Game Design vs. Academic Gamification

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Nolan Bushnell is the founder of Atari and Chuck E. Cheese and is widely known as the father of the video game industry. Dr. Leah Hanes is the CEO of ExoDexa, co-author of the ExoDexa Manifesto, and leads the Two Bit Circus Foundation, where she has impacted over 460,000 students through game-based and project-based learning.

💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode:

1. Why traditional schooling fails students who don’t learn at the “right” pace
2. How game design principles like flow and mastery can transform learning
3. The role AI can play in personalized, no-grades education
4. Why gamification efforts led by academics often fall short
5. What a “perfect school day” could look like in an AI-driven future

✨ Episode Highlights:
[00:03:00] Nolan Bushnell on the throughline from Atari to education reform
[00:05:10] Dr. Leah Hanes on why learning by doing leads to deeper retention
[00:07:52] How AI enables true individualized learning inside ExoDexa
[00:12:16] Nolan on eliminating grades and batch-processing in education
[00:16:58] Why homeschoolers may lead the next wave of education innovation
[00:21:33] The science of “flow” and what makes learning feel addictive
[00:27:51] Leah’s vision for AI tutors, physical activity, and student agency
[00:29:30] Nolan’s radical take on VR, exercise, naps, and brain science in school

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This season of Edtech Insiders is brought to you by Cooley LLP. Cooley is the go-to law firm for education and edtech innovators, offering industry-informed counsel across the 'pre-K to gray' spectrum. With a multidisciplinary approach and a powerful edtech ecosystem, Cooley helps shape the future of education.

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