Tag Archives: collaboration

What Games are Good For?

In spite of my criticisms of many educational games, I believe passionately in the potential of games to inspire learning. I don’t think that games are a panacea but they do have many characteristics that can make a profoundly positive impact on our lives.  The real educational value for gaming lies in four key areas: […]

New connections; common ideas

One of the joys of being able to publish ideas online is the ability to make entirely new connections with people one would never otherwise meet. This weekend I’ve had the pleasure of being introduced (virtually) to two really interesting thinkers and practitioners in fields of play and learning – Lois Holzman and Jim Martinez.  […]

Clever Fools

Now, here’s a clever science game.  A game that actually generates valuable scientific outputs. Foldit is a game from Seth Cooper and his colleagues at the University of Washington where players score points by squeezing as many  proteins as possible into a chemically stable configuration.  Understanding how proteins can fold together is essential to establishing […]