Saudi students Kayan Al-Rwaili and Jameela Al-Huwaydi have won Roblox’s nationwide Play to Learn competition with Glitch: Parallel Reactions, an educational game that transforms chemistry lessons into an interactive fantasy adventure.
Organized by Roblox in collaboration with Savvy Games Group and the Ministry of Education, the competition attracted more than 700,000 students and over 155,000 submissions from across the Kingdom.
The winning concept will now be developed for the Roblox Learning Hub, potentially bringing the Saudi students’ educational idea to learners around the world.
Turning Chemistry Into an Adventure
Glitch: Parallel Reactions follows a student named Badr who is unexpectedly pulled through his classroom blackboard into a fantasy world.
To move forward, players must solve chemical equations and defeat monsters inspired by chemistry concepts, turning traditional academic material into an experience based on exploration, challenges and problem-solving.
The students chose chemistry because it can be challenging for many learners, with the goal of making the subject more approachable through gameplay.
Selected From More Than 155,000 Submissions
The scale of the competition makes the achievement particularly notable.
More than 700,000 students participated nationwide, submitting over 155,000 concepts before Glitch: Parallel Reactions emerged as the winner.
The project demonstrates how Saudi students can move beyond consuming digital games to designing educational experiences with the potential to reach an international audience.
Balancing Education and Entertainment
One of the biggest challenges was ensuring that players could learn without feeling as though they were completing a conventional lesson.
Al-Huwaydi said the team focused on finding the right balance between entertainment and educational value, allowing players to enjoy the experience while gaining knowledge.
The project also changed how the students viewed education, highlighting the potential of interaction and experience to make learning more engaging and effective.
From Minecraft Curiosity to Game Development
Al-Huwaydi’s interest in game development began when she was nine years old and spent hours exploring Minecraft.
Her curiosity about how large games were created eventually led her toward learning about game design and development.
That early interest has now evolved into an award-winning educational concept combining technology, storytelling and chemistry.
Skills Beyond Technology
Developing the project also helped build skills extending beyond game design, including teamwork, organizing ideas, creative thinking and taking a project from its initial concept toward implementation.
The experience highlights the broader potential of educational gaming as a tool for developing problem-solving and critical-thinking skills alongside academic knowledge.
AI Could Shape Future Versions
Al-Huwaydi also sees artificial intelligence as a potential tool for future versions of the game.
She hopes AI-powered features could eventually allow the experience to adapt to individual students, potentially adjusting challenges and educational content according to each learner’s needs and progress.
With Glitch: Parallel Reactions set to be developed for the Roblox Learning Hub, an idea created by two Saudi students could ultimately become an educational experience accessible to learners worldwide.
