Why this matters now
On 23 October, an episode of “Dragons’ Den” aired in the UK, and in it was a pitch from Reedah El-Saie for Brainspark Games. Friends know that EdTech is an area I’m extremely interested in, and so it didn’t take long to reach me. After twenty‑five years in the AAA game development sector I remain optimistic about games as engines for agency – tools that help a new generation face what’s coming.
Brainspark getting daylight is good news: clear purpose, strong classroom alignment, a practical route into schools. But the question that stays is parity. Can it genuinely compete with what young people already choose? In a week of Pokémon drops and Fortnite seasons, do its production values, input feel, pacing, legibility, audio, and iteration cadence earn attention on merit—or rely on duty?
Lean in, not away
Turning screen time into learning time is fine. It isn’t sufficient. If the next generation is to tackle large problems, the real accomplishment is embedding habits early—estimation, collaboration, risk-reading, iteration—not simply training to pass exams. The system still echoes Victorian factory preparation; their reality will not.
Meeting popular play on its terms doesn’t mean copying it wholesale. It means borrowing its discipline: clarity, rhythm, and response. Not AAA budgets—AAA discipline. Be a touch braver than comfort allows. Ship work that feels as though it belongs alongside Fortnite and Roblox—opening seconds that invite attention, loops that breathe, mastery respected, accessibility designed in, not bolted on. Earn trust through coherence and outcomes people can see.
Meet players expectations where they are
Small games, tight loops, legible state, digital materials that invite touch, shared authorship. Attention is scarce; the first move is clear; follow‑through has texture. The craft should be felt without being announced. If it holds attention against mainstream play, the learning follows.
From holding tension to sustaining it
Winning the eye time is the start. Keeping it is production: inputs that reward, loops that breathe, clarity that lowers effort, audio that carries meaning, and a cadence that promises next week will be better. That’s the bridge from classroom‑ready ideas to play people choose.
AAA discipline, without the budget
Discipline isn’t a budget line; it’s choices players can feel in seconds. Input that’s crisp. movements that don’t stall. World state you can read at a glance. Audio that carries meaning. Accessibility built from the start, not pinned on at the end.
Those qualities can exist even in small, neat games. Players lean in because it’s good, not because they’re told to. Standards are portable. Production values aren’t just visuals; they’re timing, clarity, restraint. Input feel is consistency and response, not spectacle. Cadence is the promise you keep every week.
If EdTech wants to really turn up, these are the terms—they’re achievable in small teams with clear goals and steady iteration.
Early competence, used lightly
The opening seconds matter; so does the sense that competence can appear early. Neither is a rule, but both help. Invite attention, then let mastery breathe.
This isn’t about gamifying every lesson—it’s about respecting how people learn: through play, failure, and gradual mastery. Research on motivation shows early success builds persistence. Get them with the satisfying clunk of something fitting in to place. The craft supports the science.
Understand what impact means
You can hear and see it: fewer interruptions, cleaner rationales, purposeful pauses. If anything needs remembering, keep it light—capture a state, ask “what changed?”, move on. Small signals, measured often, make the next version better.
Take the battle to mainstream play
Players choose craft. EdTech won’t gain mindshare through moral superiority; it will earn it through design parity and the nerve to ship, measure, and improve weekly.
Compete with mainstream play on craft, not virtue. Match what makes popular titles engaging—production values, input feel, pacing, legibility, audio, cadence—and hold attention without demanding duty.
Less moralising, more mastery. If the craft is strong, the progress takes care of itself. Meet Pokémon and Fortnite on their own terms—and earn the room anyway.
