Article Archives - Page 45 of 47

Depth vs. Breadth in Learning Games

One of the best things about making digital learning stuff is that we get to have a constant dialogue about the nature of knowledge. After all, if you want to make learning tools, you need to have an opinion about what it means to know something! One thing that comes up a LOT is the…

April 11, 2016 // Dan Norton

Filament Games | Educational Game Developer

Get to Know a Game Engineer: An Interview with Stephen Calender

On March 9, 2016, I met with the Game Maker’s Club at Norwich Tech via Google Hangouts. I had a great time chatting with the students! Here’s a selection of the many thoughtful, insightful questions they asked: Where do you get your game ideas? Good game ideas can come from anywhere. I have literally dreamed…

March 30, 2016 // Stephen Calender

District Game-based Learning Implementation Guide

One of the things we’ve heard from District Administrators after implementing 1:1 initiatives is that the challenging part has only just begun. Now that they have these beautiful new devices, administrators have to make sure they’re useful to students and teachers. Implementing a district-wide game-based learning program is a great way to make sure you’re…

March 23, 2016 // Kat Shanahan

Hiring Top Talent in QA

While it’s certainly true that good testers can come from anywhere and with any background, it is not true that anyone can be a good tester. Testing may not require a specialized degree or years of formal training, but it does require a specific set of skills that not everyone possesses. Many organizations hire young…

March 16, 2016 // Shaina Peshkov

Alternative Ways to Teach with Games

Although school districts are implementing new mobile technology at a steady pace and the number of institutions interested in implementing devices is particularly strong, many classrooms in the United States still are not 1:1. If 1:1 isn’t on the horizon for you just yet, have no fear! There are a number of ways to use games…

March 9, 2016 // Elle Jacobson

How to Conduct Playtests

Making software–any software, whether it’s an app on your phone to help you manage your finances or a game for the Playstation 4–is hard. Making good software that doesn’t drive your users nuts is harder because you have to pay attention to something called usability. People have brains, and brains have limits in how much…

February 24, 2016 // Marshall Behringer

A Case for Learning Games: Molecubes Amplifies Student Learning

As a game studio, we know that not all content is right for learning games, so we take the time to vet all of our ideas to ensure they make the best games for the classroom. Our recent release, Molecubes, was tested extensively throughout its development to make sure it was enjoyable and educational as a piece…

February 17, 2016 // Kat Shanahan

Yes, You Are a Gamer

Sometimes video games get a bad rap. As a form of media, they’re often considered unserious, or childish, or any number of other negative descriptors implying that time spent on a video game is time better spent elsewhere. There is a stigma applied to games that is somehow more pointed and dismissive than the hesitations…

February 15, 2016 // Brandon Pittser

5 Reasons You Should Be Using Games on Your School’s iPads

Game-based learning is an incredible digital tool to introduce in the classroom, and if you’re an iPad-ready school, access to quality learning games is right at your fingertips. We’ve compiled five great reasons why (from the academic to the technological) you should make the most out of your iOS devices by using quality learning games.…

February 10, 2016 // Elle Jacobson

How to Teach With Games

We spend a lot of time at Filament thinking about the best ways to use games in the classroom – our designers, engineers, and artists are all tirelessly invested in uncovering new ways that games can shine in a formal education setting. By far, our most reliable sources of inspiration are the teachers who are…

February 3, 2016 // Brandon Pittser