A new database of Michigan-based videogame and extended reality (XR) developers is helping to highlight and organize the state’s rapidly growing scene. Built and maintained by CSE lecturer Austin Yarger, the Michigan Game Studios database collects data on over 65 active videogame and XR development studios in the state. He hopes it can be of use to the many audiences… Read More »
UM-Flint recently announced plans to introduce an esports team to campus in Fall 2020. Esports are organized, multiplayer video game competitions played by teams or individuals. Games can be played locally or against players around the globe. “We are always seeking ways in which UM-Flint can be responsive to what prospective students are looking for in a campus,” said Kristi… Read More »
Blocks, books and bikes used to be the staples of childhood. But as more kids grow up with a seemingly endless menu of virtual activities offered through digital media, child development experts worry about the wane of traditional playtime. Jenny Radesky, a pediatrician at U-M’s C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, who is addressing the topic at the national American Academy of Pediatrics meeting in… Read More »
The third annual Gameful Learning Summer Institute will be held from Monday, July 16 to Wednesday, July 17, 2019 at the Ross School of Business. It is intended for anyone interested in a method of teaching that supports student ownership of learning.
It’s that time of year again! We are slowing down for the end of term, and gearing up (geeking up?) for the winter break. It’s always a good plan to have some extra activities available for those days where so many people are stuck at home. Following on the heels of last year’s tech comics & coloring books,… Read More »
On July 23 and 24, the second Gameful Summer Institute is hosting an event intended for higher education faculty, K-12 teachers, instructional designers, and education technology administrators who will learn how to encourage student ownership of learning. “Anyone who watches someone play video games or board games or compete in athletic competitions knows that games are great at… Read More »
More than 1,500 gamers from all over the world participated in person and online in a momentous weekend fundraising event held at the EMU Convocation Center in April. Their purpose: raise money to provide entertainment devices for kids at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, and other hospitalized children across the United States. The event was hosted by Gamers for… Read More »
Sean Croskey, Luke Pacheco, Aristotelis Papaioannou, and Dominic Retli, seniors at UM-Dearborn, developed a Nintendo-esque video game, with direction from UM-Ann Arbor emerging technologies librarian Patricia Anderson, that helps kids with disabilities better detect online predators. The goal of the game is to find a missing prince or princess by interacting with other characters, making decisions through the… Read More »
Registration is open for the second annual Gameful Learning Summer Institute (GLSI) to be held Monday, July 23, 2018 and Tuesday, July 24, 2018 at Palmer Commons. Sponsored by the Office of Academic Innovation, GLSI brings together faculty, teachers, instructional designers, administrators, staff, and students to explore gameful learning ideas through a series of speakers, lightning talks and workshops.… Read More »
We’re turning the Computer Showcase into an arcade! Join us at the Michigan Union for a very special, after-hours event: Press Play | Game Night Friday, March 23, 2018 No cost and no advance registration required. Just drop by and play! Super Smash Bros Melee 6–10 p.m. Our friends at Arbor eSports are hosting a BYOC Smash tournament with pro and amateur… Read More »
The Cool Toys Conversations group is hosting a conversation with U-M Dearborn Professor Bruce Maxim on Gaming, Education, and the G.A.M.E. (Games and Multimedia Environments) Laboratory. This event will occur online through BlueJeans on February 27, from 12 noon to 1 p.m. Eastern Time. Please be sure to have installed in advance the BlueJeans plugin (for desktop participation)… Read More »
Last July, the Gameful Learning Summer Institute (GLSI) brought faculty, teachers, instructional designers, administrators, staff, and students together from around the world to learn about gameful ideas and how to design a course from a gameful perspective. Based on positive feedback from attendees and adoption of gameful ideas, the Office of Academic Innovation’s Gameful Learning Lab will host… Read More »
At first glance, the Michigan Medicine Inpatient Rehabilitation Computer Therapy Lab might appear to be all fun and games. That’s the intent. Many of the rehabilitation programs developed in the lab are based on gaming technologies — and designed to get patients active and engaged. Such patients include those recovering from strokes as well as spinal cord and head injuries.… Read More »
Used in conjunction with books and lectures, sophisticated educational games designed for college classrooms can offer active learning that some instructors say is hard to replicate in a traditional classroom. Still, not every professor who believes well-designed games are valuable in education uses video games in courses. Barry Fishman, a professor in the School of Information and the School… Read More »
Barry Fishman, known for his gameful learning approach to teaching, has been named Michigan Distinguished Professor of the Year by the Michigan Association of State Universities. Fishman, an Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Learning Technologies, teaches in both the School of Information and the School of Education, and is director of the Undergraduate Bachelor of Science in Information Program.… Read More »
Joanna Millunchick, professor of materials science and engineering, is working to change the way people visualize crystal structures. In the video below, Millunchick and her development partner, Duncan Abbot, CEO of Gwydion Inc., explain how an app that centers on virtual and augmented reality, technology more frequently used for video games, can create a new affordable platform that… Read More »
U-M collects video games. Lots of them. The university’s Computer and Video Game Archive features more than 7,000 titles—everything from time-honored favorites such as “Pac-Man” and “Frogger” to newer fare, including “Call of Duty” and “Halo”—on dozens of gaming systems. Now in its 10th year, the CVGA collects video games in the same way that other archives pursue books,… Read More »
Computer gaming is now a regular part of life for many people. Beyond just being entertaining, though, it can be a very useful tool in education and in science. If people spent just a fraction of their play time solving real-life scientific puzzles—by playing science-based computer games—what new knowledge might we uncover? Professor James Bardwell and Scott Horowitz,… Read More »