This pilot study investigates the early-stage development and evaluation of an educational 3D video game designed to bridge the knowledge gap in elementary students' understanding of Saudi heritage and sustainability. Many students currently have limited access to engaging, interactive methods to explore significant historical locations and sustainability concepts, which are often narrowed to static images or conventional classroom lectures. The game addresses this issue by offering an immersive platform that allows players to experience important cultural and environmental themes in an interactive, engaging style.

Developed using Unreal Engine 5.3, the game demo features historical Saudi locations, such as Al-Masmak Fortress and Al-Atawalah Village. Through these settings, players are invited to explore and solve four thematic puzzles. Two of these puzzles are focused on sustainability, covering topics like water management and sustainable food practices, while the other two delve into Saudi heritage, highlighting symbols of national identity and cultural importance. Players are guided by a non-playable character (NPC) who provides voice-guided instructions and contextual hints, helping simplify complex concepts and making them more accessible to young learners. The first-person adventure narrative adopts engagement and facilitates deeper learning.

A mixed-methods evaluation approach was employed to evaluate this prototype. Five experts-two specializing in game design, two in e-learning, and one in tourism-assessed the game using structured questionnaires adapted from the System Usability Scale (SUS) and Game Engagement Questionnaire (GEQ), complemented by interviews customized to their areas of expertise. The quantitative analysis, using Spearman’s rank correlation, revealed positive relationships between usability and educational value (ρ = 0.82, p < 0.01), and between educational value and engagement (ρ = 0.78, p < 0.01). While these results suggest promising potential for the game as an effective educational tool, the small sample size limits the ability to consider these findings as statistically significant.

Qualitative feedback underscored the game’s immersive 3D environments, cultural storytelling, and interactive gameplay as its strengths. However, experts also suggested improvements, including increasing puzzle diversity and expanding the sustainability content. These insights are important for the future development of the game. Planned updates will focus on refining the game’s navigation, broadening the scope of sustainability concepts, and adding more historical sites.

After these adjustments, the game will undergo further usability and engagement testing with its target audience - elementary students - to better understand its educational impact. This study highlights the potential of game-based learning as a means to integrate interactivity, storytelling, and advanced technology to enhance education. By allowing students to explore real-world locations virtually and engage with sustainability concepts, the game provides an accessible and dynamic platform for both cultural and environmental education. Future updates will also align with Saudi tourism seasons, adding dynamic content to further enrich user experiences. This scalable approach will not only help foster cultural appreciation and environmental awareness but also position the game as a multipurpose tool for both classroom learning and individual exploration.

Keywords: Game-Based Learning, Saudi Heritage, Sustainability Goals, Educational Technology, Video Game.