James LaPierre, Author at Filament Games

Introducing unity3d-pixi

March 23, 2017 // Alex Stone

Filament Games | Educational Game Developer

In education, technology moves more slowly than in the consumer world. Institutions must eke all of the value out of their existing hardware, and even when they do make new hardware purchases, the hardware is still not requisitioned with games in mind. This means that when we are charged with building software that is accessible…

Implementing and Evaluating Your District Game-based Learning Program

March 27, 2017 // Kat Shanahan

Last year we released the District Game-based Learning Implementation Guide to help administrators, Technology Directors, and Curriculum Specialists introduce game-based learning at a district-wide level. Since then, we’ve heard inspiring stories about how these game-based learning programs have engaged difficult to reach students, empowered educators, and inspired gaming clubs and projects! We thought it was…

What I Learned in my First Six Months as a Producer at Filament Games

March 30, 2017 // Ethan Cayko

Hi, my name is Ethan and I am new here. I am new to Wisconsin, I am new to educational game development, and in October 2016 I was new to Filament Games. The past six months have taught me more than I could possibly recount in blog post form, but I would like to use…

iCivics Suite Updates: How The Art Evolved

April 3, 2017 // Natasha Soglin

Filament Games and iCivics.org have shared a long and prosperous relationship over the years, during which they have created nineteen learning games together. These games have been played in all 50 states by students and educators alike, teaching a wide variety of civics topics from basic American rights and judicial processes to the fundamental structure of…

Real-Time vs. Turn-Based Mechanics in Learning Games

April 20, 2017 // Dan Norton

Hello there! Recently here at Filament Games I was working on a game pitch and the question of “real-time” versus “turn-based” was raised. As per usual, I had strong opinions without any justification, so I thought I would take some time to unpack my feelings about it and share the results with you, the gentle…

Speed Sketch: Filadogs

April 24, 2017 // Kat Shanahan

Game Art Team Lead Natasha Soglin created this adorable new Speed Sketch to introduce you to our office pets! Each of these furry friends makes a regular visit to the office and keeps us on our toes. Check it out and let us know what you think on our Facebook or Twitter! Want to watch Natasha…

Designing Games for Toys and Young Learners

April 26, 2017 // Abby Friesen

I recently had the privilege of working with Square Panda to create learning games for youngsters to help teach them letters. They use a physical tray and a series of plastic letters that players can manipulate in real life to interact with the digital game on a tablet. It looks like this: Photo credit: Square Panda…

Sennett Middle School’s Gaming Club – Creating Game Art!

April 27, 2017 // Elle Jacobson

At a recent game development club we hosted at Sennett Middle School, the Filament Games team introduced students to video game art, which is an important component of any video game’s development. There are many different artistic styles developers can choose from, but we chose a style that’s both iconic and easy to learn: pixel…

Alpha, Beta, Gold: A Commitment to High-quality Game Development

May 10, 2017 // Jennifer Javornik

When I talk to prospective clients, I always try to KIJF (keep it jargon free). That being said, there are a few terms that are just helpful to know. In this post, we’ll look at each of the three release phases that make up a typical game development project with us: Alpha, Beta, and Gold…

Art Hacks: Shading Made Easy

May 11, 2017 // Natasha Soglin

Over the years when I introduce myself to new people and tell them I’m an artist, their response is typical: “Oh, like painting?” I have to stop myself from saying ‘yes’ because my version of painting is distinctly removed from their idea of ‘painting.’ I’m no master with acrylics or oils, but I have done…

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