Mental Roadblocks: How Your Brain Can Keep You from Making Wise Financial Decisions
Summary:
We'll explore ways that retailers can overcome Five Roadblocks in their businesses: Anchoring, Inertia, Present Bias, Loss Aversion, and Blind Spots to help them make more money, and keep more money!
Description:
We'll explore ways that retailers can make more money, and keep more money!
Learn to overcome some common geek themes: The Curse of Knowledge; Too Smart for my Own Good; Too Clever by Half.
However, many of us have not been able to transform those lessons of overcoming mental roadblocks in our personal lives, ESPECIALLY when it comes to personal finances. Everyone deserves the opportunity to build a secure and comfortable financial future. However, it turns out that its actually a pretty tough thing to do. It seems our mind keeps getting in the way.
But what if you better understood these mental roadblocks? What would you be able to do with this new knowledge? More to the present, where would you even begin? As our Saturday morning cartoon hero says, Knowing is half the battle.
My Experience Publishing Games As An Independent Designer
Summary:
An independent game designer is responsible for design, development, & management of all design & business aspects - conception to completion. Learn what to look out for from someone who has lived it.
Description:
An independent game designer means you are responsible for design, development, and management of all game design & business aspects of the process, from conception to completion. To make my dreams come true, Ive had to hold myself accountable to many tasks, even those that Ive found more undesirable: rapid prototyping, playtesting, arranging crowd-funding campaigns, supervising artists, producing card and packaging design, submissions to game contests, manufacturing contracts, distribution agreements, and hosting events at various conventions. Ill be sharing my journey to hopefully encourage you to continue down yours!
** GAME DESIGN ACADEMY ONLY EVENT / NOT INTENDED FOR GENERAL TRADE DAY AUDIENCE **
Elizabeth Hargrave relates how she goes about translating cool things in nature into the form of a game - then practice brainstorming your own ideas for nature-based games from prompts she provides.
Description:
Join 2025 Guest of Honor Elizabeth Hargrave for this informative and nature filled conversation. This event will also include a Q&A session.
Networking: Using Outside Professionals To Expand Your Reach
Summary:
Learn how to connect your clients to professional services they may need, build a real feeling of community, and market your store through joint sponsored events.
Description:
Gamers run into three main issues, impacting Game Store Owners (GSOs): Not enough money to buy games they want? Not enough time to play the games they have? Too worried about work/budget/cash flow to enjoy the games they do play.
Libraries and educators also want to increase traffic, and connect more with their community.
With the "Rise of Geekdom", many gamers are career-minded individuals that want to slay the occasional dragon. There are people in your community who want to meet these people, help them reach their goals, and share the same interests.
Jeff Riegle is an independent financial adviser, backed by Waddell & Reed. As avid gamer, Jeff wants to help GSOs, Libraries, and Educators learn how to reach out, qualify, and harness these community members and their services.
Periodic: A Game Of The Elements - Adapted For Use In The High School Classroom
Summary:
We created and tested a variation of Periodic that can be used during a 45 minute class to teach periodic trends and the law of conservation of energy.
Description:
Players must strategically navigate the periodic table game board to "research" elements and complete Goal Cards. There is a fixed number of Energy Tokens available to all players, so deciding when to spend Energy Tokens and when to gain Energy Tokens is an important part of moving across the board. The game ends when one stack of Goal Cards is depleted.
Photography For Promotion: Capturing The Best Shots For Social Media, Press, & Products
Summary:
Learn easy, budget-friendly photography tips for stores, libraries, and event hosts. Improve your social media, press, and product photos without expensive equipment.
Description:
Great photos make a lasting impression! In this session, learn the fundamentals of photography to enhance your social media presence, press releases, and product listingsno expensive gear required. Well cover how to make events look vibrant and well-attended (even with a small crowd), highlighting your community, and taking engaging product photos. We'll also cover simple, budget-friendly tools that will level up your photos. Plus, get strategies for building a media library with high-quality photos you can use again and again.
Over 25% of the US population has some kind of disability, so why arent we providing everyone a good experience? Learn simple techniques to make your next game, play-room or con accessible for all!
Description:
More than 70 million people in the US have some form of disability. Doing the right thing aside, that is a huge population to tap into for your sites play room, your next hot game design, or for the Con you are planning.
Increasing accessibility doesnt have to be hard, but it needs to start at the beginning. Join us for a discussion of the Double-Empathy Problem, common forms of disability, increasing access for multi-generational play, and ways to help accommodate neurodiverse players. In the process, well learn Universal Design principles and how they can be used to create equitable experiences for everyone.
Jesse Anderson has been designing accessible rooms and user interfaces for more than 30 years and will introduce tools that you can start using right away, provide links to helpful resources, and even lead the group in a bit of role play.
Playing God: How to Create a World for Classrooms Using a Muli-disciplinary Approach
Summary:
Educator,Todd Allen Fischer and Amy Edwards, licensed Therapist show you how to build a world, spanning multiple disciplines, as well as how to fill it with characters, governments, philosophies...
Description:
Todd Allen Fischer, an educator certified in 8 subject areas, a muli-award-winning actor/director, and writer who freelanced at places such as Screen Rant will show you how to build a fantasy world for your students to explore that span the disciplines of many subject areas, while Amy Edwards, licensed therapist, business owner, board member of local organization, and self-described "nerd mom," will provide commentary on psychological archetypes and character analysis of scenarios that may fill your worlds that can be used to teach multiple subjects.
Playing With Our Ancestors: Ancient Games For Modern Learners
Summary:
We will play and learn how to embed the games of Awale/Mancala, 12 Man Morris, and Tablut into lessons in mathematics, history, and cross-cultural communication to enhance student engagement.
Description:
Based on our experiences hosting Ancient Gaming workshops for international graduate students, this event will provide participants with a window into the educational and linguistic benefits of embedding ancient gaming into classroom experiences. The games Awale, 12 Man Morris, and Tablut, among others, will be introduced for their cultural and historical significance. Event participants will explore these lesser-known ancient games by playing them in this hands-on workshop. We will also discuss valuable educational tie-ins that these games afford such as insights into mathematics, history, and cross-cultural communication. Participants will receive resources to create and implement these games and others in their own classroom.
This session will show how by creating a Pokémon Club at their school, library, or community center, they can provide children and youth with the tools to learn and play Pokémon.
Description:
Explore how Pokémon Clubs in schools and libraries support student learning through the Pokémon Trading Card Game. These clubs promote strategic thinking, literacy, and math skills in a collaborative, inclusive environment. Discover the educational value behind the fun and how these programs enrich your learning community.