Turn a topic into a short learning game, with feedback on every answer
An educational game teaches when the game action and the thing being learned are the same action, and when every wrong answer explains itself. Anticode can build short games like that for a class or a child at home. They run in the browser with no accounts, and nothing a pupil does leaves their device.
Make the learning the gameplay
The weakest learning games are a quiz with a reward bolted on: answer a question, then you're allowed to jump a barrel. Pupils learn to rush the question to get to the fun. Stronger games make the knowledge the move itself. A few examples of the difference:
| Topic | Bolted on | Built in |
|---|---|---|
| Fractions | Answer a sum, then shoot an asteroid | Cut pizzas into the fraction each customer orders |
| Food chains | Multiple choice, then a star | Place animals so each one has something to eat; the ecosystem collapses if you don't |
| Punctuation | Pick the right comma, then a point | Drag commas into a sentence and watch the meaning change |
| Coordinates | Type an answer to earn a move | Steer a ship by typing the coordinates of the next buoy |
Feedback on every answer
"Wrong, try again" teaches nothing. Useful feedback names the likely mistake. If a pupil answers 3/8 when the answer is 3/5, the game can say "You've used the total number of slices, not the slices in this pizza". You can write these explanations yourself for common errors, which is the best investment of a teacher's time in the whole project, or ask the model to draft them for you to check.
- Immediate: feedback appears straight after the answer, not on a results screen at the end.
- Specific: it refers to what this pupil did.
- Second chance: after an explanation, a similar question, so the pupil can apply it.
- Spaced repeats: questions answered wrongly come back later in the round.
Pitching difficulty
Short rounds of five to ten minutes suit most classroom slots and attention spans. Start at a level nearly everyone gets right, so the game is understood before it gets hard. Raise difficulty by one step at a time: bigger numbers, fewer hints, a gentle timer. Let pupils choose a level, or adapt automatically after three right answers in a row. Avoid public failure; a quiet "let's try an easier one" beats a red cross.
Building it with Anticode
Treat Anticode as an educational game maker that needs a lesson plan, not just a topic. Say the age, the learning goal, the game mechanic and the common mistakes: "A game for 8 and 9 year olds practising column addition with carrying. Pupils run a market stall, adding up two items for each customer. If they forget to carry, explain it with the column shown. Three levels, ten customers each, stars at the end. Calm colours, large text, works on school iPads." The Architect asks up to three questions where the answer changes the build, and the model writes the game as one HTML document.
Accessibility is part of the brief Anticode's model works to: labelled controls, visible keyboard focus, readable contrast and reduced motion respected. For younger children, ask for large tap targets and spoken instructions using the device's built-in voice, and test them on your own devices, as voices vary.
No student data leaves the device
Anticode apps run in a sandbox with no network, so the game can't send anything about pupils anywhere. There are no logins, no tracking scripts and no third-party services inside the game; Anticode's own analytics count page views without cookies and record nothing a pupil does in the game. Progress, such as levels reached and stars, saves in that browser's local storage, which is cleared along with the browser's data. For schools, that's a simple position to explain to parents and data protection leads: there's no pupil account and no pupil data to process.
The trade-off is that you don't get results back. If you need them, the honest options are a pupil reading their score out, a screenshot, or a short form at the end that sends a first name and score to you. That form is personal data collection, so check your school's policy first. The practice test maker page covers marking in more depth.
Limits
- No teacher dashboard, class lists or assigning work.
- No progress that follows a pupil between devices.
- No AI tutor or chat inside the game.
- English-language builder; a game in another language works if you give the content in that language.
For other formats, the memory game maker suits vocabulary, and the interactive lesson builder covers explain-then-try lessons.
Questions people ask
Do pupils need an account to play?
No. They open a link and play. There is nothing to sign into.
Can I make a version for each class?
Yes. Duplicate the idea as separate builds, or ask for a level picker so one game covers several year groups.
Can other teachers use my game?
Anyone with the published link can play it. If you want to share it with colleagues before publishing, a client review link opens the preview with no account and expires after 14 days by default.