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The ET Game – learning how to fail better

The history of the videogames industry is littered with the corpses of terrible games. Many of the gravestones are for games based on feature films and today’s story in the BBC Magazine about the epic failure of the ET game – described as the worst video game in history – is a majestic tomb to […]

Join us at the new Play + Learn conference

I delighted to announce a brand new initiative focussing on play and learning in the UK. The inaugural Play+Learn conference will take place on 17-19 June 2015 at the University of Bradford. Play is our most elemental vehicle for learning, and new digital tools like games provide whole new worlds for exploration and interaction. Together we’ll explore how we can make learning and training more engaging […]

Board of Rights and Responsibilities

Making a game of the Magna Carta Next year, the Magna Carta is 800 years old. As a seminal piece of human rights legislation it is arguably one of the most significant documents ever written. It describes the balance of rights and responsibilities between the English king and his lords (the closest it could get […]

Kids, Social Media & Computer Games – A Guide for Grown Ups

As the parent of two young children, I’m often in conversation with other adults about the ways kids use technology.  We sometimes feel a bit out of our depth and almost intimated by the boundless confidence our children exhibit when engaging with games, apps and social media. However daunted we might feel, we can’t sit […]

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Game Mechanics

Recently I’ve talked a number of groups about making experiences more playful. Instrumental in those discussions has been a consideration of the elements at our disposal.  Here is my combination of the various definitions of game mechanics offered by Wikipedia, SCVNGR & Gamification.org. Achievements – Achievements are a virtual or physical representation of having accomplished something. Action points […]

The Benefits of Gaming

Games are everywhere aren’t they? Never before have games had such a high profile or generated so much debate. I enjoy playing a lot of games but I’m equally interested in the psychology of gameplay and how we can benefit socially, emotionally and intellectually from play. Although I am concerned that without additional support (or […]

Real things games teach

As you may know, I’m a great believer in the potential of games to engage and stimulate users. I’m more skeptical about their ability to deliver learning entirely on their own so I was intrigued to discover this Tumblr site: Real Things Video Games Teach You. It proposes transferable skills that you can acquire by […]

Who’s winning with game-based learning?

This week the UK’s National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) released a study examining the latest research about game-based learning. The main findings in the NFER report were: The literature was split on the extent to which video games can impact upon overall academic performance. The studies consistently found that video games can impact positively on […]

Playing with online privacy

Being aware of the information we share is an increasingly important consideration in our connected lives.  Many of us don’t really think about the digital footprints we leave or what organisations might do with the apparently trivial details they gather when we sign up for new products or services.  Many “free” offers are contingent on […]