Filament Games Blog

Game Spotlight: Race to Ratify (iCivics)

To ratify? Or not to ratify? These questions serve as the core foundation of Race to Ratify, iCivics’ all-new learning game designed to teach players the core concepts of the ratification debate between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists as the United States ratified its Constitution. To celebrate the launch of Race to Ratify, we sat down with…

April 3, 2019 // James LaPierre

Filament Games | Educational Game Developer

The Filament Games Mixtape (Vol. 1)!

It might be April Fool’s Day, but we’re not fooling around here: we just dropped a 🔥🔥 mixtape on SoundCloud, and it’s called the Filament Games Mixtape (Vol. 1)! Composed and arranged by Josh Bartels, the Filament Mixtape is packed with some of the hottest tracks in learning game history. Featuring timeless classics like the “Filament Overture,” “The…

April 1, 2019 // James LaPierre

GDC 2019 Recap: 3 Big Takeaways from This Year’s Show!

Each March, thousands of game developers from around the world convene in San Francisco, California in anticipation for the world’s largest professional game industry event: Game Developers Conference (GDC). A five-day event jam-packed with talks from world-class speakers, exciting new game and technology announcements, and ample networking opportunities, GDC is best described as a professional and…

March 27, 2019 // Quinn Crossley, Sarah Spiers

How Researchers Can Work With An Educational Video Game Studio

As a mission-based for-profit company, we’re fortunate to have built strong relationships with several academic institutions working at the forefront of cutting-edge game-based learning research. Here at Filament our teams follow this research with great interest, oftentimes allowing the discoveries to reshape our own methodologies and approaches when warranted. Here are a few of our…

March 25, 2019 // Jennifer Javornik

It’s a Piece of Cake to Build a Pretty Game

(Yay-uh!) Filament makes a lot of games, which is of course pretty awesome. However, there are many times on our projects where the development timeline is complicated by the need of a client or other stakeholder to be able to evaluate (or show off) the game before it’s done. Clients of course generally understand that the…

March 20, 2019 // Dan Norton

Why You Should Use Unity to Build Your Next Learning Game

Any age, any platform, and any subject – when it comes to creating world-class games for learning and social impact, versatility is key. A vital component underlying this flexibility is our studio-wide adoption of Unity, a cross-platform game engine that we use to develop all of our learning games. In order to better understand the many justifications…

March 18, 2019 // James LaPierre

Research Roundup: Game-Based Learning for Computer Science Education

Game-based learning for computer science education…it’s super effective! (Image source: Gifer) But don’t just take my word for it! Previously, our team has highlighted numerous research studies showcasing the power of learning games to improve engagement and learning outcomes among both K-12 and adult learners, as well as for more specific applications like language learning and VR for impact. Awesome, right? We think so,…

March 6, 2019 // James LaPierre

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

Welcome to this month’s iteration of What’s New in Game-Based Learning – your trusted destination for the latest news and updates on all things educational, serious, and AR/VR games for learning! Check out our hand-picked selection of news features, interviews, and articles below, then stay tuned on the Filament Games blog for next month’s featured stories! ⤵ University Students…

March 4, 2019 // James LaPierre

We Want To Be Your Grant Partner

Game-based learning and nonprofits make for a dynamic duo – just like Mario and Princess Peach! Many nonprofits have a mission focused on meaningful education and action. Game-based learning is exceptionally suited to allow learners to actively learn through experimentation while deeply engaged in the outcomes of the experience. We can design games to not…

February 27, 2019 // Jennifer Javornik

Game Spotlight: Columbia University’s Beats Empire

Another month, another all-new learning game! This time, we’re shining a light on Beats Empire, a turn-based strategy game where players run a music studio and record label in a fictional city, reminiscent of New York. 🎤 Created in collaboration with Teachers College (Columbia University), UW–Madison, Georgia Tech, SRI, and Digital Promise as part of a…

February 25, 2019 // James LaPierre

A Look Back at our 2023 Releases

What We Mean When We Say AI: Understanding Types of AI

Resource Roundup: 2023 at Filament Games