Education in Games Summit

Engaging with game designers and educators at the Education in Games Summit, highlighted the importance of learning through play. Creating meaningful and relevant play provides opportunities to enhance meaning and guide participants from what is known to what is unknown. Participating in online group games can expand social networks and dissolve barriers between individuals and groups. Games such as Autcraft (Minecraft Server for children with Autism and their families) provide opportunities for players to investigate new concepts or to try and fail and try again which can lead to the development of interpersonal communication, social and cultural networks and skills.

At the Summit, educators were exposed to various free online game design programs such as Gamefroot (a versatile version of Scratch for game design) which supports educators in promoting education through game play and design. A demonstration of the Biodash showed how tech and games, can be used to boost wellbeing. Students use the “Muse” a device which uses EEG tech to monitor brainwaves whilst playing the “Walk the Walk” game and relays current state of focus in real time. Whilst playing the game, students also use the “Pip” to help teach them how to manage stress better. “Pip” technology measures sweat conductivity to share state of relaxation in real-time. Wellbeing is a skill to learn and practice, with the help of “Muse” and “Pip” technology students can play games such Walk the Walk by Harmonious games to train future habits of wellbeing such as breathing, mental imagery and emotion regulation.