CiteSaga: Lessons Learned in Serious Game Development for Academic Integrity Education

CiteSaga, a serious game designed for academic integrity education, immerses students in interactive citationchallenges. This pedagogical approach offers an engaging alternative to traditional methods in higher education. Thedevelopment revealed key insights: the necessity of substantial institutional support, interdisciplinary collaboration(including library services for resources), and the persistent resource demands of serious game creation despite AIadvancements. While AI can empower smaller teams for narrative richness, faculty engagement differed from students,necessitating targeted training. Prioritizing player engagement, community, and interactive playtesting, drawing from UGCand indie game strategies, proved essential. Moreover, modular design and creative funding addressed budget constraints.CiteSaga demonstrates the potential of serious games for academic integrity, underscoring the need for institutionalalignment, stakeholder buy-in, and interactive design. Future research should explore longitudinal impacts, facultyonboarding, and curricular integration.