The Transformational Framework: A Process Tool for the Development of Transformational Games

"The Transformational Framework" is a process tool developed from Schell Games' work with Carnegie Mellon's Entertainment Technology Center, designed to help development teams plan games intended to change players in ways that extend beyond play itself. The document defines transformational games by three hallmarks: deliberate intention to change players, transfer of that change to the real world, and persistence of the change after play ends. It distinguishes these from entertainment games, in which player change is incidental, and from commercial games adapted for purposes like learning. Drawing on projects such as PlayForward, Happy Atoms, World of Lexica, Night Shift, and Half the Sky's "9 Minutes," along with examples like Duolingo and SuperBetter, the framework is presented as an open, adaptable guide spanning a wide range of topics, genres, and developers.

The core of the framework is an eight-part, iterative process completed during pre-production. It begins with a high-level purpose framed around the impact a team wants to make rather than the game itself, then moves through audience and context analysis, which accounts for players' initial state, motivations, and social and cultural conditions. Teams then define player transformations as specific, measurable, player-centered changes, drawing on a broader typology that extends beyond Bloom's Taxonomy to include behavior, belief, relationships, identity, and society. The process continues by identifying the barriers that prevent players from reaching those transformations, mapping the domain into granular concepts, working with subject-matter experts, vetting prior works and research, and planning assessment early. The document stresses that completing a game is not evidence of transformation, and that in-game progression must be validated against real-world measures.

The document also addresses the practical realities of producing transformational games. Such projects require extended pre-production, dedicated transformational design roles, additional content review, and stronger stakeholder alignment, all of which draw resources from core development. Transformational games are commonly underfunded, and grant funding introduces lengthy timelines, shared budgets, and research reporting requirements. For small teams, the framework recommends narrowing scope, prioritizing a fit between transformation and genre, designing for sharing, and reducing hand-authored content. Throughout, the framework's underlying foundation is Self-Determination Theory, whose needs for autonomy, mastery, and relatedness inform both player-facing assessment and the design of transformational experiences.