I’ve had the pleasure of working with Filament on a variety of educational games and tools as the Director of Content for iCivics. Their attention to mission and commitment to creating top-shelf learning experiences has resulted in an extremely productive client/developer relationship, publishing over 20 titles since 2009. As a client, I am treated as a core part of the development process. The team at Filament Games listen, advise, and create solutions based on the needs of my organization, and goals of the product at hand.
CARRIE RAY-HILL, DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL LEARNING – ICIVICS
Research supports the effectiveness of game-based learning. Per the Stanford Research Institute’s Digital Games, Design and Learning: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (2014), across 57 studies that compared teaching with a game to using other instructional tools, incorporating a game was found to be more effective (SD .33). Using a game not only improved cognitive learning outcomes, but also intrapersonal and interpersonal outcomes.
For 14 years, Filament Games has been helping researchers in nonprofits and universities explore the relationship between learning and play, building experiences that successfully create and communicate vital research outcomes. Take a look for yourself:
Made in partnership with Columbia University, Beats Empire is a turn-based computational thinking game where the player runs a small music studio and record label in a fictional city, reminiscent of New York. The player analyzes market data about the musical preferences of the citizens in the boroughs of the city, using data analysis and visualization to bring cash into the studio, attract new followers, and dominate the charts.
Founded by Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, iCivics.org is a nationally-recognized collection of free-to-play civics learning games with more than 7 million student users and more than 82 million lifetime plays. iCivics learning game content has been proven effective in seven separate academic studies.
Developed by Filament Games, Scholastic W.O.R.D. is a comprehensive reading and vocabulary program for early learners in K-5. W.O.R.D. is grounded in the research of Dr. Elfrieda Hiebert, who discovered and cataloged the 2,500 high-utility word families that make up 90% of all texts. Through games and written passages, students independently progress within a game-based, guided program in which they receive repeated exposure to those high-utility words and their meanings in multiple contexts.
Based on current American Heart Association Guidelines for chest compression and rhythm, Saving Lives! helps medical students practice their foundational CPR and basic life support skillsets by administering CPR to a patient in a simulated emergency scenario. Saving Lives! was made in partnership with Adtalem Global Education and won the 2018 Serious Play Gold Medal.