Make learning an epic quest! Explore how game-inspired strategies can boost engagement, motivation, and focusno dice rolls or fancy gear required.
Description:
Ready to boost student engagement and XP? In this session, well explore how to transform your classroom into a high-interest, low-stress adventure using gamification. Whether youre a classroom mage, rogue educator, or just rolling for initiative, youll learn how to embed game mechanics like quests, leveling, and boss battles into your teachingno fancy tech or critical hits required.
Walk away with practical tools to increase motivation, support classroom management, and make learning feel like the main quest. If youve ever wished your students were as excited about biology (or grammar, or math ) as they are about video games, this session is your next power-up.
Learn how to build engaging all-ages programming for your library. Gain practical advice on how to choose the best games for your collection and how to circulate games both in-house and with patrons.
Description:
Explore all the interesting side quests that tabletop gaming can take in the library from teen internships to creating a reference gaming website to building community partnerships. We will offer effective strategies and examples of board game facilitation best practices. The audience will learn how to create a professional development cohort through gaming. We will also explore selling the idea to library management and collection development strategies for all ages, including practical tips. Designed for librarians just getting started with games at their libraries.
Get Materials To Start & Grow Your School/Library TTRPG Program
Summary:
Books, Dice, and more are available at no cost to public schools and libraries through our program. Let's Quest is a 501c3 dedicated to supporting public school and library TTRPG programs.
Good iterative development requires remaining both focused & agile. We will discuss & workshop a framework for creating effective goals that act less like an end point & more like guiding pillars.
Description:
Good iterative development requires remaining both focused and agile and is benefitted by getting out one's head and into the design as rapidly as possible. In this there is still a vital place for discussions of, and documentation of, goals. Here we will discuss and workshop a framework for creating effective goals that act less like an end point and more like guiding pillars that define what is important in the project and the direction one should head to get there. We will also discuss how to integrate that into focused, agile development, and will practice what we teach by work-shopping core concepts.
** GAME DESIGN ACADEMY ONLY EVENT / NOT INTENDED FOR GENERAL TRADE DAY AUDIENCE **
In this play test you get to be the endocrine system releasing hormones to keep Bill, a guy who wont make it easy, alive. This game teaches about the role of the endocrine system in homeostasis.
Description:
This playtest will introduce Homeostasis: The Game, a game for teaching about the complex interaction between hormones and homeostasis. At its core, Homeostasis is all about trying to keep Bill, a guy that does stupid things, alive. You play the endocrine system releasing hormones to prevent Bill from throwing his homeostatic variables pH, blood glucose, and blood pressure too far out of homeostatic balance. Or, at least, before Bill does the next crazy thing. Through previous playtests we have found that students exhibited increases in their understanding of homeostasis and students were able to correctly indicate more information about specific hormones. Thus, through using a game that fits easily within a lab or lecture period, we have created an active learning experience which effectively increases student understanding about homeostasis and is easy for instructors to implement.
Join SLPs exploring AAC & TTRPGs to support Autistic students with complex needs. Learn hands-on tools to create inclusive, engaging spaces where all voices can explore, grow, and thrive!
Description:
Speech is for a few, AAC (Augmentative Alternative & Communication) is for everyone. Join two Speech Pathologists who work with Autistic Children who have complex communication needs as we explore strategies and opportunities to engage students in a safe and inclusive environment. Collaborate with us as we explore TTRPGs and how they can be used to provide inclusive spaces for students to have the freedom to explore and cultivate new skills. In this presentation we will discuss with you ideas and materials to create and implement your own inclusive TTRPG experience for individuals with complex communication needs. We invite you to join us for a fun hands-on learning experience to rediscover your own paracosms to better engage with your students.
Failure sucks. We'll discuss how to interact with failure positively through real world examples in gaming. Well also discuss the psychology of why we fear failure, how to fail forward, and more.
Description:
Failure sucks... or at least we think it does. But we learn more from it - both our own and others' - than from success. In this workshop, we'll talk about how to interact with failure positively (productive failure) and explore real world examples in gaming. We will also talk about the psychology of why we fear failure, how to fail forward, how to give and receive constructive feedback, and more. By the end, you'll have a new appreciation for failure and will have the tools to convert it to a steppingstone to your success!
How To Build Worlds For Games: Some Considerations & Pitfalls
Summary:
We'll explore how to build game worlds, looking at examples from both tabletop and video gaming.
Description:
We'll talk about how to use game mechanics to evoke the themes, moods, or genres of your world; how to foster player engagement with the world's lore; and how to avoid the pitfalls of appropriation and infringement.
** GAME DESIGN ACADEMY ONLY EVENT / NOT INTENDED FOR GENERAL TRADE DAY AUDIENCE **
Learn about professional game development w/a focus on how to highlight the themes of an IP. Learn a better understanding of development; feel empowered to use that knowledge in your work & pitches.
Description:
The session would consist of a presentation about professional game development with a focus on how to highlight the themes of an IP and a hands on portion where students would pair games with new IP and what development goals they would have to make their chosen IP shine through their chosen game. The goal, Goal is to leave with to have a better understanding of professional development and feel empowered to use that knowledge in your own work and pitches.
** GAME DESIGN ACADEMY ONLY EVENT / NOT INTENDED FOR GENERAL TRADE DAY AUDIENCE **
Retailers learn about our upcoming games and how you can take advantage of our offers and programs in your hobby store.
Description:
Join Director of Sales, Sara Erickson for tips selling games like Parks, Campy Creatures, Harvest, and more. With over 18 years of experience as a store owner, Sara will also chat about general board game sales strategies.