Educational Game Lab: Project-Based, Game-Based Pedagogy
EDST 210
Fall 2026
| Section:
01
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| Crosslisting:
IDEA 209 |
In the past two decades, crowdfunding and a renewed interest in gaming (board games, role-playing games, digital media, and instructional tools) have driven a surge in diverse production. Consequently, play has become the subject of numerous studies, articles, and projects across all educational disciplines, from the hard sciences to language learning and the arts. To explore how game-informed pedagogy operates across various courses, this syllabus highlights tabletop (non-digital) approaches that succeed both inside and outside the classroom. Educational Game Lab operates as a project-based workshop focusing on why and how analog formats can be effective pedagogical tools; examples include board games, tabletop RPGs, and escape games. Participants will discuss applying these principles to different subjects before designing a final project: an original or adapted learning game tailored to a specific educational outcome. Ultimately, the course offers students the opportunity to reflect on playful pedagogy and develop critical knowledge within the innovative field of game-based learning. The course and its final projects will be conducted in English (or the relevant target language for language-learning designs). |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
SBS EDST |
| Course Format: Discussion | Grading Mode: Student Option |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (Education Studies Minor)(Education Studies)(Integrated Design, Engineering, Arts & Society Minor) |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
SAMPLE READINGS: All readings will be provided by the instructor on Moodle. Excerpts from the following texts will be included: - Arnaudo, Marco. Storytelling in the Modern Board Game. - Boller, Sharon and Karl Kapp. Play to Learn. - Booth, Paul. Board Games as Media. - Byers, Andrew, and Francesco Crocco. The Role-Playing Society. - Caillois, Roger. Man, Play, and Games. - Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly. Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. - Deterding, Sebastian and Steffen Walz. The Gameful World. - Engelstein, Geoffrey, and Isaac Shalev. Building Blocks of Tabletop Game Design. - Gee, James Paul. Good Video Games and Good Learning. - Grazy, Peter. Free to Learn. - Huizinga, Johan. Homo Ludens. - Juul, Jesper. Half-Real. - Kapp, Karl. The Gamification of Learning and Instruction. - Koster, Raph. A Theory of Fun for Game Design. - Nicholson, Scott, and Liz Cable. Unlocking the Potential of Puzzle-Based Learning. - Norman, Don. The Design of Everyday Things. - Reinhardt, Jonathon. Gameful Second and Foreign Language Teaching and Learning. - Ruberg, Bonnie. The Queer Games Avant-garde. - Salen, Katie and Eric Zimmermann. Rules at Play. - Shaw, Adrienne. Gaming at the Edge - Shell, Jesse. The Art of Game Design. - Squire, Kurt. Video Games and Learning. - Sutton Smith, Brian. The Ambiguity of Play. - Zagal, Josè, and Sebastian Deterding. Role-playing Game Studies. - Zimmerman, Eric. The Rules We Break and Manifesto for a Ludic Century.
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Examinations and Assignments:
- Weekly critical readings on different aspects of Game-Based Learning and game design. - Weekly class discussions to respond to readings or visiting speakers. - Weekly Discord channel entries to either prepare for in-class discussions or reflect on the assigned materials after class. - Weekly Critical Play sessions in class to try different games and reflect on their learning potential. - Final project + presentation: adapting an existing game for a specific discipline, or creating a new educational game. - Final Attend Game Nights and play games with the class. |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
During Pre-Reg - students should submit their interest in the class with a paragraph detailing why they want to take this class. This course satisfies the Pedagogy requirement for EDST. |
| Instructor(s): Zamboni,Camilla Times: ...W... 07:10PM-10:00PM; Location: FISK208; |
Permission of Instructor Required
Enrollment capacity: 15 | Permission of instructor approval will be granted by the instructor during pre-registration through the Electronic Portfolio. Click "Add to My Courses" and "To request a POI electronically, click here" to submit your request. |
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