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 …
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Game-Based Learning in the World Video Game Hall of Fame
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 …
We Won a Webby – Check Out Our 5-Word Victory Speech!
We made the game. We won the Webby. And now – we’re in full celebration mode! 🎉 (Image credit: Giphy) Wondering what’s with all the hubbub? Breaking Boundaries in Science, our VR celebration of some of history’s most renowned women in STEM, has won the coveted People’s Voice Award for “Best Game: Education” at the …
Why Students Hate Homework – And How Digital Games Can Help
We’ve previously discussed how modern institutional K-12 education commonly instills fear of failure among students. This phenomenon – largely driven by the rise of standards-based testing regimes – has conditioned learners to fear being wrong, rather than viewing mistakes as a necessary step in the process of learning something new. Homework assignments are a perfect …
Inspiring Game-Based Learning Talks from the GDC Vault
Alongside E3 and PAX, the Game Developers Conference (GDC) stands as one of our industry’s most iconic annual events. A celebration of the talent and accomplishments of game developers from around the world, GDC brings thousands of developers, publishers, and academics alike to San Francisco, California each year for a week of networking opportunities, exciting …
The Robots Are Coming
Kai-Fu Lee, author of AI Superpowers, recently predicted that “within the next 15 years, 40-50% of routine jobs in the US will be replaced by artificial intelligence.” In other words, by the time today’s kindergartners graduate from high school, employers will care little about automatable competencies. As the founder of a fourteen-year-old company, I have …
VR and Education in 2019
2019 has been a big year for VR so far – with the announcement of the Oculus Rift S and the Vive Cosmos, the titans of VR continue to duke it out for supremacy across a landscape of varying resolutions, cords (or not), and tracking styles. That being said, I know what you’re thinking – …
Speed Sketch! A Farewell to Natasha
They say all good things must come to an end – and it seems Game Artist Natasha Soglin’s tenure at Filament is no exception to that rule. After 7 incredible years, 16 amazing speed sketches, and countless cherished memories, Natasha has transitioned out of her position at Filament and onto her next role at fellow …
Sea of Thieves and Real Emergent Gameplay
Hey. Have you tried Sea of Thieves? It came out last year, it’s been up and down on Twitch, and I think is a pretty great game. It has some very bold and interesting design ideas that I think have relevance to our work here at Filament. First off, what is Sea of Thieves? Well, it’s a …
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 …
