Ubisoft: From Pure Entertainment to Playful Learning

Emile Liang · Peter Yang · Célia Villaman

What would happen if Rayman and the Raving Rabbids wanted to teach math to children? Would it be educational? Would it be fun? Or would it be both?

Ubisoft is a leading international videogame developer whose objective has always been the creation of games that invite players to enter a universe of emotions, sensations, and pure entertainment. Our game designs and gameplay have always been conceived to offer a maximum amount of fun and satisfaction to our players. However, these games have been traditionally enjoyed by a predominantly teenager and male audience.

Today, on the contrary, video and computer games are not only for hardcore gamers; elderly people, women, and even very young children can easily get involved through new game systems such as the Nintendo Wii and DS. That’s why we created the “Games for Everyone” department at Ubisoft: to respond to the expectations of a larger and more diversified public. We also understand that people are keen to learn new things, at any age. And we can easily imagine the positive effects of letting students learn through the enjoyment of a stimulating and fun interface, one which enables them to manipulate the curriculum material, rather than learn by rote.

With this vision in mind, we have developed My Word Coach, a game that offers teenagers and adults the opportunity to enhance their vocabulary through entertaining, yet at the same time challenging, games. How to attract non-gamers and casual gamers, how to integrate real learning processes in our games, and what kind of obstacles these serious games can encounter — these are just some of the questions which will be discussed during this presentation.