Giving Compass' Take:

• At International Play Summit, a conference that convenes entrepreneurs to talk about the latest innovation in gaming education, panelists shed light on best practices when building a learning company. 

• One of the entrepreneurs discusses the importance of getting teacher approval of the game before going to classrooms. Why is this step important? How can teacher support make or break the success of a learning game?

• Read about why teachers are using video games in K-12 classrooms as engagement tools. 

Playing games in the classroom is not a new concept. So, it’s perhaps not surprising that there are game-based edtech companies hoping to leave a mark in classrooms.

But what goes into building a game-based learning startup—or any edtech startup? At the Intentional Play Summit, a conference focused on the intersection of gaming and education in Mountain View, Calif., three entrepreneurs described what it takes to become successful in that space.

Grant Hosford, the co-founder and CEO of codeSpark, an app that teaches kids, ages 5- to 10- years old how to code, advised the audience that you can make some choices for your company that appear good at first and even midway through. But all of the sudden, you might find that your company, and the world, is changing—and as a result, you might have to question, or change, those initial decisions.

John Krajewski, the founder and CEO of Strange Loop Games, said game-based startups should find a way to test assumptions about their products early in order to avoid having a long period of risk where they’re unsure if their idea will work. His company explored assumptions early through Kickstarter and having early access on gaming platform, Steam, as well as its own website.

Pramod Sharma, the co-founder and CEO of Osmo, doesn’t think it’s wise to build a product in isolation and assume kids will like it. He recalled spending three months working with his cofounder on a product before trying it out on a kid. “It was a disaster,” he said.

Entrepreneurs also have to consider teachers, Hosford said, telling the audience that even if a product is free, they expect “a fair amount of support.” Once a company gets past early adopter teachers, it will encounter teachers who expect more support, including professional development.

Read the full article about building games by Tina Nazerian at EdSurge