Filament Games Blog

Challenging Systems

I recently delivered a talk at the National Science Teachers Association entitled “Engagement Unlocked: Using Learning Games for STEM”. I began the presentation by disavowing the title because it suggests that, up to this point, engagement has been locked up and inaccessible in schools. That’s obviously not true. Yes, I remember having to memorize the…

April 18, 2016 // Dan White

Filament Games | Educational Game Developers

FGP 18: Season One Finale

Welcome to the season one finale! We want to extend a heartfelt thank you for listening to the first season of the Filament Games Podcast. We enjoyed releasing each episode and reading your Tweets, Facebook comments, and notes on Soundcloud. Rest assured, we will be back with season two before the end of 2016. If…

April 12, 2016 // Kat Shanahan

Filament Games | Educational Game Developer

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

FGP 17: Game Design Contest

Welcome to Episode 17! This week we bring you a very special episode of the podcast. We invite game designers Abby Friesen and Matt Haselton into the studio for a game design contest. Hear what happens when we ask two designers to design and pitch a game in under 40 minutes. Hot Topics in This…

April 5, 2016 // Kat Shanahan

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

FGP 16: Win The White House

Welcome to Episode 16! In FGP 16 we ask the important question, “What do you think is the largest number of bananas you can eat in a day?” We also chat with special guest Carrie Ray-Hill from iCivics about Win The White House and the importance of teaching in a non-partisan, safe environment around the…

March 29, 2016 // Kat Shanahan

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

FGP 15: How Did I Get Here?

Welcome to Episode 15! Join us on the Filament Games Podcast for a behind-the-scenes look at how Abigail Rindo, Lead Producer, and Stephen Calender, Game Engineer, decided to create learning games and what drew them to Filament. Hot Topics in This Week’s Episode Monsters Ate My Birthday Cake Oxenfree Cities: Skylines Stardew Valley More Information…

March 22, 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

FGP 14: Chatting With Rich Halverson

Welcome to Episode 14! Basketball fans rejoice! This week we chat with learning games researcher, Rich Halverson, about digital technology in the classroom and why he thinks basketball players are the best athletes in the world. Hot topics in this week’s episode include Elite Dangerous, Sid Meier’s Civilization: Beyond Earth, and Gems of War. “Many…

March 15, 2016 // Kat Shanahan

A Look Back at our 2023 Releases

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

Resource Roundup: 2023 at Filament Games