FableVision Shines at Games for Change

Celebrating its 20th anniversary, the Games for Change (G4C) Festival in New York City brought together industry leaders, game developers, executives, and fans to share best practices from the best impact-making games and the creative minds behind them. 

As frequent festival presenters, attendees, and award nominees and winners, FableVisionaries are no strangers to G4C. FableVision has attended and been involved with the festival from its early years, as it perfectly aligns with the studio’s mission to move the world to a better place through positive media. We’ve proudly collaborated with G4C in the past and have been honored to showcase our work in its arena. In previous years, FableVision’s Caduceus: Staff of the Alchemist, created with Children’s Hospital Trust, was nominated for the Direct Impact award, while Quandary, created with Learning Games Network, won the 2013 Game of the Year award.

FableVision shone at two studio project briefs, featuring our games Nunaka and The Plastic Pipeline. Read on for a recap. If you have questions about these projects, please reach out! We’re happy to chat.

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Nunaka!: Games for Indigenous Cultural Heritage Preservation
FableVision Presenter: Anne Richards, Producer, Game Designer, Co-Creative

Created with Chugachmiut, a non-profit that serves Native tribes in the Chugach region of Alaska, Nunaka is an early childhood mobile game that excites 3-5-year-olds about the Alaska Native Sugpiaq culture, teaches the Sugt'stun language, and targets key school readiness goals. The game recently won the Formal Learning (Elementary) award at the James Paul GEE! Learning Game Awards. 

Anne Richards, who produced the game, has deep expertise in developing children’s media for television, publishing, games, edtech, and more. Her experience and game design background contributed to creating a fun, engaging, and beautiful game. Anne’s presentation emphasized the importance of making communities like G4C more accessible to the Indigenous people who are inspiring conversations around representation in the edtech space – also how we can travel to meet knowledge holders where they are.

In the story-driven game, players take on the role of a Sugpiaq child living with their grandparents, Emaa and Apaa, in a fictionalized version of a community based on villages in the Chugach region. Players create an avatar and explore the village, completing activities and minigames, while collecting items and interacting with other residents, including human characters and animals from the region. 

To make the game as culturally accurate as possible, FableVision co-designed and co-developed Nunaka with Chugachmiut and the Sugpiaq people during virtual Elder meetings. Studio members also visited Alaska multiple times for meetings to get feedback in person from the Sugpiaq Elders and village Head Start students. 

Nunaka stands out from other cultural games by preserving an endangered language. “There were a lot of intricacies of working with Sugt’stun,” said Anne. “This language has been passed down via oral tradition rather than as a written language, and there is an extremely small number of master speakers remaining, many of whom have lost some of their knowledge of the language over time.”

To ensure that Nunaka captured Sugt’stun correctly, FableVision gathered groups of speakers to help each other with script translations and to collectively navigate dialectical differences, which could be significant even within a small geographic region. It was also important to investigate the cultural context behind translations to make sure details weren’t getting lost in the process. “One of our favorite examples: ‘Akutaq,’ which is translated as ‘Sugpiaq ice cream’ in English, is a dish of potatoes and seal oil. Very different from the ice cream we are used to,” said Anne.

Anne acknowledged the limitations of her ability to represent the Sugpiaq perspective on Nunaka’s creation process. “I’d like to challenge attendees and the larger G4C community to engage with ways in which these conversations can be more accessible to Indigenous people themselves,” she said. “It was not possible for our Alaska Native partners to travel a long distance for a brief conference presentation. I encourage the community to consider how to make our spaces more genuinely accessible to Indigenous and marginalized people.”

Play Nunaka today! The game can be downloaded on iOS and Google Play.

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The Plastic Pipeline
FableVision Presenter: Jonah Gaynor, Producer

Considering that the world is producing double the amount of plastic waste as it did two years ago, the Wilson Center partnered with FableVision to create The Plastic Pipeline, an online game that educates and encourages policy change to combat leaks in the real-life “plastic pipeline.” 

FableVision producer Jonah Gaynor utilized his game design background to design Nurdle Alert!, a minigame that teaches players about nurdles and their impact on the environment. “Nurdles are the ‘lego bricks of the plastic world,’ the smallest unit of melted down plastic,” he said. “Staying consistent to the art and style of the game, the minigame centers around capturing these nurdles with a net before they damage the environment and creatures.” 

To engage young adults with the game, players act as influencers in Plasti City who have the power to create change by learning from characters in different locations who interact with the pipeline at every stage and represent different voices within the discussion of what to do about the plastics crisis. The game centers around policy decisions to show that the largest burden of responsibility for lessening plastic pollution falls on legislatures and policy makers, rather than individual consumer actions. 

Director of Wilson Center’s Serious Games Initiative Dr. Elizabeth M. H. Newbury and Director of Wilson Center’s China Environment Forum Dr. Jennifer Turner presented with Jonah to explain the game development process – policy research, iteration and design, and testing, and the next steps, which would involve more testing and further building out of the game. 

While Nurdle Alert! starts out fairly easy, the levels get exponentially challenging, mimicking the real difficulty of the clean-up process, and encouraging replayability. “The levels of the game demonstrate that the clean-up process doesn’t have a simple solution,” said Jonah. “While that is frustrating, players keep returning to the minigame hoping to improve their score. That also allows them to keep exploring the game, furthering its mission in educating players about the plastic pipeline.”

Check out the game and stay tuned for its further development.

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In Summary – More Highlights & Takeaways

The G4C movement promotes using games for social change, and changemakers discussed how games can be more than great entertainment, but can also unite communities, improve players’ well-being, help players express themselves, foster creativity, provide education, and more. To spark change and make the most impact, speakers encouraged game developers to broaden the community by looking into emerging markets, making games available to a larger audience, and creating games with players’ interests in mind.

Among other topics, this year’s festival discussed how games can raise awareness about sustainability and social justice issues. Games like Endling: Extinction is Forever by Herobeat Studios (Game of the Year and Most Significant Impact) and Terra Nil by Free Lives (Most Impact) confronted environmental degradation and restoring nature. 

Meanwhile, Go Nisha Go: My Life My Choice by Howard Delafield International, LLP (Best Learning Game) and (val)iant: or, val’s guide to having a broken vag by Cactus Studio (Best Student Game) focused on sexual and reproductive health, empowering women to make informed decisions about their bodies. The festival’s winners from this year represented eight countries – check out the full list of winners and nominees. 

Grace Collins, a former FableVisionary and founder/CEO of Snowbright Studio, was recognized as the 2023 Vanguard recipient for their work in bringing the game industry to new places, such as the Smithsonian and U.S. Department of Education, as well as their advocacy for LGBTQ+ voices. We congratulate Grace on all of their amazing work! 

Thank you G4C for a great festival. Until next time!

"Zoombinis" Now On FableVision Games!

The little blue guys on a logical adventure have found a new home!

The award-winning relaunch of the classic, beloved ’90s game Logical Journey of the Zoombinis is now available for classroom use on FableVision Games. Created in partnership with TERC, a not-for-profit leader in K-12 math and science education, and the Learning Games Network, a not-for-profit game company, Zoombinis is an engaging and entertaining logic puzzle game designed to teach Computational Thinking (CT) for grades 3-8. 

Players must use their logical reasoning, data analysis, pattern finding, and problem-solving skills to help their Zoombini characters complete unique challenges, escape imprisonment from the evil Bloats, and reach the promised land of Zoombiniville. On this journey, they face 12 puzzles and four levels of increasing difficulty in each, including Pizza Pass, Titanic Tattooed Toads, and Mudball Wall. The Zoombinis travel in groups across multiple levels until all 400 blue creatures are saved.

Zoombinis uses implicit learning—learning that can’t be necessarily articulated on a test or in a question, but that manifests itself as behaviors or practices within a game. Throughout gameplay, players learn important life skills including algebraic thinking, data analysis, and theory formulation in a fun and engaging setting. 

The classroom version features additional educator materials and guides, as well as tracking that allows educators to collect data as their students play Zoombinis, and—through the use of detectors—identify when players demonstrate the four fundamental practices of CT: problem decomposition, pattern recognition, algorithm design, and abstraction as they appear within the puzzles.

The web game is now available to play on FableVision Games, where you can also access accompanying professional development resources.

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June FableFriday: Shannon Frederick Meneses, Executive Producer at Learning Games Network

An old friend of FableVision’s, Shannon Frederick Meneses has always been devoted to educational media. As the Executive Producer for Learning Games Network (LGN), she has been a powerful advocate for pedagogically-sound games with forward-thinking design and deep roots in educational research.

Over the years, Shannon has helped strengthen LGN’s commitment to broad and strategic outreach, advanced development, and a strong foundation in research. At LGN, Shannon works with scholars like Dr. Lacey Hilliard at Tufts University to insure that students and educators are getting games that are informed by the most recent and trusted research.

“With all of our projects and audiences, we are constantly re-thinking and re-shaping our outreach for our projects and audiences. We regularly conduct market research to expand our knowledge of our audience(s),” says Shannon. “I have found engaging your user base is an ever-evolving process and we continue to find unique and creative ways to reach out and keep them informed and connected.”

Shannon’s work both with FableVision and LGN included the development of the award-winning learning game Quandary, which teaches ethics curriculum to middle schoolers. In this FableFriday, we spoke to Shannon about her work with LGN and FableVision, and learned more about what drives her passion for educational media.

Tell us a little bit about your role at LGN and the work the organization does.
I am beyond lucky to be the Executive Producer at the Learning Games Network. As part of a small company, we all have to wear many hats. My main role, though, is to create, coordinate, execute, and make things happen!

LGN is a spin-off of the MIT Education Arcade. It was created as a non-profit organization with the aim of bridging the gap between research and practice in the field of game-based learning. We build award winning games across a wide-range of ages, content, and devices. At their core LGN's games feature inspiring design, innovative pedagogy, and sound business strategy.

What inspired you to enter the educational media field, and how did you get your start?
It may sound silly, but I can’t remember a time when I didn’t want to be in educational media. I come from a family of teachers, and I was always in awe of what they did.

Growing up, I wanted to find a way to do some good in this world and combine two things I loved: education and media. I had a fascination with TV shows and movies and how they were made. Not only did I love them for their content, but I was also intrigued by the process of making stories and characters come to life.

While studying TV and Film at the Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University, I was fortunate enough to be mentored by some of the best and brightest in media production. Hearing their stories and learning from their experiences only furthered my interest and passion for this work. I dove in head first and worked my butt off. Whether I was in a writing class tweaking scripts, behind the camera shooting, or editing footage until the wee hours, I loved and learned it all.

Soon after graduation, I moved to LA and gained experience as an apprentice editor in the New Media group at Disney. While I cherished my time in LA and the incredible relationships formed and expertise gained, my passion was still with educational media. So, I made my way back east and eventually landed in Boston. I continued to build my resume and worked at sound studios and production companies. In 2003 I landed my first project management job at Six Red Marbles. It was there  that I met FableVision’s Technical Director, Brian Grossman!  He eventually moved on from SRM and was hired at FableVision. A little while later, he reached out to me to interview for a producer opening. I was ecstatic when I got the job and I never looked back. I have been in production for 20 years, and I wouldn’t change a thing.

To engage students in ethical decision-making, LGN and FableVision created Quandary, a teaching tool designed to help students 8+ recognize and deal with ethical situations in their own lives. What inspired this game?
The idea for Quandary began with Shelly London, while she was an inaugural fellow at Harvard University. Feeling there was a strong need to create a game that engages young people and helps them develop skills such as critical thinking, perspective-taking and decision-making, she set out to create this one-of-a-kind game.

She brought together a team of experts across the fields of child development, social and emotional learning and game design. That team of experts included scholars from Harvard and Tufts, who devised a prototype that was tested for viability, led by Professor Marina Bers. From there, Scot Osterweil and designers at LGN refined the game. Peter Stidwill, serving as LGN’s Executive Producer at the time, worked with FableVision to bring the game to life.

How is Quandary unique in the world of game-based learning and social-emotional learning?
Quandary has many components that make it unique, from its visual appeal to the conversation it sparks in educators and players alike.

In Quandary, players are captain of a human colony on the Planet Braxos, attempting to build a viable outpost. The story is told through captivating graphic novels, drawing players in as they have to make difficult decisions in which there is no one right answer—just like in real life.

Throughout the game, they develop skills such as critical thinking, perspective-taking and decision-making. While there are a number of games that incorporate these concepts, Quandary is unparalleled, as it addresses these ideas head-on. Quandary also takes it a step further, as it doesn’t represent ethical challenges as black and white issues. In this game, all sides are treated fairly.

Collaboration is also a key component of Quandary. We encourage educators to have students play in pairs as it promotes quality interactions during gameplay. As students engage in the game, they are allowed to replay, gather new information, hear from different colonists, and change their minds, thereby impacting the outcome based on their choices. This ability fosters a deeper level of thinking and the game becomes a catalyst for discussions among players and further enhances socioemotional learning.

What has your experience been like working with the FableVision team?
I might be a bit biased, but  after working for FableVision as a producer, the team is and always will be like family to me.

As a producer, it’s my job to lead projects, organize teams, and keep things on track. I love what I do, but it cannot be done without great partners and collaborators like those at FableVision. They are a joy to work with—true storytellers and an immensely talented team. You know when FableVision is on a project it will get done, and done well.

Scot Osterweil has also done a lot of work with LGN and FableVision on Quandary and other projects. How would you describe working with Scot?
You come to learn that this industry is actually quite small. You start to hear and see the same faces. You surround yourself with the people you want at the table. Scot is hands-down one of those people.

I have been fortunate to work alongside him for a number of years now and in a few capacities. Not only is he a legendary game designer, but he is intelligent, creative, and a true mentor. I remember receiving a call from Scot about the role at LGN. We met in his office to discuss the position. If I recall correctly, we both said it felt like kismet. Even though he’s world renowned, he’s humble and treats you as his equal. He genuinely wants thoughts and ideas from ALL team members. He is direct and deliberate with his ideas and when he speaks, everyone listens.

We heard that LGN and FableVision are heading to New York City this month. What's the occasion?
Yes, can’t wait! Peter Stidwill and I will be speaking about Quandary at the Games For Change Festival on Tuesday, June 18 at Parsons School of Design. We will share our thoughts on how to keep a game sustainable, relevant, and engaging in today’s ever-changing landscape.

Which trends are you seeing in the game-based learning arena that you’re most excited about?
I am a firm believer in trying to reach all learners—meeting them where they are rather than making them meet you. No one person learns or retains information the same way as someone else. Unlike traditional teaching methods, game-based learning has a unique ability to address numerous learning styles at the same time.

While at LGN, I’ve had the opportunity to work closely with Lacey Hilliard of Tufts University and accompany her on a research study here in Boston. Helping conduct this study allowed me to see collaborative learning first-hand. Students were actively engaged in the game—they were sharing their ideas, all the while learning and retaining valuable new skills.

What excites me most is hearing and seeing players when that lightbulb goes off.  I am eager to see what the future holds as game-based learning continues to become an integral part of education.

Favorite FableVision project: Without hesitation, Lure of the Labyrinth. It was one of my first days at FableVision when then Executive Producer, Karen Bresnahan, handed me a huge project binder and said: it’s all yours. I couldn’t imagine what I was getting myself into, but Labyrinth quickly became and still is one of my favorite projects, ironically with MIT’s Scot Osterweil at the creative helm.

Labyrinth was a large undertaking spanning multiple years. It’s a true testament to what can be done when you get a top-notch team of creative directors, writers, artists and developers together. As a producer, it’s not always easy to keep a team motivated and on track over a number of years, but this team just worked.

We heard you like to sail. Where’s your favorite place to travel to by boat and why?
Yes, it’s true, but it’s been ages since I’ve sailed like I used to. Favorite place to travel by boat: Cape Cod. Although, I used to have dreams of joining a crew and sailing somewhere exotic and just going completely off the grid.

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More About Shannon

Favorite dinosaur: Have to give a shout out to one of the smallest - the microraptor. Although, my children love dinos, and they’d be sad if I didn’t mention the T-Rex.

Go-to vacation spot: I actually don’t have a go-to spot. When possible, I really like to choose new destinations and my kids are always in tow.  Last year was Ireland. Discussions for the next trip are in the works—any recommendations?

Favorite dish to cook:  Hm, too many. I’m an avid cook (and baker) and time permitting, I like to try new things. It’s rare that I use a recipe. If I did have to choose, I’d pick my grandmother’s homemade ravioli and meatballs. There’s nothing more gratifying than looking around my kitchen after a day of cooking and baking, knowing I did it with my own two hands.

New skill you would like to learn: Play the steel drum. Stay tuned, I start lessons this month!

Favorite cartoon character: Curious George.