivity skills and tools used in the workforce (because most of us won’t be TikTok influencers). Essentially, there’s significant disparity between the socially-oriented digital pursuits students are engaged in, and the work-oriented competencies required by professional environments.
The 2018 and 2023 iterations of the International Computer and Information Literacy Study (ICILS) – encompassing survey data from education systems in 14 and 30 countries respectively, including the United States – highlighted this dichotomy. The ICILS assesses eighth-grade students' competencies.
As reported by the Washington Post, in its article Today’s kids might be digital natives — but a new study shows they aren’t close to being computer literate, just two percent of students participating in the ICILS demonstrated the proficiency expected of ‘digital natives’. Only a further 19 percent of the 42,000 students assessed “could work independently with computers as information-gathering and management tools”.
That was in 2018. Unfortunately, findings in the 2023 edition indicate persistent and worsening trends: Almost 50 percent of eighth-grade students “do not demonstrate the ability to make basic judgments about the credibility or reliability of digital information”. As reported by eschoolnews.com – in a damning analysis, titled U.S. 8th grade scores decline on critical computer and information literacy skills – 25 percent of US students did not reach the lowest CIL proficiency level (Level 1). These results indicate significant challenges in basic digital literacy.
In fact, only four of the 30 countries participating in the 2023 iteration of the ICILS attained a worse average Computational Thinking score than the US (Malta, Croatia, Serbia and Uruguay). Scores also fell over time on the home front, with the average 2023 score for US students (461) dropping significantly from the 2018 average attained by US participants (498).
So where to from here? How do we address this emerging problem? How can we actually harness kids’ desire to utilize computer-based technology to teach valuable skills that prepare them for today’s digital economy?
The Opportunity: Game-based learning as a mechanism for engaging students and teaching real digital and STEAM-based skills
Game-based learning provides an engaging, accessible way to teach STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) competencies. More broadly, game design integrates creativity, problem-solving, and critical thinking – essential abilities in the modern workforce, which couple with demand for hard STEAM-based skills. PEW Research Center reports 85 percent of US teens play video games, making game-based learning an opportunity to bridge the gap identified by ICILS.
Game design is a unique, interdisciplinary tool that naturally blends STEAM concepts into real-world applications. Designing a game involves coding, creating immersive environments, and understanding physics or behavior modeling – all highly employable skills.
Top 5 reasons why game design is the best method for teaching STEAM skills
There are many reasons why video game design provides a superior method for effectively turning digital play-time into valuable digital skill-sets and STEAM competencies. Here are five of the most prominent:
1. Game design uniquely incorporates multiple interdisciplinary subjects
Game design integrates multiple disciplines by combining the core concepts of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) with arts (A). For example, students use:
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Physics to conduct behavior modeling and simulate realistic movements;
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Math to program animations, calculate trajectories and build gameplay mechanics;
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Technology to work with coding languages, game engines and software;
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Engineering to determine structure and systems design; and
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Arts to bring games to life through visual design, character generation, compelling narrative compilation and sound production.
This holistic approach emphasizes the synergy between STEAM disciplines, encouraging both creativity and technical problem-solving.
A widely-referenced 2023 review, published in the International Journal of STEM Education, backs this claim. The study found that introducing digital educational games into school curricula appreciably enhances learning outcomes in STEM subjects, indicating that “students using digital educational games in STEM learning significantly outperformed their counterparts who used alternative learning activities in STEM learning”.
2. Game design prepares students for in-demand careers
Aside from the video game industry itself, game design prepares students for in-demand careers by teaching skills that are directly applicable to growing industries. Students gain hands-on experience with tools and technologies used in many professional environments:
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Software development: Exposure to programming languages like Python, JavaScript or C# give students valuable building blocks towards careers in software development.
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Graphic design and animation: Creating 2D and 3D assets and objects – using tools like Blender, Photoshop, Illustrator, Krita and Unity – prepare students to pursue interests in design, user experience, art and animation fields.
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Engineering: Video game development naturally integrates algebra, geometry, and trigonometry for movement, scaling, and collisions. Physics engines like Havok, PhysX, or Bullet also help students understand gravity, momentum and force.
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Architecture and urban planning: Using tools like Unity or Blender give students exposure to concepts like 3D modelling, object design, and creating large-scale environments like cityscapes. These skills translate to real-world careers in design, such as architecture and urban planning.
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Automation and AI: Video game design harnesses these concepts to create many aspects of game-play, including non-player characters (NPCs), and enemy pathfinding. Automation engineers are increasingly applying these competencies to objects and processes in our daily lives – from self-driving cars, to predictive maintenance.
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Marketing and communications: The storytelling and branding elements of game design prepare students for both additional learning opportunities and the practical realities of content creation jobs:
- Compelling game descriptions and storylines translate to winning advertising copy, website content or press releases;
- Video editing acumen – from exposure to tools like After Effects, Blender and Final Cut Pro – hold students in good stead for a range of media production roles; and,
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Using solutions like Photoshop and Illustrator to create in-game characters, scenes and objects prepares students for a range of graphic design studies or roles.
- Sound design and audio engineering: Editing and mixing sound is a major aspect of game design. Outside of the gaming industry, skills acquired (with tools like Audacity, Adobe Audition, Wwise and Reaper) can be applied to many audio-related industries and roles: From film and tv sound editing; music production and composing; to live sound engineering, podcaster and ad production.
3. Game design fosters workplace-ready critical thinking and problem-solving
More holistically, video game design promotes the development of core problem-solving skills, critical thinking and collaborative project-based ways of working. These disciplines apply to almost all types of industries, workplaces, and jobs.
When it comes to critical thinking and complex problem-solving, video game design involves a unique mix of challenges, providing an excellent platform for developing and honing those capabilities:
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Analytical thinking and problem-solving via ‘debugging’: Building game-play functionality, such as character movements in game engines like Unity and Unreal Engine, involves using multiple tools and applying logical reasoning. Because of the complexity, defects known as ‘bugs’ often occur. Debugging and troubleshooting these issues forces students to methodically assess the variety of elements involved to identify the source of the issue and find a solution.
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Creative problem-solving via storytelling and user experience: Whilst a video game may look fantastic, players will soon become confused and frustrated if the story contains plot holes. Mapping out the different narrative pathways mirrors problem-solving skills needed in creative and content-based pursuits like journalism, marketing and media.
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Technical and systems problem-solving via performance optimization: Even when game elements are well-considered and tested, practical technology-based issues can arise. Lag – a discernable delay between players selecting actions and the game responding – is a common challenge. Factors like internet bandwidth, processing and hardware limitations can cause lag. Using profiling tools to analyze the source of problems, and optimizing code or assets (such as reducing the polygon count in 3D models), is directly applicable to computer science, digital media, and engineering careers.
4. Game design teaches collaboration and systems thinking
Today, both society and most workplaces are more distributed and technology-driven than ever before. For students progressing through our schooling system, understanding how different people and systems collaborate to achieve an overarching goal has never been more important.
The project and team-based nature of video game design encourages students to share ideas, give and receive feedback, and develop an appreciation for the different roles and necessary cross-functional communication required to deliver a collective outcome. Whether explaining game concepts to peers, presenting prototypes to an audience, or documenting their design process, students practice articulating their thoughts clearly and effectively. Team-based projects further enhance communication, requiring students to assign and agree upon responsibilities, share progress, and resolve differences.
Aside from teaching interpersonal skills, game design also teaches systems thinking by helping students understand how different components interact to create a functional whole. Students must consider how game mechanics, physics, art, sound, and player input all work together in a cohesive system. For example, designing a character’s movement involves integrating physics for motion, coding for controls, and animation for visuals. By analyzing and refining these interconnected elements, students develop the ability to break down complex problems, recognize patterns, and design efficient systems — skills that are crucial in STEAM fields and real-world problem-solving.
5. Game design develops digital literacy
And, of course, game design develops digital literacy. Students are immersed in modern technologies, software, and tools. But, there are two crucial differences compared to their social counterparts: Firstly, they help users produce useful outcomes or content – they are purpose-driven and productivity enhancing. And, the things they produce, or processes they accelerate, are essential in today’s digital world: From coding languages like Python or C#, to game engines like Unity or Construct 3. Students also gain experience with key concepts like algorithmic thinking, debugging and testing, collaboration tools, and more. This hands-on interaction helps students become comfortable with workplace-aligned technology, empowering them to adapt to new tools and systems, which is critical in a rapidly-evolving and digitally-driven economic landscape.
Independent research and academic literature reviews support the premise that learning through video game design provides a mechanism for enhancing students’ digital literacy. A 2024 analysis of 32 studies concluded that game design in schools supported the development of a range of digital and multimodal literacy skills for elementary, middle and high school students. Similarly, 2020’s Student Game Design as a Literacy Practice: A 10-Year Review found designing games enhanced digital literacy by engaging students in complex problem-solving, storytelling, and technical skills development.
Where to next?
Game design is one of the most effective pedagogic methods for teaching STEAM skills, providing an engaging way to prepare students for the growing digital workforce and economy.
Game design isn’t just play – it’s preparation for the future. By embracing game-based learning, educators can empower students of all abilities with the tools they need to succeed in an increasingly digital world.
Contact us today to see how GameU’s purpose-built video game design program, Hybrid+, integrates with school curricula to boost digital literacy and transform students’ love of gaming into valuable STEAM skills:
Looking for further reading? Check out this research report, Assessing Falling Student Engagement and STEAM Learning Outcomes.
