Hi!

I’m building an educational 3D adventure game that helps children practice various subjects (like math \ read, write \ problem-solving and spatial reasoning) through gameplay systems, and I’m looking for teacher (and parents) input on whether these ideas are actually effective in practice.

I’m trying to build a game where practice happens through systems and consequences, not instructions.

The player learns by:

• making decisions
• seeing results immediately
• adjusting their strategy over time

🧮 Examples:

Fuel system (math + decision making)

One of the systems in the game is a fuel mechanic used for navigation and planning.

The player drives a vehicle between locations on a map, but:

• Fuel is limited
• Different routes require different amounts of fuel
• If you miscalculate, you can run out before reaching your destination
• If you overfill or waste fuel, you lose resources that matter later

So instead of doing math on a worksheet, the player is constantly asking:

• “Do I have enough fuel for this route?”
• “Is there a shorter path I should take?”
• “What happens if I choose the risky option?”

The goal is to make basic arithmetic and estimation feel like part of survival and planning, not a separate task.

Navigation with a simple paper map

Instead of using GPS-style guidance, learners must:

• read a basic map with landmarks
• figure out their own position
• plan a route manually
• rely on spatial reasoning instead of automated direction

My question:

From your experience as educators:

• Do these kinds of systems actually support learning?
• Where is the line between “productive struggle” and “unnecessary confusion”?
• Are there subjects where this approach works better or worse?
• What types of thinking skills do you feel games are good at teaching vs not suitable for?
• What more "games" could I use to help kids practice

I’m genuinely trying to understand the teaching perspective here, so any insights or critique would be really helpful.

Here is a short POC video of the game, just for undestand what im talking about:
https://youtu.be/mmOAX7MnVF4