Educational apps have revolutionized learning by making it more personalized, engaging, and accessible. Unlike traditional methods, these digital tools use AI to tailor lessons to each learner’s strengths and weaknesses, while gamification keeps students motivated through rewards and challenges.
Read MoreGame design criticism remains largely subjective, often tied to nostalgia and comparisons with past classics. The author argues that effective design analysis requires understanding developer intent, genre philosophy, and player engagement rather than labeling games as simply good or bad.
Read MoreAbilitie’s Director Challenge, launched on September 3, 2025, is a simulation-based development program for senior leaders that focuses on coaching and empowering team managers. Participants navigate real-world leadership challenges—balancing performance, culture, and strategic decision-making—through interactive, cohort-based gameplay.
Read MoreTraditional cybersecurity training often fails to engage employees, leading to poor retention and weak security awareness. Anna Collard of KnowBe4 Africa argues that gamification transforms this by making learning interactive and emotionally engaging.
Read MoreIn 2026, smartphones rival consoles are costly to maintain. Gaming accelerates wear, driving repair costs up to half a device’s value. While repairs can restore performance, aging hardware and hidden replacement costs complicate decisions. Choosing between repair and replacement depends on usage, performance needs, sustainability, and long-term value considerations.
Read MoreGamification—the use of game elements like points, leaderboards, and interactivity—is transforming medical education by increasing engagement, motivation, and knowledge retention. Traditional, lecture-based learning often fails to meet modern healthcare demands, but gamified approaches using tools such as AR, VR, and quizzes make education experiential and personalized.
Read MoreIn Taylorsville, Utah, the nonprofit Waterford offers Upstart, a free, state-funded online reading program that helps 4-year-olds build early literacy skills through gamified lessons featuring Rosie and Rusty Raccoon. Parents like Brooke Hussey praise it for making learning fun and engaging while supporting readiness for kindergarten.
Read MoreFinland-based School of Gaming (SOG) has grown from three to nine staff in 2025, offering online after-school activities, clubs, and camps for children aged 7–18 using Minecraft and other games to promote learning. As a Microsoft-certified Minecraft Education Edition partner, SOG emphasizes game-based learning to develop personal and social skills while fostering positive gaming culture.
Read MoreArizona State University (ASU) has partnered with Aethir, a global leader in AI infrastructure, to advance the use of AI and blockchain in education through ASU’s Endless Games and Learning Lab. Aethir will provide up to $3 million in computing resources to support student-led projects and research beginning in 2025–26.
Read MoreRecent research suggests that traditional board games may help slow cognitive decline in dementia patients. A meta-analysis reviewing multiple studies found that mentally engaging games, such as chess, could benefit brain function, though results may vary depending on genetic and biological factors.
Read MoreIn spring 2025, Karolinska Institutet partnered with CAPTRS to introduce the AMR Knowledge Space Game into its biomedical communication course, marking its first use in education. Led by Dr. Giulia Gaudenzi and Dr. Matthew Kirkham, the pilot engaged Master’s students in exploring antimicrobial resistance (AMR) through collaborative, game-based learning.
Read MoreA rediscovered 10th-century Viking game piece carved from walrus tusk suggests that Viking elites took great pride in grooming. The small figurine, possibly depicting King Harald Bluetooth, shows a neatly braided goatee and waxed, upturned moustache—an unusually detailed portrayal of facial hair for the era.
Read MoreA Canadian study published in Psychological Medicine found that school-age boys who spend more time playing video games show decreased academic motivation in reading, writing, and math. Tracking 1,631 children from ages 7 to 10, researchers observed that each additional hour of gaming at age 7 predicted a 2% drop in motivation by age 8, a trend not seen in girls.
Read MoreTCB Games, a beloved game store in Huntington, Indiana, has operated for nearly 30 years out of a historic Carnegie Library, recognized by its green dragon head, "Charlie." Owner Todd Nightenhelser has built the store into a hub for geek culture, hosting events like Dungeons & Dragons campaigns and Magic: The Gathering nights.
Read MoreCode Ninjas, a new learning center at 513 1st Ave. West in Seattle, teaches children ages 5–14 coding and problem-solving through video game creation. Owned by Atul Goyal and his daughters Kaia and Kyra, the Queen Anne location aims to make STEM fun and accessible.
Read MoreGamification uses game-like rewards, points, and goals to keep people engaged with everyday apps in fitness, finance, and shopping. While it appears fun and motivating, it subtly shapes user behavior through psychological triggers like reward anticipation, loss aversion, and FOMO.
Read MoreTeachers can enhance literacy by treating narrative video games as texts, much like books. Just as students interpret books with compliant, negotiated, or oppositional readings, games can spark similar critical thinking and emotional engagement.
Read MoreThis article explores solo journaling games through the lenses of environmental humanities, queer studies, and game studies. By analyzing The Crushing Dark and Dwelling, the author highlights how these games engage with themes of precarity, porosity, and subjecthood.
Read MoreIncorporating video games into K-12 classrooms can boost student engagement and foster learner-centered environments, says William Watson of Purdue University. With 85% of U.S. teens playing video games—many daily—Watson argues that leveraging this familiarity can enhance learning.
Read MoreThe PAX East 2026 panel explored how collaborative games function as powerful tools for learning, empathy, and social change. Panelists shared real-world applications across education, counseling, and community spaces, emphasizing teamwork, reflection, and perspective-shifting experiences.
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