Resources
GAME DESIGN
Websites and Publications
Design Tools
Overview
Why People Play Games
- Gamification: use the F-word in your concepts! (Horst Streck)
- Gamification: what about fun? (Horst Streck)
- Gamification Player Types: The Time-Engagement Pyramid (Victor Manrique)
- Player Type Theory: Hearts, Clubs, Diamonds, Spades: Players Who Suite MUDS
- Player Type Theory: Uses and Abuses
- What happens when players stop consuming and starts investing in a single evergreen computer game for years on end? (Daniel Cook)
- Why people play games – Happiness, Motivation & Fun (Victor Manrique)
History of Games
Game Genres
Board Games
- The Cost of a Board Game: Money (Teale)
- The Cost of a Board Game: Time (Teale)
- Why Boardgames are a Great First Game (Sean Colombo)
Collectible Card Games
First Person Shooters
Platform Games
Puzzle Games
- Alternate Reality Game puzzle design (Adam Foster)
- The Four Stages of Puzzle Game Mastery (Ozzy Smith)
- The Path to Monochroma: Platformer Design Elements
Social Games/em>
- Who forgot the ‘role’ in Role-Playing Games? (Warren Spector)
- 7 of the Most Popular Game Genres on Facebook (Teddy Hunt)
Strategy Games
- Seven Deadly Sins of strategy game design (Soren Johnson)
- To Get This Train Rolling We’ll Have To Build Some Tracks (A Guide To Network Building)
Game Platforms and Peripherals
Mobile
- 5 Pillars of Successful Mobile Design
- iOS 7 and the continuing gamification of interface
- The tendencies of the mobile art on the example of top-grossing games (Olga Cherkashina}
Augmented and Virtual Reality
- What is VR, AR & XR? A guide to virtual, augmented and extended realities
- Augmented Reality Glasses in the Classroom: An Inside Look (Luisa Rollenhagen)
- The biggest challenges for VR game developers, straight from Oculus (Christian Nutt)
- The Dream and the Rift
- Modern Game UI with the Oculus Rift – Part 1 (Stoyan Nikolov)
Core Game Elements
Player Format (number, arrangement, and alignment of players)
Objectives (Goals)
Resources
Rules, Mechanics and Systems
- Game Design 116: Attack Matrixes (RPGChallenger)
- Game Mechanics Research: Why World of Warcraft is so Addicting (Yu-kai Chou)
- How Diablo III uses Game Mechanics to become Winning & Addicting (Yu-kai Chou)
- How FarmVille uses Game Mechanics to become Winning & Addicting (Yu-kai Chou)
Thematic Elements (setting, story, and characters)
- 7 Things Dungeons & Dragons Taught Me About Storytelling (Rob D. Young)
- 7 Deadly Sins of Worldbuilding (Charlie Jane Anders)
- 8 Steps To Great Digital Storytelling
- Game Design 117: Adventures
- Diverse Game Characters: Write Them Now!
- How Can David Mamet Help My Game?
- How interactive technology is transforming storytelling (Naomi Alderman)
- How to create Drama in Games: Suspense and Substance – The New Dramaturgy Pt. 3 (Ethan Hill)
- Non-Linear Story Lines (BrendanL.K)
- Respecting and Developing Your Game’s Characters (Lee Sheldon)
- The Story Arc Model: Combining Simulation and Story to Create Memorable Learning
- Storytelling’s Impact on Empathy (and the Architecture of the Brain)
- Video Games and Storytelling (video) (Daniel Floyd)
- Why the 4 C’s of Narrative are Essential to Your Team’s Success (Jeremy Stover)
Design Subdisciplines
Metagame Design
Level Design
Interface Design
- 3 Tips to Creating Clean Interfaces
- Gamification And UX: Where Users Win Or Lose (Peter Steen Høgenhaug)
Multiplayer Design
- Relatedness: The Often Ignored Glue of Gamification (Andrzej Marczewski)
- Research Shows Precisely Which Strategies Help Players Win Team-oriented Video Games
Economics System Design
Audio Design
Gameplay Analysis
General
Engagement
- The Engagement Loop: The Key is Feedback (David Evans)
- Keeping players engaged (Jordan Georgiev)
- Anti-Videogame Manifesto: Games As Disciplines (Keith Burgun)
Difficulty
- Flow, Player Journey and Employee Satisfaction (Andrzej Marczewski)
- Human error and games – Reducing, and taking advantage of, slips and lapses (Ben Lewis-Evans)
- Penny Arcade TV Season 6, Ep. 15 – When Difficult Is Fun
- Why You Keep Losing at Slot Machines (Tom Jacobs)
Balance
- Balancing your game with tuning reports (with downloadable template) (Ethan Levy)
- Decision Modeling and Optimization in Game Design, Part 4: Player-vs-Player Class Balancing (Paul Tozour)
- Decision Modeling and Optimization in Game Design, Part 5: Class Assignment (Paul Tozour)
- Practical Game Theory – Expected Values and Game Balance (Tyler Sigman)
Complexity
Depth
Pace
- Crossfire: Riding Your Luck until it Explodes: Pacing and Tension
- The Effect of Time on Decision Making (Andrzej Marczewski)
- Tick, Tick, BOOM!! – Catharsis and Pacing in Games: The New Dramaturgy Pt.2 (Even Hill)
Progression
Win Conditions
Replay Value
Age Appropriateness
Immersion
- Action in Context (Droqen)
- Beyond Gamification: Immersion Trumps Engagement (Steve Smith)
- Do we always have to strive for ‘realism’? (Damion Schubert)
Analysis of Individual Games
Design Flaws
Development Phases
Concept
Pitch
Game Design Document
Prototype
Interative Design
- Decision Modeling and Optimization in Game Design, Part 1: Introduction (Paul Tozour)
- Decision Modeling and Optimization in Game Design, Part 2: Tax Rate Example (Paul Tozour)
- General Tips on the Process of Solo Game Development (Macoy Madson)
- Variants: The Challenge of Changeable Design (Keith Burgan)
Play Testing
- The Five Basics of Being a Game Design Problem Solver (Scott Brodie)
- Completion vs. Perfection (Steve Pavalina)
- Designing An Awesome Video Game – An Essential Checklist (James Marsden)
Intellectual Property
- Discovery & User Acquisition Costs: Content Licensing To The Rescue?
- Ellen Page & Last of Us: What is Appropriation of Likeness and How Can Video Game Developers Can Avoid Legal Trouble? (Will Lewis)
- Gamifying Media: How Entertainment Brands are Redefining User Engagement (video) (Jon Radoff)
Games and Society
- Five Ways that Games are More than Just Fun (Chloe Varelidi)
- Gaming for Social Good, (Matthew Farber)
- A Journey To Make Video Games Into Art (Laura Parker)
- Playing With Life: Are Living Video Games Ethical?, (Marni Usheroff)
- Machine Gods: Religion in Games (Mark Filipowich)
- A history of (muted) violence: The present and future of Adults Only games, (Jeff Dunn)
- Opinion: Why Leisure Suit Larry should never have been remade (Leigh Alexander)
- Viewpoint: Girls Should Play More Video Games (Annie Murphy Paul)
BUSINESS OF GAMES
Indie Development
- A Brief Introduction to Project and Studio Financing Options for Indies (Jason Della Rocca)
- Don’t Give Up Your Day Job (Yet): The Cost of Going Indie (Casper Bodewitz )
- Going indie: Why 5 devs left their day jobs for creative independence (part one) (Giancarlo Valdes)
- Going indie: Why 5 devs left their day jobs for creative independence (part two) (Giancarlo Valdes)
- Indies: Why Make Contract Games? (Todd Lewis)
Marketing
Monetization and Analytics Design
- 9 tools to help you measure mobile analytics (Scott Gerber)
- 12 Critical Mobile Monetization Concepts (Part 1 of 3) (Joseph Kim)
- 29 Business Models for Games (Lightspeed Venture Partners)
- Big Data & Gamification: 7 great tips
- 7 mobile app monetization mistakes to avoid
- Coercive Pay-2-Play Techniques (Daniel Cook)
- Design rules for free-to-play games
- How to Measure the ROI of Gamification (Gal Rimon)
- Exploitative Game Design: Beyond the F2P Debate (E McNeill)
- How To Price your In-App Purchase Items – Real Life Examples, (Yaniv Nizan)
- Monetizing Children
- The Philosophy Of Game Development By The Numbers (Hassan Baig)
- A Practical Free-to-Play Game Economy Design (Raul Aliaga Diaz)
- Puzzle & Dragons & Monetization: How Great Game Design Drives GungHo’s Global Hit (Andrew Vestal)
- Q&A: What you need to know about user acquisition, according to Gree (Kris Graft)
- There’s good in you yet, F2P games, I can sense it!
- The Top F2P Monetization Tricks (Ramin Shokrizade)
- Top five tips for making money from free-to-play games (WIll Luton)
- Zynganomics: 4 Secrets of the Social Gaming Business Model (Gabe Zichermann)
CAREER ADVICE
Breaking in to the Industry
- Becoming a Designer – Part One
- Becoming a Designer – Part Two
- Can QA really can be a launch pad into the upper echelons of the games industry?
- Breaking into game design: Step 1 – find your mountain
- Breaking into game design: Part 2 – build your portfolio
- Breaking into game design: Part 3 – learn to sell yourself (Ethan Levy)
- Using Game Design to Further Your Education and Career
- Video Game Designer: A Complete Career Guide
- Video Game Developer: A Complete Career Guide
Interviewing
GAMIFICATION
Websites and Publications
- Best Gamification Books – Where to Start and Why (Victor Manrique)
- The #Gamification Daily
- Gamification Times
- Gamification Co
- The Maddys #Gamification Corner
Overviews
- Beyond Badges: Why Gamify?
- A Complete Guide to Gamification Design
- Games and your brain: how to use gamification to stop procrastinating (Kevan Lee)
- Gamification: what is it, why is it important? (Andrzej Marczewski)
- Gamification Design Framework: The SMA Model
- Gamification infographic: Did you know that 70% of Forbes’ Global 2000 have plans to use Gamification?
- Gamification: Much More Than Just Fun and Games
- Gamification: What the Experts Think
- Gamification Check-lists for Implementation
- Gamify Your Life
- Gamification for Collections: Four Keys to Success
- Introduction to Gamification Whitepaper (Piet van den Boer)
- The pro’s guide to gamification, (Toby Beresford)
- The SAP Community Network: How to Use Gamification to Increase Engagement
- What is Gamification (video) (Yu-Kai Chou)
History
Case Studies
Design
- 5 Key Design Factors for Long-Term Engagement with Gamification (Victor Manrique)
- Game Mechanics and Gamification (Andrzej Marczewski )
- Gamification Design Steps: An introduction
- Gamification Design Steps: 4 critical questions (II) (Victor Manrique)
- Gamification Design Steps: Mechanics, Aesthetics and Story (Victor Manrique)
- Gamification, Our Top 5 Tips (Steve Murgatroyd)
User Types
User Phases (Discovery, Ramping, Expertise)
- Beginner’s Guide to Gamification (5 of 90): 4 Experience Phases of a Game (Yu-kai Chou)
- Gamification: board please!
Drives and Emotions
Mechanics
Overview
- The 35 Gamification Mechanics Toolkit
- 35 Inspiring Game Examples for Gamification Mechanics (Victor Manrique)
- Feedback and Drivers in Gamification
- Game Mechanics in Gamification
Meaning (Narrative, Chosen One, Humanity Hero, Beginner’s Luck)
Accomplishment (Points, Badges, Leaderboards, Fanfares, Boss Fights)
- Beginner’s Guide to Gamification (9 of 90): Development & Accomplishment (Video)
- Achievement, Not Just for Achievers! (Andrzej Marczewski)
- Adding badgers would be more gamification than badges (Andrzej Marczewski)
- Gamification – Extrinsic Rewards vs. Intrinsic Rewards
- Gamification a Little on Leaderboards (Andrzej Marczewski)
- How Rewards Can Backfire and Reduce Motivation
- Gamification: Why Badges can be Bad – Really Bad (Andrzej Marczewski)
Empowerment (Creativity, Control, Boosts, Combos)
Ownership (Virtual Goods, Collections, Recruitment, Avatars)
Social Pressure (Bragging, Mentoring, Group Quests, Gifting)
- The 8 Core Drives of Gamification (#5): Social Pressure & Envy (Video)
- On Competition and Gamification Gurus (Marlo Herger)
- Quest-based learning (Chris Haskell)
Scarcity (Appointment Dynamics, Reward Intervals, Countdowns, Moats)
- The 8 Core Drives of Gamification (#6): Scarcity & Impatience (Video)
- How to Boost Desire Using the Psychology of Scarcity (Nir Eyal)
- Rewards and Reward Schedules in Gamification (Andrzej Marczewski)
- The Psychology of Rewards in Games (Max Seidman)
Unpredictability (Random Rewards, Easter Eggs, Mystery, Suspense)
Avoidance (Lost Progress, Sunk Cost, Guilt, Weep Tune)
- The 8 Core Drives of Gamification (#8): Loss & Avoidance (Video) (Yu-Kai Chou)
- Examining Negative Feedback in Game Design (Josh Bycer )
- Psychology of Gaming: Loss Aversion
Cheating
Misuses
- 5 Ways To Mess Up Gamification (Whitney Cook)
- 7 Ways to Royally Mess Up Your Gamification Campaign
- 12 Ways To Make Your Gamification Project Fail
- It’s Not All Fun and Games; Potential Risks of #Gamification (Kyle Turco)
- Pointless (and Badgeless) Gamification (Steve Bocska)
- When NOT to Use Gamification
- Why does Gamification Fail? A few reasons… (Andrzej Marczewski)
- Why does Gamification Fail? (Andrzej Marczewski)
Gamification of the Classroom
- 5 Easy Steps to #Gamifying #HighereEd. (Dr. Justin Marquis)
- 5 Tips to Successfully Gamify Your Classroom or School (Jessica Slusser)
- 10 Gamification Challenges for Educators (Bernard Bull)
- 10 Ideas for Designing an Engaging Classroom Space (Bernard Bull)
- 25 Things Teachers Should Know About Gamification
- The 60-Second Guide To Engaging Your Learners
- The 100-Second Guide To Gamification In Education
- 100 Great Game Based Learning and Gamification Resources
- Can Gamification Boost Independent Learning? (Audrey Watters)
- Beyond Badges: Why Gamify? (Matthew Farber)
- ChicagoQuest: A Middle School Where Board Games, Card Games, Minecraft and Portal All Make Space for Students to Learn
- Design Your Class Like A Video Game (Terry Heick)
- Game On: Teachers Learn to Bring Gaming and Play into the Classroom (Kelsey Herron)
- Debate through a simulation… Matrix Based Simulations (Michael Matera)
- Game on? The use of gamification in e-learning (Aurion Learning)
- Gamification for Education: How games are changing the way we learn (Victor Manrique)
- Gamification In Elearning: WHAT, WHY And HOW? (Vandana Kaveti)
- Gamifying Education (video) (Extra Credits)
- Get your game on! Why do teachers think #gamification is a good idea?
- How To Gamify Your Classroom In 6 Easy Steps
- How to recreate a battle in your classroom (Michael Matera)
- The Gamification of Education Infographic
- Quick Guide to the Gamification of Education (Justin Marquis)
- The Pros and Cons of Gamification in the Classroom (Jennifer Zaino)
- Quest to Learn: The Model for Gamifying Education (Aiden Mullaney)
- The Gamification Guide for Teachers (eLearning Industry)
- The Teacher’s Guide To Using Badges In Your Classroom (Keith Sorensen)
- What Critics Don’t Understand About Gamified Education (Eugene Sheely)
- What’s the Difference Between Games and Gamification? (Frank Catalano)
In Online Communities
GAME-BASED LEARNING
Websites and Publications
- 15 Books to Enhance Your Knowledge & Skills with Games and Learning (Bernard Bull)
- 50 Awesome Videos for Game Based Learning Teachers
- 100 Great Game Based Learning and Gamification Resources
- Best Apps for Kids Daily News
- Cybrary Man’s Educational Web Sites
- The E-learning Daily
- The edtech Daily
- The Edudemic Daily
- The Instructional Design Daily
- Games: Serious and Social
Product Guides
- 30 Ways to Get Your Game On (Edsurge)
- Game Databases (Games For Change)
- Top Ten Learning Games for Kids (Yukai Chou)
Integrating into Curriculum
- Exactly How To Teach With Video Games In The Classroom (Terry Heick)
- Playing Games in School: Video Games and Simulations for Primary and Secondary Education (Atsusi Hirumi)
Popular Games as Learning Resources
- 10 Ways Teachers Are Using MMORPGs In The Classroom
- 1001 Uses for #Minecraft in Schools (Phillip Cowell)
- How Dad’s teach their kids with Minecraft (Ken Taggart)
- Minecraft in Education Wiki
- Minecraft inspires creativity and problem-solving. But my daughters are obsessed. (Lisa Guernsey)
- Our Minecraft Journey (Karyn Gray)
- Some Ways We Use Minecraft (Tim Monreal)
- Teachers Transform Commercial Video Game for Class Use (Katrina Schwartz)
- Teaching and Learning with Minecraft: Liam O’Donnell (Howard Rheingold)
- Transforming the Way We Learn: Why Minecraft is an Amazing Learning Tool (Ashley MacQuarrie)
- What Can a Minecraft Mod Teach Us About the World? (Shajed Ahmed and Karen Le)
- Why Teachers Should Play Minecraft–In Class (Tony Wan)
- World of Warcraft in School Wiki
Design Considerations
- 10 Game Design Principles for the Next 10 Years (Carla C. E. Fisher)
- Creating Games for Learning: Strategies for Learning in a ‘Different’ Way (Arunima Majumdar)
- Designing Apps for Kids (Karina Ibarra)
- Following the Oregon Trail: Why Gaming Prevails in Education (Dr. Kate Hixson)
- eLearning: It’s Time for a Reboot
- GBL & PBL sitting in a tree (Derek Luebbe )
- Learning Game Design Series, Part 1: Play and Evaluate Games (Sharon Boller)
- Making and Marketing Kids Apps: Definitely Not Child’s Play (Nancy MacIntyre)
- Making Game Based Learning #GBL – Research & Principles (Ian Chia)
- Top 10 +1 Instructional Game Design Best Practices (Karl Kapp)
Assessment
- Games: A Model of Effective Assessment
- Games, Standards, and Assessment: Staying out of the Toxic Mess (James Paul Gee)
- Proof of Learning: Assessment in Serious Games
- Researchers See Video Games as Testing, Learning Tools (Benjamin Herold)
Parental Involvement
Benefits and Drawbacks
General
- The 5 hidden powers of games for learning (Anya Kamenetz)
- 5 Reasons That Well-Chosen Video Games Belong In Schools
- Are Kids Who Make Their Own Video Games Better Prepared For The Digital Future? (Jordan Shapiro)
- Beyond Good and Bad: Applying Games Research to Action (Michael Levine)
- Can Digital Games Boost Students’ Test Scores? (Tina Barseghian)
- Can Learning Really Be Fun and Games? (Tina Barseghian)
- Can Gamification Save Our Broken Education System? (Shravan Goli)
- Education Can Learn From Games (Andrew K. Miller)
- Game-Based Learning: What it is, Why it Works, and Where it’s Going (Jessica Trybus)
- Game-Based Learning Is Probably Worth Looking Into
- Game-based learning slide presentation (Karl M. Kapp)
- Games As Educational Tools: Teaching Skills, Transforming Thoughts (Diane Stirling)
- Gaming Changes Teaching and Learning (Peggy Sheehy)
- Getting the Facts on Game Based Learning (infographic) (Jake Huhn)
- Level Up: Video Games Are The New Educational Hack (Stephanie Chan)
- How Video Games Are Changing Education infographic (Mark Anderson)
- Is Gaming the New Essential Literacy? (Aran Levassur)
- Neurology of Gaming Infographic
- Learning from Playing Around
- Once Again, Games Can and Do Teach!
- Researchers See Video Games as Testing, Learning Tools (Benjamin Herold)
- Should Kids Play Games in the Classroom? (Andrew K. Miller)
- Video games becoming required coursework in schools (Emily Chung)
- Using Educational Video Games to Level Up Learning: A Guide for Parents
- Video Games in the Brain: Study Shows How Gaming Impacts Brain Function to Inspire Healthy Behavior
- Violent Video Games Don’t Make Us Less Caring (Maia Szalavitz)
- Why Gamification Is Winning Points on Campus (Jennifer Zaino)
- Why Games Will Be More Successful in Education than Radio, TV, or MOOCs (#GBL) (Dr. Justin Marquis)
- Why Gaming CAN actually be good – a parent’s perspective… (Nicky McEnery)
- Why Should You Try Game-Based Learning? (infographic) (Katie Lepi)
- Will Gaming Save Education, or Just Waste Time? (Dian Schaffhauser)
Achievement
Art
Decision Making
Engagement
- Gamifying Student Engagement
- How to Keep Kids Engaged With Educational Games
- Kaplan’s Classroom #Gamification System Shows 155% More Student Engagement (Kevin Shane)
- Mindfulness, video games and social mobility in early years
- The School Cliff: Student Engagement Drops With Each School Year
English
- Can An iPad App Help Solve The Literacy Problem? (Jordan Shapiro)
- Can a video game encourage kids to read the classics? (Greg Toppo)
Health
- All or Nothing: Active Games Best for Combating Sedentary Behavior After School Time
- Can Video Games Make Kids Healthier?
- Can gaming boost kids’ physical activity? (Karen Bryan)
Humanities
Journalism
Mathematics
- Can Playing Video Games Give Girls an Edge In Math? (Annie Murphy Paul)
- Computer games ‘beat paper exercises’ in teaching math games (Tereza Pultarova)
- Recreational and Educational Value of Math Puzzles (Deepak Kulkarni)
- What are the benefits of using games in mathematical education?
- Video Games Are The Perfect Way To Teach Math, Says Stanford Mathematician (Jordan Shapiro)
Social Skills
- Building Social Skills and Literacy Through Gaming (Dr. Justin Marquis)
- Video Games and Social Emotional Learning (Jackie Gerstein, Ed.D.)
Serious Games and Simulations
- List of Serious Games Databases (Games for Change)
- The difference between games, gamification and serious games (Med Kharbach)
- Gamification or Serious Game: What’s the difference? (Designing Digitally)
- How and Why Learning Simulations Work (Paul Ladley)
- The magic of writing game simulation code (Karl Schmidt)
- The Recipe for Serious Games
- What’s the difference between Gamification and Serious Games? (Andrzej Marczewski)
Mobile Learning
- 7 Ways To Use Your iPad In The Classroom (infographic) (Jeff Dunn)
- 5 Critical Mistakes Schools Make With iPads (And How To Correct Them) (Tom Daccord)
Games and Apps
All Subject Areas
- 5 Free Apps For Classrooms With A Single iPad
- 21 Smart Games For Game-Based Learning
- Ask A Tech Teacher – Great Apps
Creativity
Engineering
English
Good Behavior
History
Learning Management Systems
Mathematics
Medicine
Science
GAME DEVELOPMENT FOR KIDS
Websites and Publications
Benefits
Digital Citizenship
Learning to Program
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- 6 Tips To Integrate Coding In The Classroom
- 7 Sites That Make Programming For Kids Fun (Nick Grantham)
- Building Levels in #Unity – Part 1 of 3 (Matthias Zarzecki)
- Easy Beginner Game Programming WIth SCRATCH! Windows and Mac (video)
- Scratch teaches kids to program the fun way (Hanna Szekeres)
- Java for kids (Steve Tutes)
- Signs that you’re a good programmer
- Teaching your kids how to write computer programs (Marshall Brain)
- What’s the right age for kids to learn to code?
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Games That Teach Programming
Game Programming
Scout Merit Badges
Resources (Apps, Programs, Toolkits)
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- 8 iPad apps to Teach Coding and Programming (Danny Nicholson)
- 36 Resources To Help You Teach Kids Programming
- Can These iPad Apps Teach Your Kid to Code? (Lauren Goode)
- Game Design Tool Kit
- Game On Lab!: Design your own game, engage people and get results
- How to Teach Computing across the Curriculum: Why not Logo? (Mark Guzdial)
- National STEM Video Game Challenge Tookit
- Three Free iPad Apps That Teach Kids To Program
- Experimental Videogame Teaches Kids How to Program Java
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David Mullich 
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