narrative — 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.

Matrix Games, Argumentation, FacilitationDave EngJuly 26, 2026matrix games, argumentation, facilitation, narrative, critical thinking, simulation, pedagogyComment

Episode 118 What is the Game State?

On today’s episode, we’ll answer the question: What is the Game State? Determining the “game state” is often one of the questions that designers and developers will ask themselves when determining how to take a design or iterate on the development of a game. The game’s state is important to understand from a design perspective. But what role does understanding the “game state” play for educators, instructors, and trainers using games-based learning?

game stateDave EngAugust 11, 2024game state, game mechanics, player experience, learning outcomes, storytelling, narrative, gamemasters, NPCsComment