Gaming for Learning - Fireside Chat with Ubisoft

Please join us in San Francisco, on Tuesday Feb 19th, at Ubisoft, for a discussion on why games are such powerful tools for learning and how this medium can be used in innovative ways for education with Vincent Minoue, Creative Director at Ubisoft San Francisco; Eddie Melcer, Assistant Professor in the UCSC Department of Computational Media; and Jen Helms, Founder of the Intentional Play Summit. We will explore what makes a great educational game and how combining physical play with digital can further enhance learning such as with Ubisoft’s Rocksmith®.

Vincent Minoue will then showcase how games like Rocksmith® can be used to enrich learning. We'll have demos available, come and try Ubisoft Rocksmith®, the fastest and most fun way to learn to play guitar!

ARRIVALS / CHECK-IN
Ubisoft is located 625 3rd St in San Francisco. It's walking distance from the 4th st Caltrain station. If you are driving, use street parking or locate a near-by local garage.

AGENDA

6:30 to 7pm Arrivals and Finger food – 30 mins
7pm to 7:45pm Introduction and Fireside chat – 45 mins
7:45pm to 8:00pm Q&A – 15 mins
8:00pm to 9:00pm Demos and Networking – 1 hour
9:00pm End

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

About Jen Helms, Founder and Chair, Intentional Play Summit

Jen is the Founder and Chair of the Intentional Play Summit (http://intentionalplaysummit.com/), a conference exploring games and emerging technologies for learning and social impact. She started the conference out of a desire to bring the community together for a day to learn, grow, and be inspired to take bigger strides toward making better games for learning and meaningful play. Previously Jen designed educational games as the founder of Playmation Studios. She began her career as an educator that taught students through real-world games and immersion in the ultimate interactive classroom - Yosemite National Park. Jen also works as a consultant helping companies that do good expand their impact. She is a graduate of Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management where she focused her studies on strategy, entrepreneurship, and innovation.

About Eddie Melcer

Eddie is an independent game developer and Assistant Professor in the UCSC Department of Computational Media, helping run their Professional Masters in Serious Games. Eddie is also the director of the Alternative Learning Technologies and Games (ALT Games) Lab (https://altgameslab.soe.ucsc.edu/), where he researches, designs, and builds a multitude of educational and alternative controller video game experiences. Eddie’s serious games have won awards in venues such as the Serious Games Showcase & Challenge and Games for Learning Design Competition, and his independent games have been featured in a number of venues such as IndieCade, IndieCade East, and Come Out & Play. His recent research studying tangibles in the design of educational games has similarly received best paper and honorable mention awards at major academic venues.

About Ubisoft San Francisco

Established in 2009, Ubisoft San Francisco studio developed the Rocksmith® series (https://rocksmith.ubisoft.com/), teaching millions of people to play guitar and bass with more than 150 million songs played to date. The studio worked side-by-side with Trey Parker and Matt Stone and South Park Digital Studios to create South Park™: The Fractured but Whole™, an all-new superhero RPG comedy experience. Our team was designed to be smaller than some other development studios. We’re proud of our collaborative, almost indie vibe; we stay agile and never lose focus. We’re also proud to add to the Bay Area’s legendary culture of innovation. (Being a few blocks away from where the SF Giants play is a nice post-work perk, too.)