A new open file format designed to simplify the creation and distribution of educational video games has been introduced with the release of the Educational Game Format (EGF). Published on Zenodo in November 2025, EGF aims to address long-standing challenges in the development of educational games, particularly within Africa’s growing technology and learning ecosystem.
The format was developed by the creator of ZakiGames, a video game platform launched in 2017 with the goal of promoting education across Africa while supporting the continent’s broader economic growth. During the operation of the platform, a key gap became evident: the limited availability of locally developed educational video games, especially those tailored to African languages and contexts.
To bridge this gap, the platform’s founder began developing original games. One early example was a simple educational game designed to teach the French alphabet, incorporating Hausa-language feedback to enhance accessibility for local users. While effective, the process of building each game from scratch proved time-consuming and difficult to scale.
This challenge informed the development of a more structured approach to educational game creation.
In 2024, while volunteering with AFaLaC (Association Famille Langues Cultures), a French organisation focused on linguistic and cultural diversity through educational games and other activities, further insights emerged. The structural patterns used in earlier projects were found to be adaptable across multiple types of educational content. This realisation led to the concept of a standardised format that could package all necessary game components into a reusable framework.
EGF was created to serve this purpose.
A Structured Approach to Educational Game Development
The Educational Game Format is designed as a container for building simple, linear educational games without requiring programming expertise. Its internal structure draws inspiration from the widely adopted EPUB format, which is used for digital publications. By leveraging a familiar and flexible architecture, EGF enables developers and educators to organise content, interactions, and media assets in a consistent and portable way.
An EGF package can include all the elements required to run a game, such as instructional content, user interactions, feedback mechanisms, and multimedia resources. This structure allows educational creators to focus on content development rather than underlying software engineering.
One of the key features of EGF is its accessibility. Games can be created using compatible editors without the need for coding skills, lowering the barrier to entry for educators, content creators, and organisations interested in producing interactive learning experiences.
Cross-Platform Compatibility and Interoperability
EGF is designed to be platform-agnostic. Games built using the format can be played on any compatible EGF reader, which may take the form of a mobile application (Android or iOS), a web-based interface, or other software environments.
This interoperability ensures that a single EGF game package can be distributed and accessed across multiple devices and operating systems without modification. For developers and organisations, this reduces duplication of effort and simplifies distribution. For users, it enhances accessibility by enabling learning experiences across a wide range of devices.
Early Ecosystem Development
Although still in its early stages, the EGF ecosystem is beginning to take shape. Initial tools, including prototype readers and editors, have already been developed to support the format. These tools provide a foundation for further expansion by developers and contributors.
The project is open and encourages participation from the broader community. Developers can build new tools and readers, while educators and content creators can develop and share educational games using the format.
An official EGF website has been established as a central hub for resources, applications, and published games. Among the early examples available is Les signes du N’Ko, an educational game designed to introduce users to the fundamentals of the N’Ko writing system, used in parts of West Africa.
Supporting Local Content Creation in Africa
EGF is positioned to support the growth of locally relevant educational content by enabling creators to design games that reflect regional languages, cultures, and learning needs. By reducing technical barriers and providing a reusable structure, the format aims to make educational game development more accessible across diverse contexts.
This aligns with broader efforts to expand digital learning tools and increase representation within the global gaming and edtech industries.
Call for Collaboration
As development continues, contributors are invited to participate in building the EGF ecosystem. This includes developing new tools, improving existing implementations, and creating educational content across various subjects and languages.
Organisations and individuals interested in showcasing their work or contributing to the format’s evolution can connect through the official EGF platform.
With its initial release now publicly available, EGF represents a step toward standardising and scaling the creation of educational games, with a particular focus on accessibility, interoperability, and local relevance.
