A game creation tool which supports the development of writing skills: interface design considerations

Improving children’s writing skills is a significant concern in schools. A key problem identified is a lack of engagement and motivation with writing tasks, something which can be particularly pronounced with boys. Computer game creation has potential as an activity for improving writing skills. It can be very motivating, especially for boys, and offers an excellent opportunity for developing writing skills within a media-rich context. We argue that whilst existing game creation tools make the activity possible for school-aged children, they fall short of supporting writing skills development because the interfaces focus attention on non-literary aspects of game creation. This paper describes an approach to designing an interface which will provide targeted support for the development of writing skills through game creation. We propose design considerations drawn up through consultation with teachers, and with reference to curriculum documents and external representations literature. These guidelines will be used to inform design-based research which will take a learner-centred design approach to building the interface, allowing a number of key issues to be investigated.