Big Fun, Big Learning: Transforming the World through Play

From TechSource Gaming Symposium

Presenter: Gregory Trefry (Gamelab)

Description: Big games offer exciting ways to transform the world through play and simple games. These games can turn a library into the site of mystery, a cellphone into a game controller and the street grid into a gameboard. Big Games take place in the real world, with players running around real places. They encourage exciting new interactions with the environment and other players. Games in general are powerful learning tools, teaching through probing, experience and application. Big Games that engage everyone from kids to adults with the space around them have huge potential to draw in people and teach through play and revitalize public spaces. This session will offer an overview of learning through games, big game examples and potential applications.

About the Presenter:
Greg Trefry works as a game designer and producer at Gamelab (www.gamelab.com), the New York-based independent game developer. Greg help found and is the director of the Come Out & Play Festival (www.comeoutandplay.org), a street games festival that turned all of New York City into a playground for a weekend with games running in locations around the city. He also teaches Digital Game History and Theory at New York University. He received his Masters from NYU's Interactive Telecommunications Program.

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