SIMAGES: The NASAGA Newsletter
July 2015
Gamification Buzz: NASAGA’s 2015 Conference in Seattle
NASAGA is one of the longest running gaming conferences in the world with 53 years of rich history. It’s the perfect blend of gaming experience and new gamification techniques. Register today for a double shot of academic gaming expertise paired with real world games and simulations used at the largest corporations in the world. Drink a perfect gamification latte… Read more
Note from the Chair
by Melissa Peterson
Since joining the board of NASAGA one of my driving goals has been to create online experiences and leverage social media in ways that allow us all to engage with NASAGA year-round. From this goal, #NASAGAchat was born, and while ultimately it was not sustainable, it taught us that our most compelling conversations happened when we brought in an expert to talk about his or her work in the field. Read more
Start Goofing Around: A Review of Play by Stuart Brown
by Brian Remer
When I saw the one-word title of Stuart Brown’s book, Play, at the book store, I had to pick it up. And when I read the subtitle, “How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul,” I simply had to buy it. Read more
The National Institute for Play
by Linda Keller
Year after year during networking opportunities at our NASAGA Conferences, discussions turn to the same topic – how do we make learning through games or playful activities credible to our clients? WE know it works, but for many of our clients it sounds frivolous or risky. The National Institute for Play, I am delighted to report, offers us the resources, data and powerful stories to employ when we need to influence a client to use a game, simulation, or playful activity to reach a goal. Read more
Playing Works!
by Sivasailam “Thiagi” Thiagarajan
Here’s a quick word-association test: When I say “work” what words pop into your mind? Think of a few words before you continue reading. Read more
Pursuing Playfulness
A Webinar with Bernie De Koven
We all seek to use games and other learning activities to engage with the learners. Understanding and taking a playful approach will encourage participants to make the game (or learning) their own. Bernie will talk about the nature of playfulness based on many years of experience in pursuit of play. Watch the recorded webinar.
The Original Play Scholar
by Brian Remer
Brian Sutton-Smith was a scholar of play – one of the first, in fact. He studied children’s spontaneous play but also made connections to concepts that underpin all types of play. Read more
Motivation in Play
by Brian Remer
Why do we play? The simple answer is because it’s fun. But it’s not so easy to describe why something is fun. Even activities that look like work, digging a hole, for example, might be fun depending on who’s digging with you, how many stones are in the way, or whether you are digging for treasure. Read more
Team Attributes
Ready-to-Use Game
by Veronica Brown
NASAGA member Veronica Brown shares one of her favorite teaming activities. Through a process of individual reflection and small group discussion, participants are challenged to share and compare their ideas about effective team characteristics with other participants in this ready-to-use activity. Read more