gamedesigngames

I'm an associate professor at DePaul University and director of HexLab. I teach game design, game development, serious games / games with a purpose, and XR.

I noticed a lack of tools for teaching students about game design. Commercially available level editors for example often have a steep learning curve, do not work on all platforms or require the purchase of the game itself. I was looking for simple tools that let students get their hands dirty on level design, balancing and other important aspects of game design.

Here, I have uploaded some of the games/tools that we have developed in order to fill this gap. I am using these in my own lecturers and they really help improve students understanding and skills. If you decide to use them yourself - please contact me for more information! I would also love to gather structured feedback both from the perspective of lecturers as well as students to further improve these games.

A paper about these Game Design Games was published at the Foundation and Digital Games conference 2025.