Presentation: The Surprising Benefits of Video Game Play

Games are more than just entertainment—they are engines of learning, connection and transformation. This presentation will explore the diverse impacts of games and play, from fostering literacy and scientific reasoning to enhancing emotional self-regulation, social connectedness and individual growth. Learn about the spread of game innovations and technologies to other sectors, their impact on human cognition and culture and learning and ways to make games a force for good. Join us for an interactive discussion of how games shape minds, strengthen friendships and create new possibilities for content learning and practical skills. Whether you're a player, educator or game designer, this presentation will help you make the most of play. Registration required.

Dr. Constance Steinkuehler is a Professor of Informatics at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) where she researches cognition, culture and learning in the context of multiplayer videogames. She is the Co-Director of the Games+Learning+Society Center and she formerly served as Senior Policy Analyst in the Obama White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Her work has been featured in Science, Wired, USA Today, New York Times, LA Times, ABC, CBS, CNN, NPR and the BBC. Current projects include investigations of toxicity and extremism in online commercial games and game-based programs in incarcerated settings to foster inclusion, equanimity and social connectedness. 

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This event is part of SF Tech Week.