News in Games-Based Learning

This is about far more than the 'fun' that we all experience when playing a game we enjoy. Even learning games where the primary purpose of the game is to instruct have the very important subsidiary purposing of keeping people entertained.

gamesDave EngJuly 16, 2022Complexity, engagement, games, neurodiversity, newsComment

Learning Games – The Challenge of House Rules

The rules of a game are arbitrary and the Lusory Attitude involves acceptance of these rules. These rules constitute, in part, the 'obstacles' that the player will encounter. Anybody who plays games socially has probably come across the idea of 'House Rules' - unofficial modifications to the rules of a game that are played by specific groups of people.

gamesDave EngJuly 15, 2022Engagement, gamification, quests, workplace learning, newsComment

The six levers of games-based learning: what makes learning games effective?

That games are effective learning tools has been shown again and again, with great clusters of evidence collected by Karl Kapp and Jane McGonigal, among many others. My favourite framing of the question is: what do games do, to help people engage, learn and get more from the experience? As part of my work using games to design and facilitate learning experiences, I've built a framework to answer that question.

gamesDave EngJuly 14, 2022Game-based learning, learning games, effective learning, learning experience, newsComment

Popularity of 'gamified' apps raises new legal issues, student researchers warn

Whatever the reasons for the exceptionally high turnover rates in today's employment market, I submit that companies were likely going to find it challenging to recruit and maintain skilled employees as the 2010s became the 2020s. Most savvy business owners know that lip service in a mission statement won't convert to real employee retention and engagement.

gamesDave EngJuly 13, 2022Gamify, employment market, Forbes, Microsoft, employees, research, newsComment

Gamification: Turning Corporate Responsibility Into An Authentic And Fun Experience

“Whatever the reasons for the exceptionally high turnover rates in today's employment market, I submit that companies were likely going to find it challenging to recruit and maintain skilled employees as the 2010s became the 2020s.

gamesDave EngJuly 12, 2022Gamify, employment market, Forbes, Microsoft, employees, researchComment

Innovation Education: Gaming - Learning at play

eLearning games are all the rage, but will they help you improve online training ROI? Game-based learning can boost engagement and improve on-the-job performance. Depending on the scope of your game-based learning project, you may need to hire additional staff for game development, such as SMEs, graphic designers, and ID pros.

gamesDave EngJuly 11, 2022Game-based learning, games, training games, modern learners, newsComment

OPINION: Social, mental health benefits of playing board games

My family loves playing board games - it has become our family tradition in some form or another because it is something we can all enjoy. I personally think that board games can be in box form but also online and even video games.

gamesDave EngJuly 9, 2022Mental health, board games, dementia, games, newsComment

Game-Based Learning Budgeting Factors To Consider

eLearning games are all the rage, but will they help you improve online training ROI? Game-based learning can boost engagement and improve on-the-job performance.

gamesDave EngJuly 7, 2022Game-based learning, games, training games, modern learners, newsComment

Andragogy Through a Games-based Learning Lens

Effective learning only occurs when learners have autonomy to direct their own learning and are intrinsically motivated to engage with the specific topic or skill being offered.

gamesDave EngJuly 6, 2022Game-based learning, effective learning, learning game, game mechanismsnewsComment

Main Difference Between Gaming Development and Gaming Design

What Is Game Development? In essence, game development is the process of bringing the idea of a video game to life, which requires software programming, engineering, sound effects, coding, testing, rendering, and some other aspects to be accomplished in order to get the game to a level where it can work without a problem.

gamesDave EngJuly 5, 2022Gaming development, game design, video games, software programming, newsComment

Theming Game Structures

Player strategies are emergent styles of gameplay that ideally lead to having a shot at winning the game. Games consist of goals and obstacles, and strategies are how players attempt to overcome obstacles to reach a goal.

gamesDave EngJuly 4, 2022Games, player strategies, goal, optimization strategies, winning, newsComment

Atlantic: Kids are learning history from video games now

Anything that can call attention to periods or histories that most people wouldn't otherwise come across does a very real service, UC's Marion Kruse says in an article in The Atlantic. The article focuses on the rise in popularity of video gaming, specifically games such as Europa Universalis which is by Paradox Interactive, a Swedish company.

gamesDave EngJuly 3, 2022Video games, classroom, modern application, learning, newsComment

Game-Based Learning For STEM Education

Gamification in the classroom is the application of game mechanics to lessons and course material. Gamification of lessons does require more planning and creativity than simply incorporating educational games and game-based learning tools, but these two different methods can work in tandem. Game-based learning is the utilization of games and challenges for learning and skill development with the goal to reach a winning outcome.

gamesDave EngJuly 2, 2022Game-based learning, STEM, education, classroom, game mechanics, lessonsnewsComment

Serious Games for Education

We use video games and virtual simulations with social themes to promote the intercultural competencies of the students of the Prepa Tec campus in Morelia to achieve the following objectives: Help students empathize and identify with other people from other countries and cultures.

gamesDave EngJune 30, 2022Games, education, multicultural, students, simulation toolsnewsComment

Game learning is a powerful vehicle for learning

Word-based games encourage youngsters to learn in a fun and participatory way, increasing both learning and collaborative thinking abilities. Enabling personalised learning Educators have countless possibilities for selecting and implementing game mechanics in ways that connect with students' passions and enable them to achieve their learning objectives.

gamesDave EngJune 28, 2022Game learning, learning, word-based games, personalized learning, newsComment

The Games We Play: Understanding Strategic Culture Through Games

The games we play represent our first, and arguably our most important, strategic language. Sports games such as American football, soccer, or basketball, tabletop games such as chess or go, and even video games such as Starcraft or League of Legends provide a common, implicitly learned language of strategy.

gamesDave EngJune 27, 2022Games, strategic culture, understanding, language learning, sports, newsComment

How Observability Can Improve Gaming

User experience depends not only on how the game's UI is performing but also on the entire gaming environment performance and reliability. As a result, improving the gaming experience can be quite challenging for gaming companies with large-scale operations.

gamesDave EngJune 24, 2022Gaming, observability, user experience, operations, newsComment

Of Lyric Games and Trick-taking

While 'Hope is Not a Plan' is new to me, lyric games have been much on my mind recently, and one in particular 'Brave Sparrow' has partially provided the inspiration for a play session that Terry Pearce and I will be running at the Games Based Learning Virtual Conference April 22 - 24.

gamesDave EngJune 23, 2022Lyric games, trick-taking, game based learning, game design, newsComment

Kids Are Learning History From Video Games Now

First, their influence is hard to track: Teachers may not even notice that the student asking why the Ottomans didn't colonize America or what happened to Burgundy may have a view of history that was molded by Paradox games.

gamesDave EngJune 22, 2022Video games, learning, history, strategy games, games, newsComment

Kirby’s creators on developing accessible games, and the darker horrors of the series

The Washington Post had an exclusive U.S. interview through email with the creators and developers of Kirby to talk about the legacy of the series and the latest game. Our direction for the story in Kirby and the Forgotten Land was to demonstrate that Kirby games can also have a lot more depth than people might expect.

gamesDave EngJune 21, 2022Accessible games, creators, game series, Kirby, newsComment