James LaPierre, Author at Filament Games

Game-Based Learning in the World Video Game Hall of Fame

May 15, 2019 // James LaPierre

Filament Games | Educational Game Developer

What are some of your favorite video games of all time? 🤔 (Image credit: Giphy) Myself? I’m partial to the sprawling seascapes of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, a childhood favorite with a jaw-dropping cel shaded art style. My colleague Brandon Pittser, on the other hand, would likely point to the pure platforming…

5 Must-Play Math Learning Games for Middle Schoolers

May 20, 2019 // James LaPierre

Move over Math Blaster!, Number Munchers, and Cool Math – and say hello to the new generation of high-quality, mobile-friendly math learning games! 💫 ‘Game Over’ screen from Math Blaster!, a bona fide game-based learning blast from the past. Don’t get us wrong – we still have tremendous respect for the educational games of yesteryear.…

2019 Virtual Reality Hardware Roundup

May 22, 2019 // Brandon Pittser

You hear that? It’s the faint but unmistakable sound of seismic events in the VR hardware landscape. 2019 has been thoroughly dynamic in terms of new platform and hardware developments in the always-exciting, always-evolving world of virtual reality, and we have scarcely gone a day without having our assumptions challenged around who is still in…

Inclusive Game Design: Key Starting Principles

May 29, 2019 // Quinn Crossley

As educational game developers, it’s our responsibility to ensure that the experiences we create are accessible and relatable to all students. Here at Filament, we believe that all learners should have access to meaningful educational opportunities, regardless of their identity, ability, or demographics. In order to support this goal, we consider a wide range of…

What’s New in Game-Based Learning – June 2019

June 3, 2019 // James LaPierre

It’s already June!? That can only mean one thing – it’s time for an all-new edition of What’s New in Game-Based Learning! ✨ (Image source: Giphy) Each month, our team likes to highlight their favorite news features, interviews, and articles pertaining to topics relevant to our work – think along the lines of game-based learning,…

Game Spotlight: Rainbow Agents (UW-Madison)

June 10, 2019 // James LaPierre

To celebrate the launch of Rainbow Agents at the New York Hall of Science and the Lawrence Hall of Science, we sat down with Game Designer Quinn Crossley for an in-depth look at the making of Filament’s first-ever museum game. Check out their thoughts below! ⤵ Quinn – kick us off by telling us a…

‘Pokémon Sleep’ and the Gamification of Health and Wellness

June 12, 2019 // James LaPierre

For many gamers around the world, summer 2016 was defined by the launch of Pokémon GO – San Francisco-based Niantic’s mobile AR megahit based on the #1 media franchise of all time. Much like the handheld games that preceded it, Pokémon GO challenges players to travel the world, capture and collect Pokémon, and battle fellow…

A Guide to Game-Based Learning at ISTE 2019

June 17, 2019 // James LaPierre

School’s out, mosquitoes are everywhere, and summer weather seems to have finally arrived here in Wisconsin – which must mean that ISTE 2019 is right around the corner! (Image credit: Giphy) Dubbed “the epicenter of EdTech,” the annual ISTE conference is dedicated to transforming learning and teaching through exciting new technologies. A four-day event jam-packed…

UX and UI Design: 10 Do’s and Don’ts

June 19, 2019 // Madeline Folz

In my last article, I laid out some of the key differences between user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) design – two distinct elements that play a critical role in the development of eye-catching, user-friendly games, websites, and other digital creations. With these definitions now established, today’s blog will take things one step further…

Remote Collaboration & Telecommunication – Part 3: Achieving Successful Shared Workspaces

June 24, 2019 // Ethan Cayko

Great meeting! Network connection was solid the whole time, video was great, audio was crystal clear, and interruptions were kept to a minimum. Great job everyone, we’ve mastered video conferencing. Now, please review your personal notes and in two weeks we’ll have a follow up meeting to reconcile our wildly different interpretations of the decisions…

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