Civics Bridge: Narrative-Based Civics Education Game

During Phase I in 2023, the Liminal Esports LLC (doing business as Snowbright Studio) project team developed a novel prototype episode of a game to introduce students to historical figures and foundational civics knowledge with a hybrid extension with collaborative in-person activities align to online game-play. Content focused on the formation of democracy in Ancient Greece, and on American independence at the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1783. At the end of Phase I, a pilot test with 4 grade 9 and 10 classes with 80 students demonstrated usability as students could play the digital and the in-person role playing game, and feasibility as the modules were successfully integrated into practice. Results in a pre- to post-test showed that on average students had increased in interest and knowledge about civics.

In Phase II of the project, the team will fully develop the game, including 18 additional episodes covering  standards-aligned content for grade 8 and 9, including the digital game and accompanying in-class role playing activities and professional development toolkit for educators to deliver the game. After development concludes, a pilot study will test the feasibility and usability, fidelity of implementation, and the promise of the game for improving civic learning. Researchers will collect data from 16 grade 9 to 10 classes with 20 to 30 students per class for a total of 600 students, with half of the classes randomly assigned to use the game and the other half to use business-as-usual activities. Researchers will compare pre-and-post scores using outcomes from a shortened form of the NAEP civics assessment. Researchers will assess the total cost of implementation in each school (compared to "business as usual") and factors across schools that may impact cost using the IES Cost Analysis guide and ingredients approach.