05 / PRODUCT
A world teens
would choose.
Research on young players and references from successful games inform the characters, spaces and creative experiences of VRHS.
RESEARCH INTO ART DIRECTION
Understand the audience.
Give the world a point of view.
Youth studies establish context. A 20-game reference study offers examples to examine. The art-direction task is to translate relevant ideas into a distinctive school, memorable teachers and activities students want to try.
Research cutoff: October 29, 2026. The reference set combines youth surveys, all-age Roblox activity and industry reports; it is not a unified popularity ranking of US players aged 13–17. Royale High is an additional thematic reference outside the 20-game set. Game comparisons and proposed VRHS directions below are creative interpretations, not findings established by the studies.
RESEARCH FOUNDATIONS
Start with evidence
about young players.
Audience studies and roleplay research inform the creative brief.
- REPORTED FINDINGS
- In 2024, 36.2% of 1,644 respondents preferred content featuring fantasy worlds; 63.5% wanted more stories centered on friendships and platonic relationships. The 2025 survey of 1,500 respondents put relatable stories ahead of fantasy, while friendship remained important.
- IMPLICATION FOR VRHS ART DIRECTION
- A fantastical school can carry recognizable feelings and relationships. Give unusual monster mentors expressive faces, believable teaching gestures and welcoming spaces. Treat that connection between fantasy and relatable experience as a direction to test.
- LIMIT
- These are university-affiliated research reports, not journal papers. The age range includes children and young adults; neither report establishes the preferences of US 13–17-year-olds alone. The newer findings do not support a claim that fantasy preference rises every year.
PEER-REVIEWED QUALITATIVE PAPER · 2026
D&D and You
Thomas, Dunn, Gomez Bergin & Hazell
Behavioral Sciences · United Kingdom
11 Dungeons & Dragons players · ages 18–25
Read the paper ↗- REPORTED FINDING
- Interviewed players described D&D as a space for safety, coping, exploration and growth, including exploration of their identities and relationships.
- IMPLICATION FOR VRHS ART DIRECTION
- Make room for different student identities and distinctive mentors. Costume, silhouette, gesture and personal spaces can help players imagine a place for themselves in the school. This is a creative interpretation of the paper, not an outcome demonstrated for VRHS.
- LIMIT
- A small interview study of existing adult players explains experiences rather than measuring audience size or proving causation. It does not establish teen or Gen Alpha demand, or educational or therapeutic benefits of this game.
INSTITUTIONAL YOUTH SURVEY · 2025
JIM Studie 2025
Medienpädagogischer Forschungsverbund Südwest (mpfs)
Germany · ages 12–19
Read the study ↗- REPORTED FINDING
- Minecraft, Fortnite and Roblox lead favorite-game mentions. Brawl Stars also appears among the favorites, supporting its inclusion as a relevant game to examine.
- IMPLICATION FOR THE REFERENCE STUDY
- Look closely at worlds players can inhabit, personal expression and readable character systems. These are directions to investigate through the games, rather than explanations proved by the survey.
- LIMIT
- A German sample aged 12–19 is not a US 13–17 ranking, and preference does not demonstrate educational effectiveness.
INSTITUTIONAL YOUTH STUDY · 2026
Barn og medier 2026
Norwegian Media Authority · Medietilsynet
Norway · ages 9–18
Read the study ↗- REPORTED FINDING
- Roblox, Fortnite and Minecraft lead the overall responses about games played most. The report also shows that preferences differ across age groups.
- IMPLICATION FOR VRHS
- Test the intended teen tone directly. Review whether expressive characters, school costumes and inviting environments feel appealing to both younger and older teens.
- LIMIT
- The study includes younger children and a different national audience. Individual Roblox experiences cannot inherit the platform’s audience profile.
The sources above serve different purposes: audience reports describe preferences, while the peer-reviewed D&D paper explores player experiences. Their actual ages and methods matter more than broad generational labels. Visual and interaction choices remain art-direction hypotheses to test.
SUCCESSFUL GAMES AS REFERENCES
Six references.
Our own visual answer.
Study the principle.
Give VRHS its own visual answer.
| Reference | Useful lens | Design reading | VRHS direction to test |
|---|
| Royale High ↗ | Place & belonging | An academy can offer identity as well as activities. | Memorable department landmarks within a coherent campus. |
|---|
| Brawl Stars ↗ | Clarity & character | Readable silhouettes and concrete objectives reduce explanation. | Distinct teacher shapes and a teaching prop visible at small size. |
|---|
| Adopt Me! ↗ | Warmth & attachment | Friendly forms and personal spaces can encourage a sense of ownership. | Approachable mentors with enough costume and attitude for teens. |
|---|
| Dress To Impress ↗ | Expression & presentation | A clear creative prompt makes different responses easy to showcase. | A well-lit stage for student work, with useful feedback. |
|---|
| Minecraft ↗ | Making & modularity | A small construction vocabulary can support many personal outcomes. | Reusable environment kits and choices that change something visible. |
|---|
| Genshin Impact ↗ | Composition & discovery | Landmarks and layered views make a world feel worth exploring. | One strong vista and deliberate focal depth at a much smaller scope. |
|---|
WHAT THE REFERENCES SUGGEST
Familiar appeal.
A distinct school.
Use successful games to identify useful principles: a sense of belonging, expressive characters, clear objectives and satisfying acts of making.
Translate those principles into original monster mentors, recognizable department spaces, readable teaching props and a considered stage for student work. The art guide connects those choices across all eight disciplines.
See the art direction →The first things to learn
- Does the look feel distinctive, welcoming and age-appropriate?
- Can a fresh player understand the next action without coaching?
- Does the player recognize what their choice changed?
- Would they choose to try another class or show a friend?
Playtest results forthcoming.
SOURCE NOTES
Different sources.
Different kinds of evidence.
CSS at UCLA · Teens and Screens 2024 ↗University-affiliated audience report. US respondents aged 10–24; fantasy and friendship preferences inform the visual brief.
CSS at UCLA · Teens and Screens 2025 ↗University-affiliated follow-up. Relatable stories moved ahead of fantasy; retain this update alongside the 2024 finding.
Thomas et al. · D&D and You, 2026 ↗Peer-reviewed paper: D&D and You: A Reflexive Thematic Analysis of Young Adult Players’ Experiences Exploring Identity and Mental Health Through Dungeons and Dragons. Eleven UK players aged 18–25; qualitative evidence about experiences, not a teen audience estimate.
mpfs · JIM Studie 2025 ↗Institutional survey. Favorite-game mentions among German youth aged 12–19; useful audience context with geographic and age limits.
Medietilsynet · Barn og medier 2026 ↗Institutional study. Games played by young people in Norway, with age differences relevant to planning teen feedback.
Sensor Tower · mobile download context ↗Supplementary industry report, September 2026. Broad mobile reach without teen age segmentation; not an academic study or evidence of learning value.
Digest adapted from the VRHS research prepared October 29, 2026. The six comparison links above point to official game sources. Research findings, game observations and proposed art choices are kept distinct; popularity alone does not establish why a game succeeds.
CONTINUE EXPLORINGBack to the pitch ↗