Co-Designing a Serious Game for Early Literacy

Video games are increasingly recognized as engaging tools to enhance learning. In Mexico, where children's reading performance presents challenges, serious games offer innovative opportunities to foster early literacy. This study aimed to design and evaluate a serious game to support reading and writing skills in preschool children. Using a participatory design approach, teachers and children actively co-created the proposal to ensure relevance and acceptance. The game was developed with the Unity platform and integrated three activities: completing words, matching letters with images, and a memory game. Evaluation sessions were carried out with children at a support school, complemented by teacher feedback. Results revealed strong acceptance of the technology, reflected in children's motivation, enjoyment, and sustained attention. Suggestions included increasing difficulty levels and incorporating phonetic feedback, providing insights for improving future iterations, and expanding educational impact.