Experience Points Podcast

Today we're diving into something that sits at the intersection of education, game design, and critical thinking: matrix games. If you've ever wished there was a way to teach complex topics - military strategy, geopolitics, organizational behavior, or crisis response - without expensive simulations or thick stacks of rulebooks, you're going to want to stick around and learn more about Matrix Games. That’s because they are deceptively simple, surprisingly powerful, and arguably one of the most flexible tools in the applied learning toolkit. Now, let's get into it.

Episode 168 Gijs van Bilsen on Live Action Learning and LARPs

This episode of Experience Points features Gijs van Bilsen, founder of the Live Action Learning Institute, who shares how live-action role-playing (LARP) can transform imagination into a powerful tool for personal and professional growth. Gijs explains how stepping into fictional but recognizable scenarios allows people to safely practice skills like leadership, spontaneity, and confidence.

Episode 167 AP Table Talk: Tug of War

AP Table Talk, Game Mechanic, Tug-of-War, Zero-sumDave EngJune 28, 2026ap table talk, game mechanic, tug-of-war, zero-sum, duel, tension, track, adversarialComment

Episode 166 What are Military Simulations?

Military simulations share many of the same goals as applied games - especially for teaching, training, and development. They recreate systems, decisions, and consequences in a structured format so individuals can learn from them.

Military simulations, Wargaming, StrategyDave EngJune 14, 2026military simulations, wargaming, strategy, training, tactics, fidelity, technologyComment

Episode 165 Escape Rooms for Learning

You know that feeling when the clock is ticking, and you’re scrambling to solve a puzzle before time runs out? Maybe you're searching for a hidden key under a rug, decoding a cipher on a whiteboard, or yelling, “Hey! Try this combination!” as your team races to escape a locked room?

Episode 164 Victoria Ichizli-Bartels on Be Your Best Game Master

This episode of Experience Points features self-gamification pioneer Victoria Ichizli-Bartels, who reveals how treating everyday life as a game can spark joy, reduce stress, and boost productivity. Victoria shares how combining role-playing, kaizen, and playful design helps people navigate challenges with curiosity and self-compassion.

Self-Gamification, Playfulness, ProductivityDave EngMay 17, 2026self-gamification, playfulness, agency, productivity, reflectionComment

Episode 163 Raul Mora on Understanding Second Language Users as Gamers

Gamers, Language, Raúl Alberto MoraDave EngMay 3, 2026gamers, language, literacy, identity, community, mentorship, Raúl Alberto MoraComment

Episode 162 Jon Spike on Games as Creative Constraint

In this episode of Experience Points, Jon Spike explores how creative constraint drives innovation in game design and learning. A former K–12 English teacher now working at University of Wisconsin–Whitewater, Jon shares how classroom experimentation led him to design tabletop educational games through GamestormEDU. He highlights Gamestormers, which uses a five-card structure to scaffold storytelling while preserving player agency, and Doomscroll, where players step into the role of social media algorithms to unpack persuasive design. Jon emphasizes that educational games must first succeed as enjoyable experiences. Through thoughtful playtesting and adaptable design, he argues that strong constraints don’t limit creativity—they focus and elevate it.

Constraint, Agency, Playtesting, Jon SpikeDave EngApril 19, 2026constraint, storytelling, scaffolding, agency, iteration, playtestingComment

Episode 161 AP Table Talk: Race

In this episode of AP Table Talk, Brian and Dave dig into the race mechanic, where players compete toward a shared finish line and the first to cross it ends the game. From childhood staples like Chutes and Ladders and Candy Land to modern classics like Catan, Splendor, Heat: Pedal to the Metal, and Cosmoctopus, they unpack how race structures create tension, pacing, and dramatic finishes. Along the way, they explore design tradeoffs around luck, runaway leaders, player interaction, and why some games feel like races without truly using the mechanic at all.

AP Table Talk, Game Mechanic, Race, TensionDave EngApril 5, 2026ap table talk, game mechanic, race, tensionComment

Episode 160 Katrin Becker on Learning through Playful Experiences

In this episode of Experience Points, serious games expert Katrin Becker explores why “good enough” may be more powerful than perfection in gamified learning. She argues that focusing on defined criteria rather than comparison increases student agency and supports a wider range of learners; not just top performers.

Gamification, Agency, Trust, Katrin BeckerDave EngMarch 22, 2026gamification, agency, trust, safety, reflection, transgressionComment

Episode 159 Hostile Players

Today we’re diving into something that affects every gamer at some point: hostile players. You probably already know the type… Those people who turn a fun session into a cesspit of negativity. I’m talking about cynics, trolls, griefers... and the downright toxic folks who seem to thrive on ruining the vibe. But here’s the twist: these players aren’t just villains. They’re symptoms. Now, let’s talk about hostility in games. What does it look like? Where does it come from? And, how can designers (and communities) turn the tide against these hostile players?

Episode 158 Meghan Gardner on Gamification for Emotional Engagement

This episode of Experience Points features transformative design expert Meghan Gardner, who shares how gamification can create emotionally engaging, healing, and educational experiences. Meghan explains how structured play and role-playing; using techniques like “alibi” and safety signals—help learners explore tough topics while feeling safe and in control. She highlights the importance of session zero and post-game debriefs in turning gameplay into meaningful, lasting transformation. Meghan also unpacks how emotional engagement boosts memory and behavior change, sharing a moving example of a game that led young adults to initiate real-life end-of-life conversations with their families. Drawing on her work with the Smithsonian, Royal Caribbean, and Harvard, Meghan offers practical strategies for educators and designers looking to use games as tools for empathy, connection, and growth.

Transformative, Emotion, Role-play, Meghan GardnerDave EngFebruary 22, 2026transformative, gamification, emotion, debriefing, role-play, healingComment

Episode 157 Mary-Ellen Fimbel on Game Design Principles for Education

This episode of Experience Points features game designer and educator Mary-Ellen Fimbel, who shares how game design principles can transform classroom learning. She discusses “teaching like a game dev,” using storytelling, interactivity, and even puppets as playful avatars to deliver authentic feedback and spark curiosity. Mary-Ellen explains how honoring student questions, modeling inquiry, and scaffolding problem-solving builds confidence and creativity. She also explores project-based learning through student-created games and her classroom approach to metacognitive self-assessment. Educators, designers, and anyone interested in games-based learning will find practical strategies to make learning more engaging, dynamic, and meaningful.

Mary-Ellen Fimbel, Curiosity, Feedback, ScaffoldingDave EngFebruary 8, 2026mary-ellen fimbel, curiosity, feedback, scaffolding, interactivity, creativityComment

Episode 156 What are Role-Playing Games?

Today, we’re diving into one of the most fascinating - and frankly, most misunderstood - forms of interactive play: Role-Playing Games, or RPGs. So what are RPGs? Are they just about dice rolls and dragons? Are they all swords and stats? Or is there something deeper, and something profoundly human, about stepping into someone else’s shoes in a world that is not quite our own.

Episode 155 Amber Sewell on Games as Information Literacy

In this episode of Experience Points, Dave Eng talks with Amber Sewell, a Teaching and Learning Librarian at UNLV, about using games to teach information literacy. Amber shares how her classroom activity Authority Argle Bargle turns debates about academic majors into playful, critical discussions on credibility and source evaluation. She also reflects on how games and podcasting—like her own LibParlor Podcast—help make scholarship more accessible by blending pop culture, pedagogy, and real-world relevance.

Amber Sewell, Information Literacy, LibraryDave EngJanuary 11, 2026amber sewell, information literacy, library, games, authority, podcasting, educationComment

Episode 154 Victoria Banks on Dungeons, Dragons, and Discourse

In this episode of Experience Points, Dave Eng interviews Victoria Banks, a Clemson University PhD student and video game scriptwriter, on using Dungeons & Dragons–inspired course design to engage students. She explains how mechanics like levels, boss battles, and character creation boost motivation and agency, while linking game rhetoric to classroom design. Sharing stories of students tickling dragons or exploiting overpowered abilities, Victoria reflects on balancing play and structure. The episode shows how games transform classrooms into spaces of creativity, choice, and discovery.

Victoria Banks, Gamification, Pedagogy, RhetoricDave EngDecember 28, 2025victoria banks, gamification, pedagogy, rhetoric, ludology, agency, motivationComment

Episode 153 AP Table Talk: Variable Player Powers

In this episode of AP Table Talk, Brian and Dave explore Variable Player Powers, where players get unique abilities (or flaws!) that shape strategy and spark replayability. From the classic HeroQuest and Battlestar Galactica to asymmetric gems like Root, Sky Team, and Star Wars: Rebellion, they break down how this mechanic fuels dynamic gameplay, negotiation, and storytelling.

Episode 152 Richard Durham on Learning through Engaging Gameplay

In this episode of Experience Points, Dave Eng speaks with Richard Durham, a prolific game designer, creative director, and educator at Wondertree Studios. Richard shares insights from designing over 30 games across mediums—from street festivals and museum activations to tabletop and secret events—driven by curiosity and a focus on player experience. He explains his “quick, dirty, backwards” design approach, using laddering questions to uncover core values and align game goals with meaningful outcomes. They explore intentional incoherence, balancing fidelity and abstraction, and how purposeful design choices spark discussion and deeper engagement. Richard emphasizes debriefing as essential for transforming gameplay into lasting learning.

Richard Durham, Gameplay, Incoherence, PerspectiveDave EngNovember 30, 2025richard durham, gameplay, fidelity, values, debriefing, incoherence, perspectiveComment

Episode 151 Game Design Constraints and Scope Creep

Today, we’re diving into two little words that have the power to either catapult your project forward… or completely derail it. Those words? Constraints and scope creep. Maybe you’ve heard them thrown around in design meetings. Maybe you’ve bumped into them the hard way on your own projects. Either way, by the end of this episode, you’ll see why understanding these two forces—and learning to wield them wisely—is absolutely essential to your success as a designer.

Constraints, Scope CreepDave EngNovember 16, 2025game design, constraints, scope creep, mechanics, playtesting, minimalismComment

Episode 150 Designing the Core Dynamics

Today, we’re diving deep into a concept that sits right at the heart of game design: core dynamics. What makes a game engaging? Why do some games pull us in and keep us coming back? It’s not just the artwork or the theme. It's not even the mechanics alone.

core dynamicsDave EngNovember 2, 2025mechanics, dynamics, aesthetics, engagement, design, interaction, learningComment