Professor Game Podcast Rob Alvarez

Javier is Co-founder of Azahar Juegos and Free to Play, companies that focus on the design and research around the use of playful paradigms in serious contexts. He has 11 years of experience working on gamification projects and has collaborated on educational projects with institutions in Colombia such as Universidad de los Andes, Sergio Arboleda, Rosario, Uniminuto, and with companies such as Bancolombia, Compensar, Grupo Bolivar, among others. He is the designer of the BEM Framework for systemic and meaningful gamification and the recipient of two awards from Tech Magazine / Gamicon 2019 for gamification projects in virtual learning.

Meet Chris, founder of Gaming@Work. His company integrates Game Derived Skills·· and Game-based Learning for a dynamic workplace. With a background in International Hospitality and experience as a Partner Manager at Dell Technologies, specializing in Cloud and Gaming-as-a-Service, Chris brings expertise in various graphics/gaming workloads. He provides a unique tech perspective on employee growth. Chris aims to help organizations achieve digital transformation goals, keeping employees skilled and motivated without investing in expensive software. Regularly sharing insights on gaming culture, esports, and tech trends, connect with Chris to explore the future at GamingAt.Work and his blog, TeamLocktree.com

Engagers free resource out! In this episode, we explore a free mini-course we have just released that will allow you to either take your first steps in this Game Inspired world of Gamification, if you are a seasoned veteran you can add something different to your belt or anything in between, including curiosity, register for free at professorgame.com/freegamificationcourse. I'm looking forward to seeing you there and read any feedback you have!

The founder and director of Checkpoint, Tamer is dedicated to changing our perception of learning and the technology we use to enable learning. Advocate of gaming cultural wealth and the benefits gaming has, Tamer has spent years developing pedagogy through Checkpoint to help us benefit from our digital fluency. Driven by the failure of governments and education systems globally during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the hypocrisy around "screentime", Tamer focused on showcasing the benefits of gaming on well-being, education and as a social platform for children. This led to a partnership and study on the impact of gaming in education with Brunel University which proved incredibly successful. Tamer is also an award-winning producer and journalist who has worked across print, broadcast (TV and radio) and online.

Based in Salt Lake City, Utah, Bret is a seasoned Game/Software professional with over 15 years of experience in crafting immersive games, innovative software, and user-friendly apps. His passion lies in bridging the realms of design psychology in both gaming and software landscapes. He's dedicated to uncovering the intriguing parallels between professional e-sport players and software power users, as well as exploring the social dynamics ignited by elements like "hi-scores" in e-commerce platforms. Bret delights in translating these insights into tangible enhancements, creating products and experiences that resonate deeply with users. Don't miss his enlightening 2022 TEDx Talk, "Can a 90s video game be a standard for experience design?", available online for a captivating dive into his perspective on the fusion of gaming and design.

Helen Hooper is head of learning design at VirtualSpeech which creates soft skills training solutions based around immersive practice in VR and online. Helen has a particular passion for creating engaging and effective learning experiences that involve active participation by the learner. Her rich background includes twelve years founding and running two award-winning educational startups focused on child development through active storytelling. And, long ago, after graduating from Oxford University - Helen spent nine years working in the UK Civil Service and European Commission (which she hated!). When not working she·s often found taxiing her 2 teenagers around or walking in the countryside with her husband and French dog, Garry.