Experience Points

James Mendez on Playing With ChemistryThis episode of Experience Points features James Mendez, a professor of chemistry at Indiana University Columbus who designs 3D-printed models, role-playing games, and board games to make chemistry approachable for students who are not chemistry majors. James explains how boredom in his classes led him to 3D printing, and why he embraced colleagues' criticism that his models were just toys. In his interview he discusses how holding a physical model makes abstract concepts concrete, and why the hardest compromise between scientific accuracy and playability is resisting the urge to include too much - a lesson James learned from his first chemistry role-playing game, Chemistry and Chaos. James advises professors designing their first learning game to play what already exists, such as Periodic and Chemistry Fluxx, before reinventing the wheel. James closes by describing Periodic Pipes, his board game that turns the periodic table into a path of knowledge checks, and encourages subject matter experts to try designing a game even when early attempts fall short.If you liked this episode please consider commenting, sharing, and subscribing.Subscribing is absolutely free and ensures that you’ll get the next episode of Experience Points delivered directly to you.I’d also love it if you took some time to rate the show!I live to lift others with learning.  So, if you found this episode useful, consider sharing it with someone who could benefit.Also make sure to visit University XP online at www.universityxp.comUniversity XP is also on Twitter @University_XP and on Facebook and LinkedIn as University XPAlso, feel free to email me anytime at [email protected] on!Get the full transcript and references for this episode here: https://www.universityxp.com/podcast/176Support the show

Suzanne Lyons on Cooperative GamesThis episode of Experience Points features Suzanne Lyons, an educator, author, game designer, and founder of CooperativeGames.com who has championed cooperative games in education since 2009. Suzanne recounts discovering cooperative games at a nature education conference, taking over Animal Town, one of the earliest makers of cooperative board games in America, and learning from pioneers such as Terry Orlick and Jim Deacove of Family Pastimes. Drawing on Alfie Kohn's No Contest and Morton Deutsch's theory of social interdependence, she explains why competition deserves critical examination. Suzanne offers three answers to the alpha player problem - game mechanics that divide information, resources, and roles among players; explicit framing from the teacher; and open access games such as Fortunately, Unfortunately, Line Up, and Highlights, where no single player can simply find the solution. Suzanne closes by explaining why academic learning depends on social-emotional learning and classroom climate, and why cooperative games are a practical and underused way to support both.If you liked this episode please consider commenting, sharing, and subscribing.Subscribing is absolutely free and ensures that you’ll get the next episode of Experience Points delivered directly to you.I’d also love it if you took some time to rate the show!I live to lift others with learning.  So, if you found this episode useful, consider sharing it with someone who could benefit.Also make sure to visit University XP online at www.universityxp.comUniversity XP is also on Twitter @University_XP and on Facebook and LinkedIn as University XPAlso, feel free to email me anytime at [email protected] on!Get the full transcript and references for this episode here: https://www.universityxp.com/podcast/175Support the show

Thomas Biedermann on CyberNationsThis episode of Experience Points features Thomas Biedermann, a senior lecturer at the Australian National University School of Cybernetics and designer of CyberNations, a semi-cooperative board game about leading responsibly in a complex, adaptive world. Thomas traces the threads running through his practice - homemade board games in a French basement, tabletop and live-action role-playing at summer camp, systems engineering, and organizational design - and explains how cybernetics gave him a way to steer complex systems made of people, technologies, and ecologies. He describes how CyberNations models feedback loops inside a single session while persisting between sessions, so each group inherits the world the last group left behind and writes an entry in the game's living Chronicle for the group that follows. Thomas discusses the three books that shape his design decisions - Casper Harteveld's Triadic Game Design, Amabel Holland's Cardboard Ghosts, and Michael Sellers' Advanced Game Design - and the argument that game mechanics are not just building blocks but claims about how the world is or could be. He closes with stories of players who deliberately wrecked their community for the next group and players who abandoned a winning objective on principle and makes the case for modding as a reminder that agency in the real world takes many more forms than a rulebook allows.If you liked this episode please consider commenting, sharing, and subscribing.Subscribing is absolutely free and ensures that you’ll get the next episode of Experience Points delivered directly to you.I’d also love it if you took some time to rate the show!I live to lift others with learning.  So, if you found this episode useful, consider sharing it with someone who could benefit.Also make sure to visit University XP online at www.universityxp.comUniversity XP is also on Twitter @University_XP and on Facebook and LinkedIn as University XPAlso, feel free to email me anytime at [email protected] on!Get the full transcript and references for this episode here: https://www.universityxp.com/podcast/174Support the show

Withered Technology and Lateral ThinkingSome ideas arrive before their time. But the best ideas arrive at exactly the right moment. And often that is not because the idea was flashy, or spectacular, or brand new. It's because someone found a different way to see, to use, or to apply something that was already sitting right in front of them… Today we're talking about withered technology and lateral thinking. We'll define both, meet the designer who built a philosophy around them, and look at the product that proved it worked.If you liked this episode please consider commenting, sharing, and subscribing.Subscribing is absolutely free and ensures that you’ll get the next episode of Experience Points delivered directly to you.I’d also love it if you took some time to rate the show!I live to lift others with learning.  So, if you found this episode useful, consider sharing it with someone who could benefit.Also make sure to visit University XP online at www.universityxp.comUniversity XP is also on Twitter @University_XP and on Facebook and LinkedIn as University XPAlso, feel free to email me anytime at [email protected] on!Get the full transcript and references for this episode here: https://www.universityxp.com/podcast/173Support the show

Sebastian Bae on Littoral CommanderThis episode of Experience Points features Sebastian Bae, a senior game designer at the Center for Naval Analyses and designer of Littoral Commander: Indo-Pacific, an educational wargame exploring future tactical conflict in the Indo-Pacific. Sebastian shares his meandering path from the Marine Corps infantry to professional wargame design, and how his enlisted background shaped his drive to push games down to the lowest tactical level. He explains the core tension of educational game design: keeping a game accurate and realistic enough that players trust the model, while still making it approachable, teachable, and usable. Sebastian describes how a scalable card-driven system and terrain research conducted in ArcGIS made a complex subject playable, why the game deliberately avoids prescribing “right answers,” and how commands and classrooms have adapted the game for their own needs. He closes with two lessons for educators using games to teach serious topics: have a clear, defined vision of what you are teaching and to whom and build the back-end infrastructure - especially the discussion after the game - where learning synthesizes and crystallizes for players.If you liked this episode please consider commenting, sharing, and subscribing.Subscribing is absolutely free and ensures that you’ll get the next episode of Experience Points delivered directly to you.I’d also love it if you took some time to rate the show!I live to lift others with learning.  So, if you found this episode useful, consider sharing it with someone who could benefit.Also make sure to visit University XP online at www.universityxp.comUniversity XP is also on Twitter @University_XP and on Facebook and LinkedIn as University XPAlso, feel free to email me anytime at [email protected] on!Get the full transcript and references for this episode here: https://www.universityxp.com/podcast/172Support the show

Win Conditions FirstIf I asked your learners how they win, could they answer in one sentence? Because if they can't, your design is already broken. In games, win conditions are obvious. They're clear and immediate. You either reach the finish line, defeat the boss, or score the most points. But in learning, we often bury success under vague objectives, long descriptions, and unclear expectations. If a learner can't clearly explain how they win, then they don't know what matters.If you liked this episode please consider commenting, sharing, and subscribing.Subscribing is absolutely free and ensures that you’ll get the next episode of Experience Points delivered directly to you.I’d also love it if you took some time to rate the show!I live to lift others with learning.  So, if you found this episode useful, consider sharing it with someone who could benefit.Also make sure to visit University XP online at www.universityxp.comUniversity XP is also on Twitter @University_XP and on Facebook and LinkedIn as University XPAlso, feel free to email me anytime at [email protected] on!Get the full transcript and references for this episode here: https://www.universityxp.com/podcast/171Support the show

AP Table Talk: Variable SetupIn this episode of AP Table Talk, Brian and Dave dig into the variable setup mechanic, where the starting game state changes from play to play through randomized boards, player setups, resources, and objectives. From foundational classics like Risk, Catan, and Dominion to favorites like Istanbul, Hey, That's My Fish!, Waddle, Inis, and Sagrada, they debate where the boundary of the mechanic really lies - whether shuffled markets, randomized roles, and end game bonuses truly count - and explore how variable setup supports replayability, fresh puzzles, and balance between new and experienced players. Along the way, they cover the challenges of teaching highly variable games, front-loaded cognitive load in opening turns, variance that can feel empty in games like Wingspan, and bonus stories about Maatatahay, The Quest for El Dorado, Sungka, and Chess960.If you liked this episode please consider commenting, sharing, and subscribing.Subscribing is absolutely free and ensures that you’ll get the next episode delivered directly to you. We’d also love it if you took some time to rate the show! We live to lift others with learning.  So, if you found this episode useful, consider sharing it with someone who could benefit. Also make sure to visit University XP online at www.universityxp.comUniversity XP is also on Twitter @University_XP and on Facebook and LinkedIn as University XP.Get the full transcript and references for this episode here: https://www.universityxp.com/podcast/170Support the show

What are Matrix Games?At its core, a matrix game is a structured argumentation system used for learning through play. They were developed back in 1992 by Chris Engle, who wanted a teaching tool that was simpler and more flexible than the rules-heavy wargames and role-playing games of the era.If you liked this episode please consider commenting, sharing, and subscribing.Subscribing is absolutely free and ensures that you’ll get the next episode of Experience Points delivered directly to you.I’d also love it if you took some time to rate the show!I live to lift others with learning.  So, if you found this episode useful, consider sharing it with someone who could benefit.Also make sure to visit University XP online at www.universityxp.comUniversity XP is also on Twitter @University_XP and on Facebook and LinkedIn as University XPAlso, feel free to email me anytime at [email protected] on!Get the full transcript and references for this episode here: https://www.universityxp.com/podcast/169Support the show

Gijs van Bilsen on Live Action Learning and LARPsThis episode of Experience Points features Gijs van Bilsen, founder of the Live Action Learning Institute, who shares how live-action role-playing (LARP) can transform imagination into a powerful tool for personal and professional growth. Gijs explains how stepping into fictional but recognizable scenarios allows people to safely practice skills like leadership, spontaneity, and confidence. Drawing on examples from corporate trainings and his own life, he introduces the Think, Shape, Feel, Do framework; a method for summoning the version of yourself you most want to embody. Gijs also unpacks the concept of "bleed," where qualities from a played character spill into everyday behavior, offering lasting change. Through practical demonstration and storytelling, he invites listeners to see imagination not as a gift, but as a skill that sparks curiosity, deepens empathy, and drives real-world transformation.If you liked this episode please consider commenting, sharing, and subscribing.Subscribing is absolutely free and ensures that you’ll get the next episode of Experience Points delivered directly to you.I’d also love it if you took some time to rate the show!I live to lift others with learning.  So, if you found this episode useful, consider sharing it with someone who could benefit.Also make sure to visit University XP online at www.universityxp.comUniversity XP is also on Twitter @University_XP and on Facebook and LinkedIn as University XPAlso, feel free to email me anytime at [email protected] on!Get the full transcript and references for this episode here: https://www.universityxp.com/podcast/168Support the show

AP Table Talk: Tug of WarIn this episode of AP Table Talk, Brian and Dave dig into the tug-of-war mechanic, where a shared marker moves back and forth along a track toward opposing ends, creating a zero-sum struggle in which one player's gain is the other's loss. From minimalist gems like Hanamikoji to heavyweight political thrillers like Twilight Struggle and Watergate, to modern two-player favorites like 7 Wonders Duel, King of Tokyo: Duel, Star Wars: The Deckbuilding Game, Blitzkrieg!: World War Two in 20 Minutes, and Zenith, they unpack how the mechanic delivers immediate clarity of game state, mounting tension, and built-in take-that dynamics. Along the way, they explore tug-of-war's thematic strength in conflict and rivalry, its struggles with multiplayer scalability, the risk of zero-sum fatigue, and why it works best as a clean base that needs additional mechanics layered on top to truly shine.If you liked this episode please consider commenting, sharing, and subscribing.Subscribing is absolutely free and ensures that you’ll get the next episode delivered directly to you. We’d also love it if you took some time to rate the show! We live to lift others with learning.  So, if you found this episode useful, consider sharing it with someone who could benefit. Also make sure to visit University XP online at www.universityxp.comUniversity XP is also on Twitter @University_XP and on Facebook and LinkedIn as University XP.Get the full transcript and references for this episode here: https://www.universityxp.com/podcast/167Support the show