We founded 7 Generation Games to create effective and accessible educational games for historically marginalized communities. To create our games, we built an in-house platform to streamline production and reduce cost. But even then, we couldn't create games reflective of every community; however, we realized our platform could be adapted as a public tool for anyone to make learning games.
7 Gen Blocks uses easy-to-edit blocks of code that can be virtually “snapped” together to create an infinite number of games. Leveraging best practices in effective instructional design, accessible software design and engaging game design, the platform offers two pathways: a low-code version that requires a basic knowledge of JavaScript, HTML and CSS and allows the creation of robust customized culturally reflective educational video games that creators can host themselves; and a no-code builder that makes it possible for any individual to transform existing curriculum into customized learning games in a matter of minutes. Games are optimized to run on low-cost devices and in low-bandwidth environments. Users don’t have to sign in or subscribe to any sites or platforms to play. The platform is backed by peer-reviewed research showing that students who played games developed using 7 Gen Blocks tech showed 3x improvement over the control group on standards-aligned assessment.
After using the Blocks platform in-house at 7 Generation Games to create 36 games and counting (including in Spanish and Indigenous languages) and serving over 240,000 students, the platform is now being used publicly in both its low-code and no-code versions by nonprofits, educators and even students to create customized, community reflective games. Games have been built and used everywhere from major cities like Los Angeles and Minneapolis to one-room school house in the Andes and in U.S. tribal nation reservations. Blocks platform users have built games on topics ranging from math to music to mythology and in multiple languages from Hindi to Ojibwe. Additionally, the platform is being used not just to create games, but is also being used to teach game development and design to students.
To access the platform, go to: www.7genblocks.com
The low code and no code versions of the tool can be accessed through that site including how-to instructions.
Publicly available games built with the platform can be accessed at:
https://www.7generationgames.com/products/
As well as a selection of online playable games available: https://www.growingmath.org/games-portal-for-kids/
