I Built an RPG That Teaches English Grammar — Here's What I Learned

Most grammar apps have a problem: they're boring. Flashcards, fill-in-the-blanks, multiple choice — rinse and repeat until you lose the will to learn. I've been through enough of them to know. As someone who works with ESL learners, I wanted something different. So we built GrammarBattle — a free iOS game where you learn English grammar by fighting RPG battles. Here's what the journey looked like and what I learned along the way. The Problem With "Gamified" Learning Most educational apps slap a progress bar on a quiz and call it gamification. That's not a game — that's a quiz with a hat on. Real games have stakes . They have progression that feels earned. You don't just answer questions — you make decisions, manage resources, and face consequences. That's what makes games sticky, and that's what learning apps desperately need. What We Built GrammarBattle is an RPG where each battle tests a specific grammar concept. There are 15 topics covering everything from articles and prepositions