Creating an Arcade game

Creating a game in Arcade takes three steps: describe your content, choose a game type, and build. Template-based games are ready in about a minute. Wildcard games, which the AI builds from scratch, take over five minutes.

Step 1: Describe your game

Start by visiting arcade.padlet.com and choosing one of three input methods.

Enter a topic

The simplest way to get started. Click on Enter a topic and 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 passage.

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.

Add a link

Click on Add link to 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

Next to the text field, choose a grade level. Options range from Kindergarten through 12th grade and Higher Education, plus Any grade if you don't want to aim at a specific grade. The AI uses this to adjust the complexity and vocabulary of the generated game.

You need to choose a grade before you can move on. Arcade remembers your choice, so next time it's already filled in.

Step 2: Choose a game type

Once your content is described, you'll choose what kind of game to create. There are eleven 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
• Word search: Find vocabulary words hidden in a letter grid
• Crossword: Solve Across and Down clues in a crossword grid
• Short answer: Type or say the answer from memory
• Matching: Drag cards to their matching definitions
• Sorting: Categorize items into labeled buckets
• Sequencing: Arrange events or steps in order
• Flashcards: Flip cards for studying facts and terms
• Fill in the blank: Drag answer chips into blank spaces
• Memory tiles: Flip tiles to find matching pairs

See Arcade game types for a closer look at each one.

Step 3: Select one of the game ideas

Next, 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 and rebuild 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"). You can also add your own image to any question or answer here. Click the image icon, then either type a keyword to get suggested images or upload your own. Handy for pairing a portrait with a history question, or a diagram with a science term, so younger readers get visual context alongside the text.

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, Flashcards, or Crossword. Historical events are natural fits for Sequencing. Categorization tasks are perfect for Sorting. Multiple choice works well for comprehension questions, and Short answer is great when you want students to recall an answer rather than recognize it. 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.