Creating a Game
Updated 15 hours ago
by
Collin Palmer
Creating a game in Arcade takes three steps: describe your content, choose a game type, and build. The whole process takes under a minute for template-based games and about two minutes for custom games.
Step 1: Describe Your Game
Start by visiting arcade.padlet.com and choosing one of three input methods.
Type a Topic
The simplest way to get started. Type a learning objective, topic, or description into the text field. This can be as short as a few words or as detailed as a full paragraph.
Upload a File
Upload a document or image that contains the content you want to turn into a game. Supported file types include PDF, DOCX, JPG, and PNG. You can drag and drop a file, browse your computer, or import from Google Drive.
Paste a Link
Paste a URL to a website or YouTube video. Arcade will automatically extract the content and use it as the basis for your game.
Select a Grade Level
After entering your content, select a grade level. Options range from Kindergarten through 12th grade and Higher Education. The AI uses this to adjust the complexity and vocabulary of the generated game.
Step 2: Choose a Game Type
Once your content is described, you’ll choose what kind of game to create. There are nine options:
- Surprise Me — Let the AI choose the best game type(s) for your content.
- Multiple Choice — Traditional quiz with A/B/C/D answers.
- Flashcards — Flip cards for studying facts and terms.
- Memory Tiles — Flip tiles to find matching pairs.
- Matching — Drag cards to their matching definitions.
- Sorting — Categorize items into labeled buckets.
- Sequencing — Arrange events or steps in order.
- Fill in the Blank — Drag answer chips into blank spaces.
Step 3: Select One of the Game Ideas
After generation, the AI presents you with a few options for the game it will build. Click "build" on whichever one sounds best. If none of them are quite right, you can edit the suggestion then build it.
- Build — Finalize the game and make it playable immediately.
- Edit — Open the chat sidebar to modify the AI’s suggestion before building (e.g., “make the questions harder” or “add more answer choices”).
[screenshot: the generated game preview showing the title, description, and Build/Edit buttons]
Once you click build, your game will take about a minute to generate. Then it's ready to play and share.
Tips for Best Results
Be specific with topics. "Photosynthesis" will work, but "The light-dependent and light-independent reactions of photosynthesis for 10th grade biology" will produce a more focused, higher-quality game.
Match the game type to your content. Vocabulary and definitions work great as Matching or Flashcards. Historical events are natural fits for Sequencing. Categorization tasks are perfect for Sorting. Multiple Choice works well for comprehension questions. If you’re not sure, use Surprise Me and let the AI decide.
Use grade level to control difficulty. The same topic generated at 3rd grade versus 10th grade will produce very different questions and vocabulary. Use this to differentiate for your students.
Iterate with edit. You don’t have to get it perfect on the first try. Use the edit button to chat with the AI and refine your game before building. You can also edit after building using chat-to-edit.
