Game2Work Day 2023 was organized around the multitude of ways games can be used for positive impact—in education, workforce development, work skills development, community building, and more. Keynote speaker Damon Packwood is the founder of Gameheads, a technology training program based in Oakland, CA, that has a mission of equipping young people of color with the technology and life skills they need to succeed at school, in their careers, and beyond.
The interactive event also included a panel discussion, mix-n-match presentations and small-group discussions, and game demonstrations. Additionally, attendees had a chance to learn about the new Game Design Major under development at Iowa State.
To help further the many conversations that started during the sessions, the day concluded with a social hour from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. for networking and planning next steps.
Program Overview
9:30 a.m. Registration
All Day: Game Exhibit and Demos
10:00 a.m. Opening and Welcome
10:20 a.m. Keynote and Q & A: Damon Packwood, Executive Director of Gameheads
11:20 a.m. BREAK
11:30 a.m. Panel Discussion and Q & A: The Potential and Power of Games
Ezequiel Aleman, PhD in Education and Human-Computer Interaction, Iowa State University
Nathan Rodemeyer, Co-Head Esports Coach, Marshalltown Community College
Joe Roth, Co-Owner and Manager, The Dealt Hand
E.B. Updegraff, CEO, Hatchlings
12:30 p.m. Lunch sponsored by the ISU Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship
Guided game, with an opportunity to win the game and take it home!
1:30 p.m. BREAK
1:45 p.m. Mix-N-Match Presentations and Breakout Discussions
3:15 p.m. BREAK
3:30 p.m. Mix-N-Match Top Takeaways
4:00 p.m. Social Hour (beverages and light refreshments, game exhibit and demos)
Keynote by Damon Packwood, Executive Director of Gameheads
Video Games: Fun, Future Proof, and Forward Thinking (Or How Video Games Can Prepare Students for the Future of Work)
While Gameheads is recognized for diversifying the game dev and tech pipeline, that wasn't exactly how it started. The original idea behind Gameheads was to use video games to trick students into learning 21st-century hard and soft skills.
Technology is moving so fast that we don't really know what the next 22 years are going to look like. But what most technologists, futurists, and educators can agree on are the skills that will prepare students for a future in tech and gaming. In this talk, Gameheads creator, Executive Director Damon Packwood, will dive into how video games can prepare students for the future while building the next generation of game developers and having lots of fun doing it.