Blended Realities - Higher Education Student Reflections on Acquiring Skills for Game Creation in a Project-Based- and Blended Learning Environment

Abstract

This study delves into higher education students' active participation in an Erasmus+ blended intensive program (BIP) that focuses on teaching game creation. Three universities facilitated the BIP, which had 22 international students. The program, designed around project-based learning and onsite/online collaboration, empowered students to better prepare them for careers in the game industry. Two student focus groups were analyzed using thematic analysis to understand the students' perceptions of the educational approach. The investigation findings emphasize that aligning game creation teaching with conditions and technologies in the game industry is challenging in practice despite its apparent simplicity on paper. It also underscores the crucial role of soft skills and transversal competencies in game creation education. These skills, often overlooked, play a vital role in the success of game creation projects. With this study, we wish to contribute to the discourse on game education by offering insights into the enablers and barriers to teaching game creation within higher education. It provides ten useful considerations for game scholars and educators to deliberate in their profession.