Abstract:

The use of digital educational games has gained increasing relevance in higher health education due to their potential to promote active, meaningful, and motivating learning experiences. Considering this pedagogical potential, a Higher Education Institution located in Northeastern Brazil implemented an institutional sector exclusively dedicated to the development and delivery of educational games focused on priority public health topics. This study describes the implementation of this sector, its organizational structure, and the stages that comprise a complete game development cycle. The implementation was guided by a six-phase model: initiation, pre-production, production, testing, distribution, and post-production. During the testing phase, the games were evaluated by undergraduate health students using structured feedback instruments, generating quantitative indicators and qualitative comments related to usability, clarity, and pedagogical relevance. As a result, the sector developed a portfolio of educational games addressing strategic health topics such as leprosy, diabetes mellitus, immunization, blood pressure monitoring, congenital syphilis, and breastfeeding. Overall playtest results indicated positive student perceptions, particularly regarding clarity of content, game progression, and feedback mechanisms. The experience suggests that establishing institutional sectors dedicated to educational game production is a viable strategy to modernize health education, support active learning, and strengthen the integration between technology, teaching, and research.

Keywords:

Game-Based Learning, Health Education, Serious Games, Higher Education.