A case study describing the adaptation and implementation of game design studio to explore indigenous youths' educational experiences

Abstract

Game design can promote learning and collaboration and provide adolescents with an opportunity to explore topics of importance to them. “Game Design Studio” (GDS) is a youth-centered workshop that invites youth to analyze and design games. To increase cultural relevance for Indigenous youth, a community-engaged adaptation process was used, which incorporated traditional Indigenous games and other culturally relevant activities into GDS. In the GDS workshop, Northern Plains Indigenous youth ( n = 19) used game design activities to reflect on and share their perspectives on their educational experiences. We describe how we adapted and implemented GDS and discuss what was learned about program fit and the youths' lived experiences from the mixed method data collected (game design artifacts, group discussions, survey) as well as implications for school psychologists and school staff.