MechHead: Arcade Framework for Game Design Education

This technical report presents MechHead, an open-ended, arcade-style game framework developed in Unreal Engine. MechHead is used as a pedagogic tool to enables students to engage directly with key design concepts such as gameplay balance, encounter design, and level design within the University of Staffordshire games curricula. Critically, MechHead is both a pedagogic tool and an award-winning (the 2023 TIGA award for Best Arcade Game) commercial-quality game, bridging academic and industry expectations. It is designed to be inherently modular to allow learners to iterate on complex systems without being burdened by foundational boilerplate. Its architecture is informed by constructivist pedagogies, promoting reflective practice through structured experimentation.