8th European Conference on Game-Based Learning (ECGBL 2014)  host  at University of Applied Sciences HTW Berlin;

Good games provide great experiences. They motivate players to play them for mastery, exploration, social bonding, narrative pleasure, imagination, competition or walking the edge of losing control. Games are played in short bursts or long sessions. In the spare time, while commuting, in breaks and at work. Good games may even alter your views and perceptions.

 So what keeps us from using (more) games for education and training. Its not a new thought – Take research on the indian chess ancestor or on game-based learning in the enlightenment. – but today still an enticing one. Theoretical and practical work in the area of Edutainment, Serious Games & Play as well as Game-Based Learning have advanced the field with both best as well as worst practices. Applied learning theories differ – behaviorism and skill&drill, cognitivism, constructivism, constructionism – all having their merits and pitfalls. New technologies, concepts and usage patterns arise (e.g. cheap motion-tracking, Gamification, mobile gaming) while other hypes subside (see social/Facebook games). All of this and more makes Game-Based Learning such an intriguing field, but also one that needs input from all areas of art, science, business and education/training. ECGBL 2014 will be your opportunity for the presentation of research, theory, application, practice and validation in the field of Game-Based Learning. In addition, you will be able to enjoy the city of Berlin. 

Following on from the successful Educational/Serious Games Competition at ECGBL 2013 we are also pleased to be hosting the 2^nd International Educational/Serious Games Competition at the conference in Berlin. Click here to read a write up about the 2013 competition.

 ECGBL is also pleased to incorporate the 5th International Conference on Serious Games Development & Applications (SGDA 2014). 

http://academic-conferences.org/ecgbl/ecgbl2014/ecgbl14-home.htm