• This course is available in: Athens, Florence, Prague, Valencia
• --> Read the full course description and tentative schedule <--

Everybody loves to play games: they are engaging, immersive, and fun. Thus, can we make our educational activities just as exciting and rewarding? This is “gamification”, that is, the inclusion of elements of game design in other areas or activities. Research and observation suggest that gamification provides tremendous benefits when used appropriately. Hence, learning about it, and how to integrate them effectively in an educational framework is a powerful asset in the curriculum of any professional in the fields of education and communication. This course will teach you how to make educational activities more effective through the use of gamification. It will cover topics like traditional games, role-playing games (RPGs), tabletop games, LEGO, and digital and video games. There will be a specific focus on social and educational games. It will introduce participants to concepts and models of game design, providing them with the full experience of designing a game (phases of concept, design, prototype, and playtest). As it is a complex activity, it will draw from engineering, informatics, psychology, sociology, history, anthropology, communication science, arts, and more to make teachers feel at ease while creating their first game. The course will have a very hands-on approach, combining elements of the theory, group work, and discussion with experiential phases in which participants will have an opportunity to design their own games and learn from direct experience. As a participant, you will also be introduced to the concept and practice of gamification, and receive easy-to-apply tips to include elements of game design in your professional and daily life.