Make Learning So Engaging They Forget to Check Their Phones
A free AI playbook for educators who want to use Game-Based Learning to create flow states in their practice.
School feels like the wrong kind of game
There's a whole gamified world on the phones in their pockets, and traditional instruction struggles to compete. Lectures, videos, example problems, readings, and grades just don't hit the same.
You aspire to run sessions with such impeccable pacing and so many "a-ha" moments that, by the end, your young people wonder where the time went.
Game-Based Learning can get you there.
When it's done well, Game-Based Learning uses the techniques of games to create attention-grabbing, flow-state-inducing experiences whose primary aim is not to entertain, but to teach.
What is Game-Based Learning?
Game-Based Learning is an educational approach that uses elements and principles of game design to actively engage young people in learning experiences, enhancing their motivation and understanding of the curriculum.
Well-designed games and effective learning experiences share many of the same key traits.
The guide breaks down how to apply each of these principles with AI.
INSIDE THE GUIDE
Four Ways AI Makes It Possible
Creating your own game or finding one that matches your curriculum can be time-consuming. This guide walks you through four practical approaches, each powered by AI tools you can use today.
01
Find Learning in Existing Games
Many concepts taught in school show up in games: velocity, thermodynamics, ecosystems, probability. The guide shows how to use LLMs to match the mental models you're teaching with the games where those concepts play out, so you can bring those games into your practice with intentionality.
02
Create New Games With AI
Use AI to create entirely new games from a curriculum. The guide provides prompts and frameworks for generating backstories, challenges, datasets, and feedback systems that turn learning goals into playable, engaging experiences.
03
Let Young People Design Games
Game design can become the lesson itself. The tools of game creation and world building are more accessible than ever. When young people build games about a topic, they demonstrate mastery of the curriculum through creation. The guide curates AI tools across design, coding, music, and world-building to make this possible.
04
Create Meta Games
A meta game is the game outside the game: the strategies and possibilities that arise on top of a game's stated rules. The opportunity to create new games brings with it the possibility of creating new meta games, incentivizing new ways of thinking about how to approach life, both during school and beyond.
Mental Models Meet Game Worlds
The guide demonstrates how LLMs can match the academic concepts you're teaching with the games where those concepts come alive.
The example inside maps 11 mental models to specific games, from probability in Poker to scarcity in Settlers of Catan.
As the subject-matter expert, you check the LLM's work and refine the specifics. Ideally, there is alignment between learning and success: mastering a concept helps a player get better at the game.
Research-Backed Framework
Grounded in the work of James Paul Gee and game design principles, connecting academic rigor to practical application.
Ready-to-Use Framework
Template prompts and worked examples so you can start generating game-based learning experiences with AI today.
Curated AI Tools
A categorized breakdown of AI tools across game design, art, music, coding, character creation, and world-building.
Get the Guide. Start Building.
Game-Based Learning uses the techniques of games to create attention-grabbing, flow-state-inducing experiences whose primary aim is not to entertain, but to teach.
This free guide gives you the AI-powered playbook to make it happen.
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