Chugachmiut and FableVision’s
Learning Game “Nunaka”
Wins Prestigious GEE! Award

FableVision and Chugachmiut are pleased to announce that our cultural and language learning game Nunaka has been named the winner of the James Paul GEE! Learning Game Awards in the Formal Learning (Elementary) category. Judged by an international panel of industry leaders, the GEE! Awards recognize the best educational video games in the world that promote effective learning, teaching users how to become good learners.

The game was created with Chugachmiut, a non-profit that serves Native tribes in the Chugach region of Alaska, to serve the Chugach region’s Pre-K Head Start programs. Nunaka is an early childhood mobile game that excites 3-5-year-olds about the Alaska Native Sugpiaq culture, teaches the Sugt'stun language, and targets key school readiness goals.

In the story-driven game, players take on the role of a Sugpiaq child living with their grandparents, Emaa and Apaa, in a fictionalized version of a community based on villages in the Chugach region. Players create an avatar and explore the village, completing activities and minigames, while collecting items and interacting with other residents, including human characters and animals from the region.

“There’s more to Nunaka, though, than enjoyable minigames alone,” said GEE! Awards Competition Lead and Judge Chris Baker in his review of the game. “The art style and aesthetic of the game (and the village it takes place in) is stellar. It’s warm, welcoming, animated, and playful – yet still clearly designed with a goal of intentionally showcasing Sugpiaq heritage in mind.”

To make Nunaka as culturally and linguistically accurate as possible, FableVision co-designed the game with Chugachmiut and the Sugpiag people. Besides attending virtual Elder meetings, studio members visited Alaska multiple times to get to know community members, learn about their culture more broadly, and get feedback in person from the Sugpiaq Elders and village Head Start students. Learn more about our co-design process in our recent blog.

“Overall, Nunaka is a deeply charming game experience that successfully guides players through multiple different learning outcomes,” said Chris. “The gameplay is designed thoughtfully, with numerous good learning principles woven throughout. I truly enjoyed my time wandering around the fictionalized Sugpiaq village with my Emaa and Apaa.”

Learn more about Nunaka by reading the full GEE! Awards’ review. Better yet, download the game on iOS or Google Play to cook akutaq (Sugpiag dish of potatoes and seal oil) with the wolf, collect berries for the bear, say cama’i (hello in Sugt'stun) to the porcupine, sing with the kayaking otter, and more!

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