Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 4 days ago
Children’s media is in a constant battle for attention, but game designers have cracked the code on sustaining motivation and deep engagement. Join Becky Palmer (Playtest Games) to learn what features kids identified as the ‘magic ingredients’ for compelling games. Explore what these tell us about how children learn, feel and connect and understand how using tools like rewards loops, collectibles and social play are key to creating lifelong passionate audiences.
Games generate unusually rich data about how children think, feel, and engage, and that knowledge has value across every medium. The route a player takes through a game outwardly expresses their inner decisions. This allows us to see what children are thinking and feeling when they play, revealing their preferences and strategic approaches to problem solving.
In this session we will dissect what games tell us about how children engage and what we can do to apply these factors to other children’s media.
Children’s media is in a constant battle for attention, but game designers have cracked the code on sustaining motivation and deep engagement. Join Becky Palmer (Playtest Games) to learn what features kids identified as the ‘magic ingredients’ for compelling games. Explore what these tell us about how children learn, feel and connect and understand how using tools like rewards loops, collectibles and social play are key to creating lifelong passionate audiences.
Games generate unusually rich data about how children think, feel, and engage, and that knowledge has value across every medium. The route a player takes through a game outwardly expresses their inner decisions. This allows us to see what children are thinking and feeling when they play, revealing their preferences and strategic approaches to problem solving.
In this session we will dissect what games tell us about how children engage and what we can do to apply these factors to other children’s media.
