Brandon Pittser

With a 15 year tenure in the Ed Tech industry, Brandon leads the content marketing practice and helps to guide the overall business strategy at Filament Games. His role also includes oversight of Filament’s funding development practice, tracking and pursuing funding opportunities for both internal and collaborative projects.

Selected articles by the author

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Brandon Pittser
June 11, 2026
Welcome to the new Filament Games Website!

The Filament Games website has just completed a massive overhaul! Explore our new Portfolio and expand your knowledge in the Content Hub.

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Brandon Pittser
June 8, 2026
The Rise of the Skills Economy: Redefining Workforce Readiness

Discover how educators are preparing their learners for the widespread shift towards a skills-based economy, and how games can help!

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Brandon Pittser
June 3, 2026
The Latest Findings in AI and Learning - June 2026

Explore the latest June 2026 findings in AI and learning, covering research exploring the impact of AI in education.

ARTICLE
Brandon Pittser
June 1, 2026
What's New in Game-based Learning - June 2026

In the latest issue of what's new in game-based learning, we explore VR for empathy, esports career pathways, and 18th-century games.

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Brandon Pittser
May 27, 2026
May Roundup: Game-based Learning and Mental Health

Our May roundup explores how structured digital play actively reduces workplace anxiety and supports mental health.

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Brandon Pittser
February 15, 2016
Yes, You Are a Gamer

Sometimes video games get a bad rap. As a form of media, they’re often considered unserious, or childish, or any number of other negative descriptors implying that time spent on a video game is time better spent elsewhere.

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Brandon Pittser
May 14, 2018
Organizing Engaging Events for Young People

I’ve recently had the privilege of participating in a number of game-based learning events for youth in the Madison area, namely through Spring Harbor Middle School and the Madison Urban League’s Spring Break Gaming and Coding Day at the Madison Central Public Library.

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Brandon Pittser
June 13, 2018
Inspiring Educators in Game-Based Learning

As an educational game development studio on a mission to create playful experiences that improve people’s lives, the team at Filament pays a lot of attention to the commercial games space and the trends that are capturing audiences’ imaginations and attention – but that’s just one half of the equation.

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Brandon Pittser
May 18, 2026
Resource Roundup: Mental Health Awareness Month and Digital Play

Mental Health Awareness Month brings a timely focus to the intersection of digital play and emotional well-being.

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Brandon Pittser
February 3, 2016
How to Teach With Games

We spend a lot of time at Filament thinking about the best ways to use games in the classroom – our designers, engineers, and artists are all tirelessly invested in uncovering new ways that games can shine in a formal education setting.

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Brandon Pittser
April 25, 2016
What Makes Great Learning Games?

Over our long track record of creating educational games, we’ve developed some fairly strong opinions about what makes a great game-based learning experience – from mechanics, to learning objectives, to organization, we have a lot of specific ideas about best practices for learning game development.

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Brandon Pittser
May 16, 2016
Virtual Reality for Learning Games

We’ve talked before about virtual reality and the unique impact it could have on the education space.

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Brandon Pittser
May 25, 2016
Building Creative Practices: Psychological Safety

This is the first piece in an ongoing series about developing skillsets that position you for success in a creative enterprise.

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Brandon Pittser
August 22, 2016
Building Creative Practices: Strategies for Communication

Welcome back to Building Creative Practices! In my last semi-regular installment, I discussed strategies for creating Psychological Safety in the workplace, which at a high level is simply a way to get your team to operate in such a way that no one on the team is scared to speak their minds.

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Brandon Pittser
November 27, 2017
Top 5 EdTech Conferences to Attend in 2018

With another year of travel under our collective belts, it’s time for another rendition of our list of the top 5 EdTech conferences to attend – 2018 edition!

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Brandon Pittser
November 29, 2017
Teach Yourself to Code for Free

In case you haven’t checked our careers page lately, we’re doing a lot of hiring.

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Brandon Pittser
January 3, 2018
EdTech Predictions for 2018

Game-based learning (particularly the digital variety) depends on the health of the EdTech industry, rising and falling with the adoption of hardware and the evolution of education policy.

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Brandon Pittser
January 10, 2018
Getting to Know Adaptive Learning

In my 2018 EdTech predictions article, I tapped personalized learning for a big year, largely because of the way that personalized learning is expected to dominate Chan Zuckerberg Ed Investments.

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Brandon Pittser
January 15, 2018
Game-Based Learning & Clinical Practice – An Interview with Dr. Eric B. Bauman

For the launch of the newly minted AppClinic series of digital apps and games, today we’re interviewing Dr.

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Brandon Pittser
January 29, 2018
Yoga For Teachers: An Interview with Breathe For Change

[Note: This is an interview transcript, and has been edited for length and clarity.] Breathe For Change is a growing movement of educators focused on teaching and learning for peace, love, and social justice.

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Brandon Pittser
February 12, 2018
Learning from 2017’s Best Commercial Video Games

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds A Hunger Games-esque battle royale survival game, online shooter PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds tasks players with a single objective: stay alive until you’re the last player standing.

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Brandon Pittser
February 28, 2018
Exploring the Future of Digital Curriculum with Explorabl.es

Remember Arne Duncan? I do.

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Brandon Pittser
April 4, 2018
Print Publishing in the Digital Age: An Interview with Jennifer Barney

Today we’re interviewing Jennifer Barney, Vice President of Acquisitions & Project Management at Publications International, Filament’s partner on the recently released VR Explorations.

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Brandon Pittser
September 26, 2016
5 Ways to Get the Most Out of Your EdTech Pilot

EdTech purchasing is a complex process with many stakeholders. Administrators, educators, students and the surrounding community all have a vested interest in knowing that your next purchase will offer real value to your institution, whether you’re purchasing at the school or district level.

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Brandon Pittser
October 12, 2016
Incorporating VR into Your Business Strategy

Virtual Reality (VR) is an exciting new technology with a lot of potential, and we’ve spoken to a number of folks who are already exploring ways to augment their businesses with VR.

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Brandon Pittser
October 13, 2016
Building Creative Practices: Holacracy

The last installment of this Building Creative Practices series talked about employing sound strategies for communication in the context of some common organizational structures and challenging dispositions.

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Brandon Pittser
March 20, 2017
Major League Hacking

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of serving as a judge for MadHacks, the Madison, WI chapter of Major League Hacking (MLH).

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Brandon Pittser
May 17, 2017
How to Embrace Failure

Dan White wants to talk about failure. Specifically, the way we view failure within the context of education.

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Brandon Pittser
May 22, 2017
Virtual Reality for Impact

In case you haven’t noticed, we’re Virtual Reality enthusiasts at Filament Games, owed in no small part to the fact that the affordances of this emergent medium are so vast and varied.

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Brandon Pittser
June 13, 2017
FGP3-7: Making VR a Reality in the Classroom

In this episode, we’re joined by two incredible educator pioneers who are leading the way towards using VR for learning.

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Brandon Pittser
June 19, 2017
Speed Sketch! Sennett Middle School

Earlier this year, Filament Games adopted Sennett Middle School, and it’s hard to believe it, but the first school year of our adoption is already over!

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Brandon Pittser
June 20, 2017
FGP3-8: Audio Design in Games and VR

In today’s podcast, Brandon and Dan are joined by Filament’s Ethan Cayko for a discussion of practical audio techniques for game development.

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Brandon Pittser
June 21, 2017
Bloom’s Taxonomy and 21st Century Skills

We draw on quite a few paradigms of thought when we develop games, and fortunately for us there is no shortage of taxonomies and frameworks to be found in the realm of education.

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Brandon Pittser
July 5, 2017
Getting Patriotic with iCivics

Happy (belated) Fourth of July! Now that the lawn chairs are back in the garage and refrigerators are bursting with leftovers, I’m looking for ways to prolong my lingering sense of patriotism and national pride.

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Brandon Pittser
July 10, 2017
Filament Games Podcast Finale – Episodes 9 & 10

That’s a wrap! Season 3 of the Filament Games podcast is officially concluded with this exciting double-header.

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Brandon Pittser
July 17, 2017
Medical Applications for Virtual Reality

Last time I checked in on the Virtual Reality space I was looking at VR projects that were creating a positive impact on the world, and I found no shortage of material.

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Brandon Pittser
July 31, 2017
Highlights from a Decade of Learning Games

What does a decade of learning games look like? Filament Games has been around making learning games and taking names since 2005, which was so long ago that smartphones weren’t even a thing at the time.

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Brandon Pittser
August 3, 2017
Walden and ELA Games for Learning

With Games for Change awarding Most Significant Impact and Game of the Year to Walden, a Game, there’s a lot of attention right now on the type of game that Walden represents – that is, narrative games, which fall more broadly into the category of English Language Arts (ELA) games.

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Brandon Pittser
September 6, 2017
Unity for Education – An Interview with Jessica Lindl

The Filament Games blog team recently sat down to talk with Jessica Lindl, Global Head of Education at Unity, to talk through their plans and aspirations around the education industry.

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Brandon Pittser
September 11, 2017
Game-Based Learning Research Roundup 2017

As game-based learning finds its way into the mainstream of teaching modalities, questions about efficacy will naturally start to surface.

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Brandon Pittser
September 18, 2017
Augmented Reality and Training

We’ve been talking a lot about VR lately, but the world of XR content and experiences is wide and inclusive of mixed reality (MR), augmented reality (AR), and more, each with its own set of strengths and applications.

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Brandon Pittser
September 20, 2017
Making Games that Learn

There’s a lot we can learn playing games – from Newtonian physics to object-oriented coding, games can make us more capable and more informed.

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Brandon Pittser
October 2, 2017
Project Highlight: Aquation from the Smithsonian Institute

Learning games are powerful tools for delivering information – whether you’re teaching basic spelling or object-oriented code, learning games are potent experience engines that immerse and engage the learner.

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Brandon Pittser
October 4, 2017
Video Games and The Scientific Method

The Mario Method Form a question, create a hypothesis, predict the outcome, test your theory.

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Brandon Pittser
October 9, 2017
ESA Heartland Series: An Interview with Dan White

Note: This interview first appeared in the Entertainment Software Association blog.

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Brandon Pittser
October 25, 2017
Meet the Expert: Virtual Reality Artist Adam Blumenthal

We recently connected with Adam Blumenthal, a veteran of the virtual reality space, to discuss the history and future of Virtual Reality.

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Brandon Pittser
October 30, 2017
Speed Sketch! Halloween 2.0

Happy Halloween everyone! For this year’s Halloween Speed Sketch, Game Art Lead Natasha Soglin takes us on a hike through a colorful autumn forest scene.

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Brandon Pittser
May 13, 2026
5 Excellent Digital Games for Teaching Empathy

Like most human-made scenarios, the K-12 classroom is a high-stakes environment for social development.

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Brandon Pittser
May 11, 2026
Research Roundup: The Impact of Digital Play on Social-Emotional Development

Happy Monday everyone! Today we’re going to talk about cognitive wellness and learning.

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Brandon Pittser
May 6, 2026
The Latest Findings in AI and Learning - May 2026

Our April roundup focused on where the lines are drawn, and May is showing us exactly how those boundaries look in practice.

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Brandon Pittser
May 4, 2026
What's New in Game-based Learning - May 2026

This month brings new data and unique projects to the wild and wonderful world of educational game development.

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Brandon Pittser
April 30, 2026
april roundup: game-based learning across contexts

Throughout April, we explored how interactive digital experiences apply targeted frameworks to solve distinct educational challenges.

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Brandon Pittser
April 27, 2026
Game-based Learning for Environmental Awareness

Happy Monday, Filafriends! Today, we consider the environment, and the fact that it’s pretty much all we have.

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Brandon Pittser
April 22, 2026
The Best Educational Games for Nintendo Switch 2

Since the Nintendo Switch 2 launched, it has rapidly found its way into family living rooms worldwide.

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Brandon Pittser
April 15, 2026
Why Cognitive Satiety is the New Goal for EdTech

The dopamine extraction schemes behind many popular digital products are often blamed for shrinking attention spans, especially in environments filled with constant notifications and competing stimuli.

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Brandon Pittser
April 13, 2026
Equipping Students for the Trades Through Game-based Learning

Career and technical education trains students to operate with precision before they have access to real equipment, real stakes, or real time in the field – a gap that has always asserted itself when the granularity of professional realities meet the abstractions of what one learns from curricula.

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Brandon Pittser
April 8, 2026
The Latest Findings in AI and Learning - April 2026

Our March roundup focused on clarity, and with that clarity in hand, April is showing us where the lines start getting drawn.

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Brandon Pittser
April 6, 2026
What’s New in Game-based Learning - April 2026

This month brought a mix of new tools, research, and notable projects that are worth a look.

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Brandon Pittser
April 1, 2026
Building Data Literacy Through Game-Based Agency

Data literacy is a non-negotiable competency for the modern workforce. While our recent update on artificial intelligence and education explored how learners prompt generative models, it’s equally important to address the foundational skills required to evaluate their work.

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Brandon Pittser
March 30, 2026
Five Great Games for Learning on the Go

Whether you’re commuting to work, waiting for an appointment, or just kinda bored, who can resist the siren’s song of the smartphone?

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Brandon Pittser
March 25, 2026
Systems Thinking in Educational Games

10 years ago – yonks ago – in an article called Yes, You Are a Gamer, I noted that everyday existence is governed by mechanics and dynamics, meaning we all intuitively understand how to navigate complex, interactive rulesets.

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Brandon Pittser
March 23, 2026
Why Effective Educational Games Require Friction

Best practices in digital design often prioritize seamless user experiences – intuitive interfaces, frictionless onboarding, and uninterrupted progress are the hallmarks of the modern digital interactive.

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Brandon Pittser
March 16, 2026
The TEMPO Shift: What the FDA’s New Pilot Means for Interactive Medical Technology

The intersection of digital innovation and clinical validation has long been a bottleneck for medtech entrepreneurs.

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Brandon Pittser
March 11, 2026
From Novelty to Utility: Emerging Trends in Game-Based Learning

A review of current trends in game-based learning suggests that the industry is moving away from the novelty of play and toward the utility of systems and of course, impact!

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Brandon Pittser
March 9, 2026
The Latest Findings in AI and Learning - March 2026

Welcome in everyone, it’s time for another monthly roundup of the latest developments in the grand, society-wide technological experiment we call artificial intelligence.

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Brandon Pittser
March 2, 2026
what’s new in game-based learning - march 2026

The highlights (and numerous student-led EDU game launches!) from this last month show that structured play is now a frontline tool for public health, high-level physics, and crisis management.

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Brandon Pittser
February 23, 2026
🚨Game Launch!🚨 Introducing Credit Climber from Intuit

Hey Filafriends! Today we’re turning our attention to an important topic - namely, financial literacy.

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Brandon Pittser
February 18, 2026
Exciting Changes to the Filament Games Website

Exciting news – the 2026 Filament Games website overhaul is currently underway! At this very moment, a small legion of marketing gnomes are hard at work writing whimsical, yet restrained copy, approving eye-catching designs, polishing nifty hover states, and building a robust cookie consent management system.

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Brandon Pittser
February 16, 2026
Knowledge Retention and Training with Serious Games

Organizations often face a persistent adherence gap where learners abandon training before achieving operational competency.

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Brandon Pittser
February 11, 2026
Exploring Learning-First Games for Corporate Upskilling

Corporate training in 2026 is moving away from passive content consumption toward active, skills-based simulations that drive measurable workforce improvement.

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Brandon Pittser
February 9, 2026
Patient Adherence and Clinical Outcomes in Digital Therapeutics

We’re getting heady today folks, and for good reason – as we look around at medical learning solutions and impact-oriented medical technologies, we can’t help but notice some changes in the landscape of digital health in 2026.

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Brandon Pittser
February 4, 2026
the latest findings in AI and learning - february 2026

Policy debates are heating up as the AI race enters a new phase in which the top spot once again seems to be up for grabs.

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Brandon Pittser
February 2, 2026
What’s New in Game-based Learning - February 2026

Much like game-based learning itself, we’re expanding our focus across multiple sectors this month.

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Brandon Pittser
January 28, 2026
Why Games Work as a Corporate Social Responsibility Format

Games earn sustained attention in ways CSR messaging usually cannot Most CSR initiatives struggle with the same structural problem: they rely on formats that compete poorly for attention.

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Brandon Pittser
January 21, 2026
Training Formats for Stronger ROI

Training formats tend to persist long after the conditions that created them. Workshops, webinars, and slide-based courses remain common because they are familiar and operationally simple.

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Brandon Pittser
January 14, 2026
Celebrating 20 Years of Playful Innovation

This year, we’re looking back on 20 years of learning games, and frankly, it looks great.

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Brandon Pittser
January 8, 2026
The Latest Findings in AI and Learning - January 2026

Winter has settled in, and with it, a quieter phase of the AI conversation. The frantic model releases and headline-chasing proclamations have not stopped, but this month we’re turning our attention to Balanced Editorial and Practical Advice.

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Brandon Pittser
January 5, 2026
What’s New in Game-Based Learning - January 2026

Game-based learning kicked off the year by reinforcing something we have seen repeatedly over the past two decades: games tend to show up where traditional systems struggle.

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Brandon Pittser
December 22, 2025
Filament Games Release Highlights for 2025

As 2025 comes to a close, we’re taking a moment to reflect on the work we shipped and the partners we built with.

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Brandon Pittser
December 17, 2025
Four Lesser-Known Origins of Game-Based Learning

Game-based learning is often discussed as a modern response to new technology, so it might surprise you that many of its most effective ideas were established decades ago, shaped by institutional needs, limited hardware, and the realities of teaching at scale.

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Brandon Pittser
December 15, 2025
Major EdTech Policy Changes Coming in 2026

In 2026, education technology policy is entering a more enforceable phase. Many of the conversations that dominated the last few years around accessibility, student data, and AI use are now crystallizing into concrete requirements with real deadlines.

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Brandon Pittser
December 10, 2025
Four Paths Toward the Future of AI-Enhanced Learning

The future of learning does not converge on a single destination. Across the past year, researchers have explored how AI tools support instruction, how they influence learning environments, and how institutions respond to them.

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Brandon Pittser
November 13, 2019
Game-Based Learning for Higher Education

Curious how you can harness the power of games to support your research? By now, it’s no secret that game-based learning is effective.

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Brandon Pittser
November 7, 2022
The Origin Story of RoboCo

You know the origin story of our bee-loved mascot and the origin story of Filament Games itself.

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Brandon Pittser
September 16, 2020
Digital Games for Education Publishers

In today’s intensely competitive publishing landscape, it’s critical to develop a diversified catalog of both print and digital properties that keeps your organization ahead of customer preferences and demand.

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Brandon Pittser
January 6, 2020
EdTech Predictions for 2020

A new year has arrived, and it is time to prognosticate! For your sake and mine, I’m going to refrain from making the obvious puns about vision and 2020, and indeed I fear that even this sentence has gone too far.

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Brandon Pittser
July 22, 2019
Augmented Reality in 2019

It’s been a big year for us in virtual reality – with a Webby win and a new PC/VR hybrid title on the way (namely, RoboCo), our VR efforts continue to pay dividends.

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Brandon Pittser
December 8, 2025
How AI Supports Adaptive Game-Based Learning

With the advent of AI technology that takes to tasks like gas takes to a container, it’s no surprise that adaptive learning has become a central theme across recent educational research.

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Brandon Pittser
August 16, 2021
Project Round-up: Educational Games for Adults by Filament Games

Oregon Trail, Math Blasters, Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego – these classic educational games have one thing in common: they’re for kids!

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Brandon Pittser
October 31, 2024
Resource Roundup: The Wide World of Scholastic Esports

As we explored this month, scholastic esports are evolving into a powerful educational modality, connecting students with unique opportunities to build skills, simulate careers, and prepare themselves for the future.

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Brandon Pittser
September 16, 2024
Filament Games Podcast | Season 8 Episode 4 - SXSW Interview with Julie Willcott

We’re excited to bring you another fascinating episode of the Filament Games Podcast, recorded live at SXSW EDU 2024!

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Brandon Pittser
June 8, 2022
RoboCo is in the Steam Next Festival!

Hello, Filamentarians! If you’ve been wondering what’s new with our upcoming sandbox robotics game, RoboCo, and if you’re ready for summer fun, we have just the news for you.

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Brandon Pittser
December 3, 2025
The Latest Findings in AI and Learning - December 2025

The cold chill of winter is here, and I just looked outside through frosted windowpanes, and it appears that the AI bubble (?) remains unpopped, and indeed, bubbling.

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Brandon Pittser
December 1, 2025
What’s New in Game-Based Learning - December 2025

Game-based learning showed its range this month. Several stories focused on how interactive systems support people during moments of strain, whether that strain comes from workplace pressure, academic uncertainty, or the slow work of physical recovery.

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Brandon Pittser
November 26, 2025
November Roundup: Game-based Learning for Business and CSR

Much like a competitive business, this month’s posts were laser-focused on the bottom line: organizations are using interactive learning to drive real outcomes.

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Brandon Pittser
November 24, 2025
The Impact of CSR Games: What Research Shows

Corporate social responsibility efforts often rely on reports, campaigns, or one-time events that are easy to overlook.

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Brandon Pittser
November 19, 2025
The ROI of Corporate Training

If you work in corporate instructional design or Learning & Development, you are likely familiar with the eternal struggle of proving the value of your training programs.

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Brandon Pittser
November 17, 2025
How Games Work for Corporate Learning

Corporate training only works when people feel invested in what they are practicing.

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Brandon Pittser
November 12, 2025
Research Roundup: Proof That Games Work in Business Training

As it turns out, playful learning is serious business. Over the past year, researchers have released a wave of data showing how game-based learning boosts engagement, decision-making, and retention in professional settings.

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Brandon Pittser
November 10, 2025
The Latest Findings on AI and Learning - November 2025

As usual, this month finds AI in an interesting place. Speculation about bubbles and when they might burst is everywhere you look, so much so that some of the top leaders in AI are feeling obliged to address the topic directly.

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