Development of Imagination and Creativity Through the Game Design by Children in Inclusive School

The study is based on Vygotsky’s theories related to conceptual elaboration, imagination and creativity in childhood, and in advanced studies in game design with children. The Design-Based Research (DBR) was adopted as a methodological approach, configuring qualitative and collaborative research for game creation.

Encounters were held weekly at a public school in the city of Itajaí, Santa Catarina, Brazil, for six months, involving a group of four nine-year-old children, including two with intellectual disabilities, and researchers and undergraduate students in the areas of computing, design, and education. The aim was to demonstrate the potential of the collective, creative and shared approach of game creation for the intellectual development of children in contexts of school inclusion.