12/14/12 — Games Summit planned for February

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Games Summit planned for February

By From staff reports
Published in News on December 14, 2012 1:46 PM

Plans are under way to bring the 2013 Carolina Games Summit to Wayne Community College, with an instructional technology coordinator lined up to speak at the event about how video games might be entertaining, but also provide tremendous potential for learning in the classroom.

The annual summit will be held Feb. 2 at the college, from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. Cost is $10 and includes speakers, exhibitors and tournaments.

Since its inception in 2006, Carolina Games Summit has been a premier attraction for the video game community. More than 1,200 attended last year, when 17 speakers and eight sessions were on the program.

Lucas Gillispie, from Pender County Schools, will discuss what academic experts are saying, explore real-world examples of video game integration into instruction and talk about the future of video game-based learning.

An avid gamer, he is passionate about the integration of video games into the learning environment. In 2009, he founded the WoWinSchool Project, designed to explore the education potential of games like "World of Warcraft" with at-risk middle school learners. His most recent project, SAGA, or Story and Game Academy, aims to encourage middle grades students to build reading and writing skills through video games. He also blogs about games in education at www.edurealms.com.

The Carolina Games Summit is a hybrid event that incorporates industry speakers, video game tournaments, concerts, exhibition booths, educational sessions and trading card games. Participants can compete against gamers from all over the country and engage in arcade, computer and console games with both tournament and free-play options available.

The schedule and registration details can be found at www.Carolina GamesSummit.com.