Impact Stories: A Free Storytelling Game Prototype for Teachers Worldwide

One of the questions we keep coming back to at Ecogames is what happens when a school simply doesn't have the budget to spend on physical games?

Impact Stories: Ocean, a browser-based digital adaptation of our MuZe Cubes Ocean Adventure, is our first working answer to that question, and an early-stage prototype we're sharing openly with partners, educators and supporters.

How it works

The digital version runs entirely in either a desktop or mobile browser: no app download, no device-specific software, and nothing to purchase or print. Players are dealt eight illustrated prompt cards, drawn from four categories: Subject, Problem, Abstract and Solution. They are asked to weave the images into an original story about ocean health and the challenges facing it. Prompts such as "How will your story begin?" opens the door to creative, critical thinking about a real environmental issue, without a single right answer to find. It plays the same way MuZe Cubes always has: solo or in teams, competitive or not, by two players or by a full classroom working through it together. The point is making sure that every student gets a turn to tell their own story and hear their classmates' too.

Why build a digital version

Ecogames' games have already reached thousands of students across Indonesia and beyond, through partnerships including Indonesia’s National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Yayasan Emmanuel, Biosphere Foundation, Green School Bali, Arka Kinari, Jimbaran Hub Creative Circle, SUN School Bali, Yabbiekayu Garden, Innovative Schools Programme, Jakarta Intercultural School (JIS),  The Earth Company, KUN Humanity System+, Harkaway Primary School, the API Institute and others. While we love getting our players interacting and off digital platforms, physical game sets do carry some limitations, including production costs, shipping logistics, and the practical challenge of keeping sets intact over time.

For many of our educational games, a browser-based version can, in principle, reach any school with an internet connection, at no cost to the school. Rather than a purchase, subscription or app-store process, a teacher simply shares a link and can start a session with minimal preparation. For funders and partners thinking about how to scale climate education equitably, this is a model worth investing in and piloting further.

What the prototype demonstrates

This early build shows that the MuZe Cubes mechanic translates naturally to a digital format, that a no-cost, browser-based delivery model is technically feasible, that the card illustration style holds up well digitally, and that the experience is simple enough for a classroom teacher to run without specialized technical knowledge. Future development can easily include localised language versions; additional themes such as forest, urban settings and disaster resilience; teacher facilitation guides; and integration with the curriculum frameworks already in use across partner schools.

If you'd like to pilot Impact Stories in your classroom, are researching game-based learning outcomes, or are a funder interested in scalable, low-cost digital tools for environmental education, we'd welcome a conversation with you.

Click to play in English

Click to play in Indonesian (tap the flag icon on the website to change language)