  Game creation challenges in schools potentially provide engaging,
goal-oriented, and interactive experiences in classes; thereby supporting the
transfer of knowledge for learning in a fun and pedagogic manner. A key element
of the ongoing European project No One Left Behind (NOLB) is to integrate a
game-making teaching framework (GMTF) into the educational app Pocket Code.
Pocket Code allows learners to create programs in a visual Lego-style way to
facilitate learning how to code at secondary high schools. The concept of the
NOLB GMTF is based on principles of the Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
model. This framework provides a coherent approach to learning and teaching by
integrating leisure oriented gaming methods into multi-discipline curricula.
One output of this framework is the integration of game-based methods via game
templates that refer to didactical scenarios that include a refined set of
genres, assets, rules, challenges, and strategies. These templates allows: 1)
teachers to start with a well-structured program, and 2) pupils to add content
and adjust the code to integrate their own ideas. During the project game
genres such as adventure, action, and quiz, as well as rewards or victory point
mechanisms, have been embedded into different subjects, e.g., science,
mathematics, and arts. The insights gained during the class hours were used to
generate 13 game templates, which are integrated in Create@School (a new
version of the Pocket Code app which targets schools). To test the efficiency
of these templates, user experience (UX) tests were conducted during classes to
compare games created by pupils who used templates and those who started to
create a game from scratch. Preliminary results showed that these templates
allow learners to focus on subject-relevant problem solving activities rather
than on understanding the functionality of the app.
