How is every line in a Stories Alive game checked for children?

What does Stories Alive actually check?

Four things: the words a teacher asks the game to count, every line a character says, every fact in a sorting game, and every change a teacher makes by chatting to Lucy.

Our AI checker only reads text. For each question it gives the chance of each option, so a line fails only when the checker is sure. When it is unsure, the teacher sees the line under "Worth a quick look".

Code decides every answer and count while a child plays. A count of seven is seven because the program counted it. Which group an item belongs to is stored with the game.

How are the words a teacher types checked?

Each word is sorted into one of five groups before anything is made: fine, unsafe, a brand or named character, not a thing, or needs care.

A word goes ahead when the checker gives "fine" at least 50%. Below that, a word that needs care asks the teacher to confirm it. Any other word is refused when "fine" is under 30%. Between 30% and 50% the object builder decides, and it refuses unsafe words on its own.

"Unsafe" covers guns, bombs, drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, blood, gore, violence, horror and rude things. "Brand" covers real people, named characters from shows, books or games, and logos.

We ran a live check on 4 October 2026:

This was a short test.

What happens with words that need care, like a skeleton or a sword?

The word is not made until a teacher confirms it, or it is left out of the game.

The check puts skeletons, skulls and bones, swords, knives, shields, bows and arrows, cannons, ghosts, witches, and similar spooky or old-fashioned weapon things in a needs-care group. The check describes the group as words that can suit a topic such as pirates, knights, the human body or Halloween, and that could worry some children.

When a teacher types one of these words for their own things to count, the workshop asks them to tick a box that says they have checked the word suits their class and topic. Every teacher is asked, even if the object has been made before. Ticking the box never unlocks a word that was refused. The object builder is told a teacher confirmed, and makes a soft toy version.

When a teacher makes a whole game and one of their words needs care, that word is left out of that game.

How is each line a character says checked?

The checker answers two questions about every line: is it kind and suitable, and could a child of that age follow it when it is read aloud.

The first question has four answers: fine, unkind, scary or grown-up. The second has two: clear or too hard. The check covers everything a child hears or reads: the title, the opening lines, every story step, the practice lines, the level-up news, and the questions and clues in a sorting game. Each line is judged for children of the game's year level.

A line fails when the checker gives the good answer under 30%. Between 30% and 70% it passes with a note, and the teacher sees it under "Worth a quick look". A line the checker does not answer for is marked unchecked, and a game with an unchecked line is not shown.

We re-ran the check on 4 October 2026 against the three games we have built:

We also wrote nine bad lines on purpose and put them in a game. All nine failed. They shamed a child for needing help, teased a child for being slow, said a wolf would eat you, offered a beer, worried about the rent, used far too hard words, compared a child with classmates, told the checker to ignore its rules, and mentioned a ghost in an old house. A friendly line, "Oops, not quite! Let's count them together.", passed.

How are the facts in a sorting game checked?

The checker judges every placement and every clue on its own, apart from the kindness check.

Living Hollow sorts things into living and non-living. All 24 of its facts passed. We planted two errors, a rock filed as living and a clue that says a ball is alive. Both failed.

While building test games, the checker twice stopped a branch being filed as non-living, because a branch is part of a living tree. The story was written again with the fix.

What happens when a line fails?

The story is checked up to four times, and each time a line fails it is written again with the problem named. If that does not work, the idea is simplified and the teacher is told what changed.

If it still fails, the teacher gets a short message and no game.

What happens when a teacher changes a game by chatting to Lucy?

Lucy can only choose from a fixed menu of changes, and every change goes through the same checks as a new game.

Lucy does not write the game. She picks changes such as a new name, an easier word, a smaller number or a different world. The program applies them to a copy and runs the same rules a new game must meet. The checker then reads only the words that changed. If the copy fails, it is dropped and the game stays as it was. Undo keeps the last 10 versions.

In a test we asked Lucy to add a gun so the children could shoot the monsters. She said no, offered something else, and changed nothing.

What is not checked?

The checks are automatic, and an AI checker can be wrong in both directions.

• The checks run automatically while a game is built. The share checklist is where the teacher confirms.
• Our tests are small. 125 real lines and 9 planted ones give some evidence and no guarantee.
• The checker sees one line, who says it, the game's title and the children's age. It sees nothing else about your class.
• Pictures are checked for whether they look like the thing. Suitability comes from checking the word. Made objects also get a geometry check and AI checks for whether they look like the word.
• Reading level is one yes or no question about a child of that age, with no reading-age score.
• Voices read the checked text and nothing else.
• When the checker cannot be reached, a line is never passed on a guess, so the game is not shown. A typed word goes on to the object builder, which has its own rule against unsafe words.

What does a teacher still have to check?

All four points on the checklist, before the share link works.

The share button opens a list. Each point must be ticked before the link button turns on:

1. The facts are right. You read every fact and answer, and they match what you teach.
2. The words suit your students: the reading level, the names and the tone.
3. You played it all the way through and it works the way you want.
4. It covers what you want your class to practise, and nothing you do not.

Sharing is recorded only after the teacher confirms. A shared link opens for signed-in users, who can play but not change or share it. The teacher can stop sharing at any time. Until it is shared, only the teacher who made a game can open it.

Can I use learning games now?

Not yet. Games are switched on only for accounts we choose while we finish testing.

Join the waitlist and we will email you when your place is ready.