Pipeline Protocol is a space-shooter in which progression is tied to the game production pipeline. As players progress, each pickup unlocks a new stage of development, linking production activities to key production principles alongside theories of visual hierarchy and supporting auxiliary information. Collecting a pickup immediately upgrades the game’s visuals and mechanics, allowing players to experience the impact of pipeline decisions in real time. Through this structure, Pipeline Protocol functions as a fast, clear, and engaging learning tool, using play to make otherwise abstract production concepts concrete and observable.

It is this pedagogical focus that positions Pipeline Protocol as a research-led project rather than a conventional educational game. The work was presented as a practice-based research contribution at DiGRA Australia 2026, where it was exhibited and discussed as part of the conference’s practice track. Responding to the difficulty beginners face in internalising pipeline terminology through static instruction, the project draws on research into visual hierarchy and player attention to communicate production priorities, sequencing, and trade-offs through visual and mechanical change. Rather than framing the pipeline as a rigid linear model, Pipeline Protocol presents production as an ordered but iterative system, allowing learners to experience how games evolve from early prototypes to release-ready builds. In this context, the project operates both as a playable artefact and as a research probe, contributing to discussions around practice-based game research, pedagogy, and games as tools for disciplinary understanding.