Filament Games Blog

Bloom’s Taxonomy and 21st Century Skills

We draw on quite a few paradigms of thought when we develop games, and fortunately for us there is no shortage of taxonomies and frameworks to be found in the realm of education. Recently, during a casual discussion of educational frameworks (yes, we’re nerds) we decided it might be worth highlighting a few with regards to…

June 21, 2017 // Brandon Pittser

Filament Games | Educational Game Developer

FGP3-8: Audio Design in Games and VR

In today’s podcast, Brandon and Dan are joined by Filament’s Ethan Cayko for a discussion of practical audio techniques for game development. Tune in for a technical discussion of audio and the ways it can impact a player’s sense of space and immersion. We’ll also discuss the lusory attitude, what exactly is meant by “head-related…

June 20, 2017 // Brandon Pittser

Speed Sketch! Sennett Middle School

Earlier this year, Filament Games adopted Sennett Middle School, and it’s hard to believe it, but the first school year of our adoption is already over! We’ve already had a ton of amazing experiences with our friends at Sennett, and we can’t wait to see what the next school year brings. Until then, enjoy this…

June 19, 2017 // Brandon Pittser

Cheese, Beer, Packers, and Video Games: Wisconsin’s Thriving Game Dev Scene

UPDATE: The inaugural M+DEV conference has ended. Visit the official M+DEV website for the latest news about next year’s show! Did I just get you excited about a video game involving the cheese, beer, and the Packers? Sorry, I didn’t necessarily mean to do that. What I do want to get you excited about is that…

June 15, 2017 // Jennifer Javornik

Gamification Done Well

Hey friends! It’s been a long time since I’ve rapped at ya, but today I thought I’d revisit the wild, wild world of gamification. I mentioned in my previous blogoblag about gamification that it was a thing that isn’t hard to do badly. But I didn’t really get into much detail. Behold, gentle readers: this post…

June 14, 2017 // Dan Norton

FGP3-7: Making VR a Reality in the Classroom

In this episode, we’re joined by two incredible educator pioneers who are leading the way towards using VR for learning. Hear from Maria Galanis, Instructional Coach at Shepard Middle School and Andrea Trudeau, Library Information Specialist for Deerfield District 109, as they discuss their best practices for using VR in classrooms. Hot Topics in This…

June 13, 2017 // Brandon Pittser

Sid Meier’s Narrative Design: Part One

When discussing–or designing–storytelling in video games, we typically leverage the rhetoric of the storytelling mediums we’re already familiar with: notably, novels and films, a media reference point/anchor that Ian Bogost’s argued against in his provocatively titled and thoughtfully reasoned article, “Video Games are Better Without Stories.” It makes sense – in a way, treating video game…

June 12, 2017 // Matt Haselton

FGP3-6: Sun Prairie School District

Today our dear friends Nate Grundahl and Annie Larson from the Sun Prairie Area School District stop by and chat with Brandon and Dan about their game-based learning program. They share their experience in rolling out a game-based learning programs, and offer helpful tips on how to get teachers onboard. Hot Topics in This Week’s…

June 6, 2017 // Kat Shanahan

How Filament Games Conducts User Testing

An essential part of educational game development is user testing – something we treat very seriously and with a lot of importance. This is because conducting user testing throughout the development cycle is a critical, necessary process to obtain important feedback on the usability of the game, the effectiveness of the game as a learning…

June 1, 2017 // Jennifer Javornik

How Game-Based Learning Engages Struggling Students

In our game-based learning program overview, Sun Prairie Area School District educator Mary Headington shared the story of Susan, a student in her class who typically struggled with coursework. Susan was discouraged by her struggles with her coursework and consequently had a hard time believing she was smart. Mary often wrestled with the best way to help…

May 31, 2017 // Kat Shanahan

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