Game design plus

Anand Ramachandran

Jan 1st 20233min

The Most Important Game Design Lessonever Learned

While we designers rarely ignore the mechanics based aspects of what makes our games fun and addictive (aspiration, progression, balance, storytelling etc.) there's one simple rule that I've seen ignored time and again, and indeed have been guilty of ignoring myself.

Anand Ramachandran

Jul 08th 20223min

Video Games Make Kids Smarter

Here's me, in conversation with veteran game developer Rajesh Rao of Dhruva Interactive at the Neev Children's Literature Festival 2017, talking about the positive effects and educational potential of video games.

Anand Ramachandran

Mar 02nd 20223min

Learning From Game Design Mistakes

At India Game Developer Conference 2018, I moderated a panel titled "My Biggest Game Design Mistake", where experienced industry veterans Kriti Sawa, Bhavna Padmanabhan and Hrishi Oberoi joined me on stage to talk about our biggest career blunders, and the lessons we learned from them.

Anand Ramachandran

Jan 5th 20223min

Beating The Bad Habits That Kill Creativity

I conducted a workshop at India Game Developer Conference 2018 on creative thinking. I regularly do similar workshops for companies and student groups as well, so if you're interested in knowing more, this video is a good place to get an idea of the kind of sessions I do.

Aravindh Ramachandran

Dec 08th 20222min

Reducing cognitive overload through gamification

When your learners are presented with too much information at the same time, they can suffer from cognitive overload. Literally, the brain is unable to process all the material it is provided, resulting in poor absorption, retention and learning outcomes. Cognitive overload can be a result of poor instructional design, but it can also be caused in cases where the training demands a large curriculum to be effective.

Aravindh Ramachandran

May 13th 20223min

How do you take a physical quiz game for children and create a compelling digital experience?

When compared to offline games, online versions offer many opportunities for increased user engagement. We were proud to partner with a leader in the field of educational game creation – Skillmatics – to help them bring an already successful card-based offline game to the digital world. Along the way, we incorporated a range of instructional design and technology-enabled elements – from sound and avatar design to built-in timers – to enhance player engagement.

Bhuvaneshwaran Moorthy

May 19th 20223min

Losing doesn’t mean Game Over: How to move past losses and take advantage of failures in game-based learning

When you play a game, whether it’s competitive or collaborative, alone or with an opponent, a near-universal truth is that you play the game to win and face the chance of loss. On the other hand, many managers prefer not to demotivate adult learners (often already disengaged) through negative reinforcement like failure or loss.

Bhuvaneshwaran Moorthy

May 05th 20223min

Game-Based Learning: What not to do

Game-based learning and gamification are two buzzwords of the e-learning industry that seem to be only gaining in popularity! While they are undoubtedly effective online learning tools, they are not infallible and may not be applicable in every situation.