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My Checklist for Evaluating Online Games
and Simulations.
27 September 2026
Games and simulations can make online learning more interactive, but engagement alone does not make a digital activity instructionally valuable. Schaaf (2018) warns against "chocolate-covered broccoli," his memorable label for games that mask skill-and-drill with the promise of fun. His advice is to begin with the end in mind: decide what learners need to learn first, then find the game that supports it.
The ISTE Teacher Ready Evaluation Tool takes a similar structured approach, examining five dimensions: user interface and agency, learning design, digital pedagogy, inclusivity, and assessment and data (International Society for Technology in Education, n.d.). With this in mind, I created a checklist to help me decide whether a game or simulation belongs in my online teaching.
Game & Simulation
Evaluation
Checklist.
1. Does it directly support a learning objective?
I should be able to state exactly what learners will know or be able to do afterward. If I cannot connect the game to an objective, the technology may be entertaining without contributing meaningfully to learning.
2. Is the content accurate, relevant, and appropriate?
The information should be correct, current, and connected to what I am teaching. It must also match my learners' age, language level, prior knowledge, and experience.
3. Does it require active thinking rather than passive clicking?
An effective game should ask learners to recall, apply, decide, solve, or think critically. Theodotou (2022) includes cognitive functionality among her eight must-have elements, which pushes my question beyond "is it fun?" to "does it make learners apply, analyze, and synthesize?"
4. Is it accessible and inclusive?
Learners should be able to see, hear, understand, and navigate the activity. I also need to consider language demands, visual clarity, device access, and whether learners with different needs can participate fully.
5. Is it easy to use and technically realistic?
A strong activity fails fast if students spend more time logging in and troubleshooting than learning. NC State University (n.d.) recommends weighing a tool's educational characteristics against the resources it demands.
6. Does it provide useful feedback?
Learners need to know whether they are succeeding and what to improve. Immediate, understandable feedback turns gameplay into a learning opportunity instead of just a score.
7. Can I observe or assess learning?
The activity should give me evidence of understanding through responses, performance data, discussion, or a follow-up task. Edmentum (2024) emphasizes choosing tools that give teachers usable information about student progress.
8. Is the learning benefit worth the time, cost, and screen time?
Technology has to earn its place. The learning gained should justify preparation time, student screen time, equipment, and any cost.
Testing
My Checklist: Kahoot!
I also tested my checklist on Kahoot!, the game-based quiz platform where players answer on their own devices while questions appear on a shared screen (Kahoot!, n.d.). My professor encouraged me to start here: a game must serve the learning objective before anything else, so I began by naming exactly what my adult learners should be able to do after the activity, then built the quiz around that outcome (NC State University, n.d.).
Kahoot! passes several criteria comfortably. Because I create the questions myself, I control the content's accuracy and relevance, although I would never run a public Kahoot! without checking it first. Setup is realistic: learners join with a PIN or scan a QR code and usually do not need an account, which keeps troubleshooting time low (NC State University, n.d.). Every question gives immediate feedback, and the host report shows which questions caused trouble, so I can see misunderstandings right away and know what to keep focusing on when I teach (Edmentum, 2024).
The criteria where Kahoot! only partially pass are the ones that matter most for adults. A leaderboard rewards speed, and adult learners respond to competition very differently: some find it motivating, others find it uncomfortable. My plan is to use Kahoot!'s student-paced mode, where learners complete the quiz at their own speed, and I collect the results at the end (Kahoot!, n.d.). I also extend time limits, use team mode, and pause after tricky questions so learners explain their reasoning instead of just clicking quickly. Kahoot! encourages correct answers, not just fast ones, and speed pressure should never cost accuracy. I also consider access carefully, since color-coded answer buttons, background music, and pace can exclude learners with visual, hearing, or processing needs (International Society for Technology in Education, n.d.); turning off music and reading questions aloud are simple supports.
Well-designed games move learners from passive listening to active problem-solving: they apply concepts, make decisions, and see consequences, which a lecture alone cannot offer (Theodotou, 2022). Still, games are seasoning, not the meal. Schaaf (2018) distinguishes between games that teach and games that mainly test or strengthen, and Kahoot! clearly sits in the second category.
I would not use it to introduce new material to adults. As a short, supported review activity aligned with my objective, it passes my checklist. Used as the learning itself, it does not.
Resources.
Barth, D. (2020). Seven ways of engaging the online learner to develop self-regulated learning skills. Journal of Teaching and Learning With Technology, 9(1), 19–29. Seven Ways of Engaging the Online Learner to Develop Self-Regulated Learning Skills | Journal of Teaching and Learning with Technology
Edmentum. (2024, January 8). How to evaluate edtech tools that support teaching & learning. How to Evaluate EdTech Tools that Support Teaching &… | Edmentum
International Society for Technology in Education. (n.d.). Evaluate products with the Teacher Ready Evaluation Tool. Teacher Ready Evaluation Tool: Home
Kahoot! (n.d.). What is Kahoot!? What is Kahoot! | How to play Kahoot!
NC State University. (n.d.). How to choose and assess a learning tool. How To Choose and Assess a Learning Tool | Teaching Resources
Quizlet. (n.d.). Quizlet. Quizlet: Study Tools & Learning Resources for Students and Teachers | Quizlet
Schaaf, R. L. (2018, January 15). The criteria for selecting and using a game for learning. Future of Education Technology Conference. https://blog.fetc.org/the-criteria-for-selecting-and-using-a-game-for-learning/
Theodotou, M. (2022, August 25). 8 must-have elements for evaluating eLearning tools. eLearning Industry. Evaluating eLearning Tools: 8 Must-Have Elements
Yang, Y.-F., Hsieh, W.-M., Wong, W.-K., Hong, Y.-C., & Lai, S.-C. (2022). Reducing students' foreign language anxiety to improve English vocabulary learning in an online simulation game. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 37(3), 410–432. Reducing students’ foreign language anxiety to improve English vocabulary learning in an online simulation game: Computer Assisted Language Learning: Vol 37 , No 3 - Get Access