Phaser Technical Blog
00 Facilitator Toolkit

00 Facilitator Toolkit

Introduction

This toolkit created particularly to help practitioners.

Starting template

P1 Template P1 Template: https://codepen.io/mrmick/pen/jaXzxw?editors=0010

P2-3 Grid Game Template & Resources

Specifically highlighted resources:

Print out of cards with simple coding missions Updated incomplete game template Drama scenario Interactive chat page in glitch

On software tools

  • Piskel - a graphical editor used to create pixel art sprite characters;
  • Audacity - a desktop based application to record and edit audio using audio effects and filters like delay and echo;
  • freesound.org - an open repository of audio files which could be downloaded, used directly or altered using Audacity;
  • Sonic Pi - an education music application allowing the creation of music using text coding;
  • Bfxr & jsfxr - web based tools to create sound effects aimed at game production;
  • Scratch - while scratch was not use for game production, I encouraged participants to use its intuitive graphical editor to create backgrounds for the game;

Key recommendations for educators and facilitators

Allow learners to draw on their home interests by creating an inclusive creative environment where they are encouraged to explore their existing knowledge of game conventions and their attitudes towards video game play. Recognising these funds of knowledge supports engagement and enables learners to make meaningful connections between personal interests and technical practices.

Start coding with a half-baked game [@kynigos_children_2018]: Provide learners with a partially completed game template that they can adapt. This shared structure promotes peer learning and comparison, while also helping facilitators keep track of each participant’s evolving codebase and learning pathway.

Use emerging learner requests to shape a collection of code examples: Build a set of code snippets and supporting documentation based on familiar gameplay design patterns (GDPs). These can be co-curated with participants over time. Encourage learners to explore and remix these elements, supporting autonomy and technical growth.

Allow flexible working practices and incorporate regular play-testing: Create an environment where learners can draw on relationships with family members and experiment with different modes of collaboration. Scheduled play-testing and shared feedback moments foster a sense of co-creation, motivation, and cross-project dialogue.

Incorporate playful approaches to support emergent identity work: Use drama, narrative prompts, and side missions to invite diverse forms of participation. These elements can help learners experiment with new roles and self-representations within the learning space.

Support agency in multiple forms: Design learning environments that allow learners to take initiative (instrumental agency), express ideas (authorial agency), and reshape activity structures (transformative agency). Scaffolding should support rather than constrain these possibilities.

Design with scaffolding and choice in balance: Tools like GDP menus and narrative maps provide structure without closing down creativity. Offering a curated set of remixable components helps reduce overwhelm, especially for novice learners, while preserving space for exploration.

Adopt facilitation metaphors that support emergence: Think of the educator’s role as holding open a harbour or wayfinding space—somewhere learners can navigate their own routes with guidance. This helps avoid overly linear or predetermined models of progress.

Plan for transferability and reflection: Encourage learners to reflect on how their current game making strategies might apply in new domains or contexts. Make design decisions and code structures visible to support deeper understanding and future adaptation.

01 Additional design narrative of tool evolution