You CAN make a board game prototype from scratch in less than an hour, for fun or educational purposes.
Description:
Middle school game design instructor Aaron Vanek brings his hands-on workshop from WonderCon and San Diego Comic-Con to Gen Con.
** GAME DESIGN ACADEMY ONLY EVENT / NOT INTENDED FOR GENERAL TRADE DAY AUDIENCE **
Board Gaming, Trains & A Free Game! Social Studies Curriculum For Middle & High School
Summary:
Utilizing the Mensa Award-winning game, The Last Spike, this NCSS-aligned curriculum explores the Transcontinental Railroad's impact. Receive a free curriculum guide, game, and valuable resources!
Description:
Utilizing the board game, The Last Spike, primary source materials, and short readings, this 5 days curriculum assists students in identifying the impact of the Transcontinental Railroads construction on migration, immigration, and commerce. This lesson plan meets 7 National Council for Social Studies (N.C.S.S.) standards. It is easily accessible and utilizes geography, history, strategy, economics, critical thinking, and fun gameplay. Attendees will receive a free copy of the curriculum guide with Student Handouts, Primary Source Documents, Post Assessment Questions, and Essay options. All attendees will receive one free copy of the game.
We will go over Neuropsychology related literature that surrounds tabletop games. Attendees will learn about the impact of board games on cognition and applications to settings across the lifespan.
Brain Games: Dementia & Using Games To Sharpen Your Mind
Summary:
Learn how games can help older adults ward off memory loss, connect family with loved ones with dementia, and offer activities for caregivers to do with aging adults or those with dementia.
Description:
Memory games, brain games, and puzzles can help older adults keep their minds sharp and ward of dementia. But what about those who are already exhibiting signs? These games can also help with memory recall, cognitive function, and low stakes entertainment. Learn how to help caregivers or loved ones taking care of family find games and activities for our aging population.
Join the Brotherwise Games team to learn more about our Featured Retailer program and a brand new direct-to-retailer sales initiative with Gen Con Exclusive news and deals!
This interactive presentation gives you the tools to build your own escape room for library patrons or students. Let's escape the world of mundane programming together.
Description:
Lead by a teen librarian and former museum programs coordinator, this session will guide you through how to build your puzzles, where to get your supplies, and how to align an escape room with classroom standards. Be ready to solve a few puzzles yourself!
We will discuss how to build a strong games community or how to enhance the one you already have. How to attract new players to your venue, be it a retail location, after school program, or library.
Description:
Additionally, we will discuss how to create, advertise for, and host an event for your players. And, as always, we will discuss how to approach difficult players that are causing issues at your venue.
This presentation will survey the history of these opponents since the 1960s, and how clever design has enabled increasingly robust AI's that are capable of challenging and surprising human players.
Description:
Cooperative games, where all players work together as a team, and solo games have become increasingly popular in the board game community. Many of these require the players to defeat rules-based opponents. Implementing Artificial Intelligence for these opponents is a particular challenge in tabletop games, as players need to execute the steps to determine what moves will be made. The limitations of complexity, component count, and player engagement create serious restrictions on the design of these automatons.
** GAME DESIGN ACADEMY ONLY EVENT / NOT INTENDED FOR GENERAL TRADE DAY AUDIENCE **
Class Economy Game: Empower Students & Battle BurnOut With This Passive Game
Summary:
Learn how to run a passive classroom economy game to manage behavior, empower students, and decrease the symptoms of teacher burnout. Q+A and all materials to start playing this fall provided.
Description:
Want an exciting passive year-round game that you teach once and then decreases the # of non-teaching tasks on your plate, empowers your students to take ownership of their learning environment, and teaches money management and job readiness skills? Of course you do, so come to this event and learn how to create a version of a class economy differentiated for your classes' needs, based on the one I've been running now for 4 years. I'll show you how to use the free classbank virtual tool and provide all the materials you need to start playing in the fall, including a PowerPoint presentation, job application format, and more. Let's face it, a lot has changed in teaching, but the enjoyment of games and students desire for control and confidence has not. This game capitalizes on what works to create collaborative, responsible, and FUN working environments with the help of our students.
Collaborate & Educate: Using Cooperative Board Games In Learning Spaces
Summary:
Explore how cooperative board games foster teamwork, critical thinking, and engagement in learning spaces. Discover strategies, game recommendations, and practical ways to integrate into education
Description:
Cooperative board games offer a powerful way to foster teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills in educational settings.
In this hands-on workshop, participants will explore the benefits of using cooperative board games in classrooms, libraries, and other learning spaces. Attendees will experience gameplay demonstrations, analyze different game mechanics, and discover strategies for adapting games to fit specific learning objectives.