So again, those games are Just One, Hanabi, Codenames and a Wavelength. But to kick us off, we are going to start out with what is games-based learning.

All right. So for games-based learning, I want to talk about this from four distinct and different angles. So let's first define what we mean by games-based learning. Then we are going to jump into what we do when we want to choose the right games for using games-based learning. Then the third point is how exactly does games-based learning work, and then we'll finish it up with games-based learning being structured learning.

So let's dive into this first one, which is games-based learning defined. So what exactly is games-based learning? So games-based learning uses existing games. So I want to make this clear right now at the top and very beginning. There are some people that use games. There's some people that design games. There are some people that use gamification. But games-based learning is about using existing games, games that are already out and available right now. In my practice, a lot of them happens to be tabletop games.

Then the second part is to help students achieve specific learning outcomes, which is a lot about what this presentation is about using those tabletop games in order to help your students achieve those specific learning outcomes overall. So games-based learning, using existing games to help your students achieve those specific learning outcomes.

All right. The second part here I want to cover, how to choose the right games when you want to use games-based learning. So how do we make these choices? How do we determine what to use? Well, number one, the thing I tell a lot of instructors, teachers, professors, and trainers overall is that games-based learning is a based on acquiring a specific skill. So specifically, what do you want your learners and your students to do at the end? What is their specific outcome? What competency do you want to target? Overall, what scale do you want to target overall for your students?

Then you're going to choose a game based on achieving that specific outcome overall. Again, because games-based learning is using existing games in order to help your students meet those specific learning outcomes, you want to first determine what you want your students to achieve or do or what that outcome is, and then choosing a game based on it.

So I like to break this down to this like this. Games-based learning could be based on a whole host of different games. You could use physical games like this, if you've ever played this, a Dave and Buster's. It's that basketball game. You could also use tabletop abstract games, like chess for games-based learning in order to teach strategy and also how to defeat an opponent or the opponent based on what the board state is of a chess board. Games-based learning can also use card games like poker in order to teach probability or something like Blackjack at the casino. Games-based learning can even be used with console games or computer games or anything else. What I find most interesting right now is that games-based learning, you can even use mobile games, so things like Pokemon Go, because these are already existing games. You can use games that exist on a mobile phone, on a smartphone, on a tablet or anything else.

All of these are applications of games-based learning so long as you the instructor know specifically what outcome you want your students in order to reach. So that is based on this section was how do you choose the right games when we are talking about games-based learning.

All right. So let's go into our third area here, which is how does games-based learning work? So games-based learning works again by you as the instructor choosing a specific game for your students to play. Games-based learning works because you prioritize a specific learning outcome by playing that game. All of the games that we're going to be talking about in this session had been created as entertainment games. They're not games that are made for teaching and learning, but rather they're games that people play in order to just have fun.

But you can also use them for games-based learning because you're prioritizing a specific learning outcome, which we'll cover when we cover these individual games. Then you want to pick these individual games because they are aligned with that specific outcome. That outcome is best achieved by using a host of different games, some of which we'll be talking tonight. So you want to choose a specific game based on that specific outcome that you want your students to be able to achieve.

All right. So far we covered game-based learning defined. We also talked about how to choose the right games for using games-based learning. How does game space learning work? Then the last part I just want to talk about quickly here is games-based learning is actually structured learning. I know there are a lot of people here that are also educators, teachers, instructors, professors, trainers, et cetera, and games-based starting is really structured learning overall. If you've ever heard the term scaffolding? Games-based learning uses scaffolding in order to help students achieve their specific outcomes. There's a whole host of different areas I could talk about tonight related to scaffolding, but I don't want to use up all of that time.

Instead, if you'd like to check out a podcast episode I recorded about structured gamified learning, take out your cell phone right now and just point it at that QR code that you see on screen. When you point your phone at that screen, you should be able to download or you should be able to open up a link directly to that podcast episode and then check it out. So I suggest you do that. If you happen to miss this like right now, you can always get the summary of tonight's presentation, and there will be a link to that in the summary as well.

So that is what exactly is games-based learning. We talked about games-based learning defined, how to choose the right games, how does games-based learning work, and then games-based learning as structured learning.