Playing Games
Once you’re in a class (or linked to a tutor), the games chosen for you appear on My Games. Most run straight in your browser; a few are downloaded and played on a Windows computer.
Starting a browser game
Click a game card on My Games to open its details — a picture gallery, a short description, its age range and a label such as HTML5 or xAPI. Press ▶ Play. The game opens in a new tab at edu.games/play/…, downloads its files (you’ll see “Downloading” then “Extracting”) and starts. You must be signed in — if you see “Sign in to play”, sign in and try again.
Full screen
Games run inside a protected frame on the play page, and that frame is allowed to go full screen. Many games have their own full-screen button; you can also use your browser’s full-screen key (usually F11). Press Esc to leave full screen at any time — your game keeps running.
How your progress is saved
You don’t need to press anything to save. While you play, the game sends small records — called xAPI statements — to edu.games each time you attempt, pass, fail or complete something. They are stored under your account straight away.
Games that let you pick up where you left off also store a saved state on edu.games, so you can continue on a different computer as long as you sign in with the same account. Not every game does this — some start fresh each time by design.
What your teacher can see
Your teacher (or tutor) sees your progress in the games they assigned: which parts you attempted, how often you succeeded, scores the game reported, and how your practice is spread over time. They see this in charts in their portal and can open the underlying records. They do not see games you play outside their classes, and your teacher for one class cannot see another class’s games. Records are kept indefinitely — see Data Retention & Privacy.
Paid games and seats
Some games are paid, and your teacher buys a number of seats for them. The first time you play, one seat is reserved for you — you keep it afterwards, so you never need to worry about it again. If every seat is already taken you’ll see “All purchased seats for this game are taken. Ask your teacher to buy more seats.” Tell your teacher; there is nothing else you need to do.
Games you download
If a game’s details show a purple ⬇ Download button instead of (or as well as) Play, it has a Windows version that runs outside the browser. It needs a one-time setup with a launcher token — follow Desktop Games & the Launcher.
Liking a game
After you have played a game at least once, the heart button in its details lets you like it. Likes are shown on the game’s public listing and help other teachers find good games.
Tips
- Use a steady internet connection so every record reaches edu.games.
- Finish the level or question you are on before closing the tab, so your latest result is recorded.
- If a game shows “Failed to load game”, refresh the page. If it keeps happening, tell your teacher which game and what the message said.
- Don’t share your sign-in — anything played on your account counts as your progress.