RIYADH: Saudi students Kayan Al-Rwaili and Jameela Al-Huwaydi have won a nationwide Play to Learn competition with Glitch: Parallel Reactions, an educational game that transforms chemistry lessons into a fantasy adventure.
The competition was organized by Savvy Games Group and the Ministry of Education and supported by Roblox, which developed game prototypes of the 10 finalist teams. The winning concept was selected from more than 155,000 submissions by over 700,000 students across the Kingdom, and will now be developed for the Roblox Learning Hub and made available to learners worldwide.
In Glitch: Parallel Reactions, players follow a student named Badr who is pulled through his classroom blackboard into a world where solving chemical equations and defeating chemistry-inspired monsters is the only way forward.
“My journey in this competition was really wonderful,” Al-Rwaili told Arab News. “It helped me discover that I have hidden talents, that I can create games and that I have really great ideas. It taught me to think outside the box. I try to come up with ideas that are unique and appealing, ideas that no one else has done before.”
She explained that the concept evolved as the team developed the story. They decided to build the game around chemistry, hoping to make a subject that many students find difficult feel more approachable.
“If we make that enjoyment part of a game, it becomes really engaging,” Al-Rwaili said. “If a student is struggling with a particular subject, they can play games and learn. Even if it’s about life skills, we learn how to solve problems, we learn how to solve different equations, and those are things we can apply in life too.”
The project also changed her own perception of educational games.
“Before, I didn’t really think there were many educational games,” she said. “But after this competition, it was the opposite — I really came to like educational games, and it completely changed my perspective.”
Al-Huwaydi said her interest in game development began years before the competition. Aged nine, having spent hours exploring Minecraft, she found herself wondering how it had been created.
“Over time, I became curious about how these big games are made. That’s when my journey of learning about game design and development began,” she told Arab News.
“The challenge (with Glitch: Parallel Reactions) was how to create a balance between fun and educational value, so that players enjoy the game without feeling bored,” she explained.
The experience also reshaped the way she thinks about education. “I believe learning is not limited to traditional methods,” she said. “Experience and interaction can make gaining knowledge more enjoyable and more effective.”
Developing the game taught her skills that extend beyond technology. “I learned many skills, such as organizing ideas, teamwork, creative thinking and developing projects from the idea stage to implementation,” she said.
Al-Huwaydi sees technology as a tool for solving problems. “Artificial intelligence is a supporting tool that helps develop our ideas when we use it correctly,” she explained, adding that she hopes future versions of the game will include AI features that adapt to individual students.
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