GAME: Se7en - What's in the Box?

Event is FULL - Currently not accepting registrations

GAME - Gaming Association of Manitoba Educators

Conference Title: GAME Se7en: What's in the Box?

Dates: Thursday, October 23, 2025 - 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Social evening of gaming with pizza and drinks - $5.00

Friday, October 24, 2025 - 8:30 am - 3:30 pm

- Program -
07:45 am - 08:30 am - Registration
08:30 am - 08:45 am - Welcome and Introductions
08:45 am - 10:15 am - Keynote - Designing Games for Change: A Game Plan for Educators
10:15 am - 10:30 am - Break
10:30 am - 11:30 am - AM Breakout Sessions
11:30 am - 01:00 pm - Lunch (provided) Wellness Promotion through Open Gaming
01:00 pm - 02:00 pm - PM 1 Breakout Sessions
02:00 pm - 02:15 pm - Break
02:15 pm - 03:15 pm - PM 2 Breakout Sessions
03:15 pm - 03:30 pm - Final Thoughts & Prizes

Location: Windsor Park Collegiate, 1015 Cottonwood Road, Winnipeg, MB

Registration Deadline: October 24 at 9:00 am

- Conference and Membership Fees -
GAME Conference Fee ................................................. $100
GAME Conference & Membership Fee ...................... $100
GAME Student Conference Fee ................................... $80
GAME Student Conference & Membership Fee ........ $80
GAME Membership Fee ................................................ $20
GAME Student Membership Fee ................................. $10
GAME Conference Presenter Fee ................................ $20

Cancellation Policy: Cancellations with refunds will be issued until October 17, 2025.

If you require any additional information about this conference, please contact Kaitlyn Kriss at kaitlyn.kriss@sjasd.ca for conference questions and Mike Heilmann at michael.heilmann@lrsd.net for registration questions.

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Sessions - 8:45 AM-10:15 AM

FULL - Keynote: How Failing Faster Helps us Learn Faster

Failing is often not looked at as a thing we want to encourage, but in the creative world, it's a necessity. We are not born being amazing at something immediately, but instead we have to go through a lot of failures to gain experience. Join Jay as he takes us through the lessons he's learned and how he's turned failing faster into a motto.

Jay will share numerous failings he's had throughout his career as a game designer, but how each one helped him succeed faster. He will share how he turned that mantra into a business called, not surprisingly, Fail Faster, and how he's able to use that in numerous ways to help designers get better at designing games.

Finally Jay will go through his newest product, Design Your Destiny, which is a story book with games every couple of chapters, but each game is broken. The book then guides the reader on ways they could fix the games making this the best way to learn game design. He will share resources like teacher's guide and downloadable workbooks to ensure teachers can re-use this multiple times.

Presenter: Jay Cormier

Jay Cormier is a professional, award-winning game designer who made his debut in 2011, co-designing the Euro-styled game Belfort. Since then he has risen to prominence with games like the block-balancing family hit, Junk Art, the temple-finding head-scratcher Akrotiri, and the sneaky hide and seek game, MIND MGMT.

As his games grew in critical acclaim and sales, Jay designed games based on popular intellectual properties including Scooby-Doo, Dungeons & Dragons, The Godfather, Orphan Black, and Men In Black. In 2018, Jay created the Fail Faster Playtesting Journal to help game designers keep better track of their playtests. In 2019, Jay started his own board game publishing company, Off the Page Games, and released MIND MGMT: The Psychic Espionage “Game”, Harrow County: The Game of Gothic Conflict, Corps of Discovery: A Game Set in the World of Manifest Destiny, and the upcoming Grendel: The Game of Crime and Mayhem.

Jay often speaks on panels at conventions including Gen Con, Fan Expo, and SHUX about all facets of game design including writing rules, getting signed, playtesting, and more. He also made a weekly YouTube series called How to Start a Board Game Company. Jay has been teaching board game design at Vancouver Film School since 2013, as part of the Game Design program.

Suitable for: K-12

Sessions - 10:30 AM-11:30 AM

FULL - AM101: Assessment and Adaptations for Neurodivergent Students in Game Design

This session is an exploration of the concrete steps taken in my video game design classroom to achieve success by removing learning barriers for neurodivergent students, specifically within our 2D Platformer project. The presentation explores the common barriers and how each is addressed within the course design.

Presenter: Ezra Reimer

Theme: Diversity and Inclusion

Suitable for: Grades 9-12

FULL - AM102: B&B - Budgets & Beginners

Contrary to popular belief, you do not have to be a (dungeon) master or have a dragon's horde to start up a D&D club.

If getting into Dungeons and Dragons has always felt a little overwhelming, this session aims to break down some of the barriers to entry - explaining and simplifying the core concepts, sharing inexpensive (and often free) resources, and giving participants a small taste of the D&D experience.

Presenter: Kelsey Jennings

Theme: Role Playing Games

Suitable for: Grades 5-12

FULL - AM103: Foam Sword Demo: Alternative Physical Activities

Pick up your sword and prepare for battle!

Foam sword battles are fast-paced, low-impact games that blend movement, strategy, and play, popularized through Live Action Roleplay. This inclusive activity provides an exciting alternative form of physical activity for kids not involved in conventional sports.

Join us for an interactive demo where you’ll get to participate in a variety of foam sword games and learn about how you can bring these activities to your school.

Presenters: Jonah Simmonds, Manitoba Educators' Role-Playing Council (MERC), and Luke Thiessen, Frontier Events

Theme: Role Playing Games

Suitable for: Grades K-12

FULL - AM104: Gaslands for the Classroom

Gaslands is a post apocalyptic table top game that uses fast cars and various strategies to achieve victory. Players create and control cars (Mad Max, Death Race 2000, Twisted Metal, etc.) and race them along a course fending off other players. This game can be played as a one off or as a larger campaign.

Skills practiced: Measurements, vehicle physics - momentum, velocity, and vehicle control and strategy

Presenter: Jim Alexander

Theme: Tabletop Gaming

Suitable for: Grades K-12

FULL - AM105: Introduction to Coding Video Games to Build Problem Solving Skills

Participants will learn how to code a simple video game and discover practical ways to integrate it into the classroom. Using a free, beginner-friendly website, they’ll explore how video game coding can support problem solving in math and serve as a creative tool in art. This course is suitable for educators working with students in Grade 4 and up. A laptop is recommended but a cellular device can equally work.

Presenter: Fabrice Siaux

Theme: Game Design

Suitable for: Grades 4-8

FULL - AM106: Minecraft in the Classroom (Bellringers)

Have you heard of Minecraft Education, but just haven't had the chance to use it in the classroom yet? This is just what you're looking for! Learn how to assign students daily or weekly challenges and ways to submit their work digitally through screen snips and screen recordings. Even if you aren't comfortable using Minecraft yourself, you don't need to be an experienced Minecrafter to make this classroom integration succeed.

Presenter: Alison Adachi

Theme: Gamification

Suitable for: Grades 4-12

FULL - AM107: Blind Date with a Board Game: Open GAMEing

Take an hour in the gym to explore games with other participants.

Presenter: Self Directed

Theme: Gamification

Suitable for: Grades K-12

FULL - AM108: Perimon: Periodic Monsters

Explore the periodic table of elements through card games and Pokemon-like monsters. Recreate the critical thinking and scientific examination of Dmitri Mendeleev to develop their own Table of Periodic Monsters. Students create drawings of different Perimon (Elements styled as Pokemon) and sort them based on basic elementary characteristics!

Arts and Science!

Presenter: Scott Plantje

Theme: Card Games

Suitable for: Grades 4-12

FULL - AM109: Starting a School Tabletop Club

Students LOVE gaming and socializing, and one of the best ways to tap into that enthusiasm is to start a Tabletop Club at YOUR school!

Not sure where to start? In this session, we will discuss the different aspects of creating and managing a Tabletop Club in any school, from organizing meetings and events, deciding on what games to play, offering competitive play via tournaments, obtaining free resources from companies, establishing connections with local suppliers, creating club-themed merchandise, and more.

Learn about ways to encourage participation and awareness of your school Tabletop Club (or D&D, or Magic, etc.) by creating an identity for your club that will make students eager to attend!

Presenters: Kay and Sarah Wojnarski

Theme: Board Games

Suitable for: Grades 4-12

FULL - AM110: Teaching Art through Board Games

Teaching the history, elements and principals of art through board games.

Presenters: Paul Connor, Norman Froemel, Eph Degusman & Neil Klassen

Theme: Board Games

Suitable for: Grades 9-12

FULL - AM111: Teaching History through Simulation

History can be truly fascinating for students when it is brought to life with them! Having students participate in roleplay and simulation, where they imagine themselves living during a time period, allows for collaborative and memorable experiences as they explore various civilizations and historical situations. Examples provided will include a Hunter-Gatherer Lifestyle Roleplay game, a Roman Senate full class simulation, and telling stories and myths around an indoor campfire, amongst others!

Presenter: Matt Careless

Theme: Role Playing Games

Suitable for: Grades 4-12

FULL - AM112: The Future of Indigenous Board Games

The session will explore the past and current state of board games with Indigenous themes and their value for education of upper grades. There will be a "play through" of a unique game based on the Trial of Louis Riel and the session will also preview a new board game being developed.

Presenters: Brian Hubner & Robin Neckoway

Theme: Board Games

Suitable for: Grades 9-12

FULL - AM113: The Rules of Feeling: Designing Emotions and Motivation through Gameplay

This workshop explores the value of play by examining how simple and elegant rules shape player experiences. Participants will learn why game rules are required for structured play, and how these structures can create complexity in play dynamics—even offering insights into how we interact as a society.

Using a paper-based card game, participants will observe how different rule sets affect group behaviour, communication, and cooperation. They’ll discover how small changes in rules can lead to many emotional responses and gameplay experiences. Most importantly, they will come to understand how intentional game design can evoke specific emotions—such as frustration, joy, or competition—highlighting the potential and power of games.

Presenter: Derek Tam

Theme: Board Games

Suitable for: Grades 9-12

FULL - AM114: Using Tabletop Games in an ELA Classroom

This session will look to explore the use of four tabletop games in a high school ELA classroom. We will look at The Quiet Year, Alice is Missing, Dialect, and Coyote and Crow and how these four games can be used to explore the 4 big outcomes in the ELA curriculum. By the end, hopefully you will leave with some more tools in your pocket for how to incorporate gaming into your ELA classroom.

Presenter: Mark Lebar

Theme: Role Playing Games

Suitable for: Grades 9-12

FULL - AM115: Fakespeare and Makespeare: Teaching Shakespeare through Roleplaying

The play's the thing!

Whether you love the Bard and can't get the students to buy in, or you're stuck with old William and can't even motivate yourself, come see some novel ways to present his plays and discuss with like-minded attendees.

Presenter: Jay Lubiansky

Theme: Roleplaying Games

Suitable for: Grades 9-12

Sessions - 10:30 AM-2:00 PM

FULL - AA1: En Garde: Swordplay in the Classroom

Participants will make boffer (foam-covered) swords and duel to the death with them. (Okay, not to the death...) We will discuss how they can actually be used in a classroom environment to promote fitness, creativity, and respect while letting off some steam by hitting each other.

Presenter: Jared Thorlakson

In addition to being an advocate of games of all sorts in the classroom, Jared Thorlakson is a fencing coach, stage combat director, and scholar of Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA.)

Theme: Swordplay

Suitable for: Grades K-12

Session Fee: $10

FULL - AA3: The Deep Forest

The Deep Forest is a game similar to A Quiet Year (Buried Without Ceremony publishes both) that is available free online. It is a map/world building game played using a deck of cards, some paper, and other items readily found in classrooms. The Deep Forest uses an anti-colonial lens and asks its players to examine what life would be like rebuilding lost culture and society.
Recommended for grades 5 - 12.

Presenter: Leslie Brewster & Nicole McNiven

Theme: Board Games

Suitable for: Grades 4-12

Sessions - 1:00 PM-2:00 PM

FULL - PM101: Assessment and Adaptations for Neurodivergent Students in Game Design

FULL - PM102: Experiential Learning Through Tabletop and Live Action Role Playing

Delve into a world of magic and adventure!

Discover how immersive storytelling through tabletop roleplaying games (TTRPGs) and live-action roleplay (LARP) can be powerful tools for engagement, creativity, and connection. In this session, we’ll share real-world examples and discuss how roleplay can support social-emotional learning, teamwork, and literacy development in young people. Whether you’re an experienced gamer or just curious, you’ll leave with practical ideas to bring the magic of roleplay into your own classroom.

Presenters: Jonah Simmonds, Manitoba Educators' Role-Playing Council (MERC), and Luke Thiessen, Frontier Events

Theme: Role Playing Games

Suitable for: Grades K-12

FULL - PM103: Game-based, Project-based, Problem-based, & Experiential Learning

This professional development session explores how non-traditional teaching approaches like game-based, project-based, problem-based, and experiential learning can transform classrooms into more inclusive and dynamic spaces.

By shifting away from conventional instruction, these methods engage diverse learners through active participation, collaboration, and real-world relevance. We will discuss how these strategies foster deeper understanding, support varied learning styles, and promote equity by valuing student voice and experience.

The session encourages educators to rethink classroom design and pedagogy to better meet the needs of all students.

Presenter: Niall McFadyen

Theme: Pedagogy

Suitable for: Grades K-12

FULL - PM104: Gaslands for the Classroom

FULL - PM105: Green New World

Green New World is a climate change simulation board game that is uniquely designed for middle- and high-school classrooms. Students will balance the long-term goal of reaching net-zero with the short-term goals of finding safe homes for climate refugees, all while exploring the technologies and policies that are needed to save humanity from itself!

Presenter: Josh Bergmann

Theme: Board Games

Suitable for: Grades 4-12

FULL - PM106: Gamifying Training: A Case Study

Jay was responsible for organizing live training events for a large national company where over 400 people were attending a 3 day event.

Jay gamified the entire event, where participants gained experience points, leveled up and fought boss monsters. He even was able to validate learning during the event.

We'll brainstorm together how we can take these lessons and move them to the classroom.
Group size preference: No real preference - could be as large as you want.

Presenter: Jay Cormier

Theme: Gamification

Suitable for: Grades 4-12

FULL - PM107: Minecraft in the Classroom (Bellringers)

FULL - PM108: I'm Here for the Slushes: Open GAMEing

Take an hour in the gym to explore games with other participants.

Presenter: Self Directed

Theme: Gamification

Suitable for: Grades K-12

FULL - PM109: Welcome to the Pathfinder/Starfinder Society!

Bringing organized RPG play to your school.

Explore, report, cooperate: these are the three core tenets of the Pathfinder (and Starfinder) Society, a global, fictional organization in the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game universe that serves as a hub for adventurers, explorers, and scholars dedicated to discovering and chronicling the world's mysteries.

Players worldwide can join games with strangers and participate in Pathfinder Society events at stores, conventions, and online. As you complete adventures, your character gains experience, treasure, and boons, which can be used in any future game.

Join us to discuss the benefits of bringing Pathfinder Society to your school: fantastic adventures, flexible scheduling with drop-in style play, character and world development, math and problem-solving skills, socializing with friends, and much more.

You will learn how to start your school’s own Pathfinder Lodge with helpful resources that will help students create characters and work together on adventures that they will always remember.

Presenters: Kay and Sarah Wojnarski

Theme: Tabletop Role-Playing Games

Suitable for: Grades 4-12

FULL - PM110: Teaching History through Simulation

FULL - PM111: The Future of Indigenous Board Games

The session will explore the past and current state of board games with Indigenous themes and their value for education of upper grades.

There will be a "play through" of a unique game based on the Trial of Louis Riel and the session will also preview a new board game being developed.

Presenters: Brian Hubner and Robin Neckoway

Theme: Board Games

Suitable for: Grades 9-12

FULL - PM112: The Rules of Feeling - Designing Emotions and Motivation through Gameplay

This workshop explores the value of play by examining how simple and elegant rules shape player experiences.

Participants will learn why game rules are required for structured play, and how these structures can create complexity in play dynamics—even offering insights into how we interact as a society.

Using a paper-based card game, participants will observe how different rule sets affect group behaviour, communication, and cooperation. They’ll discover how small changes in rules can lead to many emotional responses and gameplay experiences.

Most importantly, they will come to understand how intentional game design can evoke specific emotions—such as frustration, joy, or competition—highlighting the potential and power of games.

Presenter: Derek Tam

Theme: Board Games

Suitable for: Grades 9-12

FULL - PM113: TTRPG Spotlight: Lancer

Have you ever wanted to play a TTRPG built around gritty mech based combat? Now's your chance! Come learn the settings and basics as we go through character creation in this fantastic little TTRPG!

Presenter: Dion Palumbo

Theme: Role Playing Games

Suitable for: Grades 9-12

FULL - PM114: Esports 101

Scholastic esports (competitive videogames) has exploded in popularity in Manitoba over the last several years.

James Young will help participants walk through the basics of getting a program started at your school and competing with MSEA (Manitoba School Esports Association). From clubs, equipment, student management, and gaming; he'll get you started on your journey.

This session is great for gamers and non-gamers who are looking for a way to provide their student population with new competitive extracurricular options.

Presenters: James Young & Benchman Trieu

Theme: Esports

Suitable for: Grades 9-12

FULL - PM115: RTW 2025 Digging into Authentic Issues Using NationStates

NationStates is an online political simulation that allows users to tackle authentic political and social issues by making decisions and witnessing the results on a fictional nation of their own design. I will demonstrate how NationStates works, the many different aspects of NationStates and how they can be integrated into a classroom setting & share my experience using it as a classroom tool.

NationStates can be used during periods of in-person learning and could be adapted easily to remote learning situations.

Presenter: Adam Pugh

Theme: Roleplaying Games

Suitable for: Grades 9-12

Sessions - 1:00 PM-3:15 PM

FULL - AA2: Starting a School Miniature Painting Club

In this session I will share my journey of starting a miniature painting club for my school, share practical resources that you can access, teach the basics of miniature painting, and outline the benefits I have seen come out of miniature painting.

You will get a miniature that you can paint during the session and take home. All materials will be provided.

Presenter: Leif Doerksen

Theme: Role Playing Games

Suitable for: Grades 4-12

Supply Fee: $5

Sessions - 2:15 PM-3:15 PM

FULL - PM201: Assessment and Adaptations for Neurodivergent Students in Game Design

FULL - PM202: Board Games that Promote Oral French Speaking in the Classroom

In this session you will learn about and get a chance to play several board games which promote oral French use in the classroom.
Nicole is a French Immersion classroom teacher so the session will largely focus on using the games in that setting, but these games could be useful in a Communication and Culture classroom as well.

Presenter: Nicole Bureau

Theme: Tabletop Gaming

Suitable for: K-12

FULL - PM203: GameMastering 101 - A Beginner's Guide to the Game/Dungeon Master Role

The Game (or Dungeon) Master is an essential role for tabletop role-playing game groups, and contrary to popular belief, GMs do not need to know absolutely everything about the game to take the role. Being a GM does not have to be scary and can encourage more players to participate in role-playing games, possibly even becoming GMs themselves and allowing even more adventures!
Using Dungeons & Dragons (5th Edition) and Pathfinder (2nd Edition) as examples, we will look at the role of the GM in a tabletop RPG, what materials and tools are necessary, how prepare for an adventure, how to create a safe and welcoming game environment for students, where to find tabletop RPG resources, and how to improvise with your players to create memorable adventures and unforgettable moments together.

No experience is necessary!

Presenter: Kay and Sarah Wojnarski

Theme: Tabletop Role Playing Games

Suitable for: 4-12

FULL - PM204: Experiential Learning through Tabletop and Live Action Role Playing

FULL - PM205: Game-based, Project-based, Problem-based, & Experiential Learning

FULL - PM206: Gaslands for the Classroom

FULL - PM207: Green New World

FULL - PM208: Introduction to Coding Video Games to Build Problem Solving Skills

FULL - PM209: Game Jam

In small groups, with a random assortment of components, Jay will guide you to make your very own board game, in less than an hour!

It's fast, it's loose, and it's a super easy way to jump into game design, even if you've never designed a game before!

Presenter: Jay Cormier

Theme: Board Games

Suitable for: Grades 4-12

FULL - PM210: Player 1 seeks Player 2: Open GAMEing

Take an hour in the gym to explore games with other participants.

Presenter: Self Directed

Theme: Gamification

Suitable for: Grades K-12

FULL - PM211: Teaching Art through Board Games

Teaching the history, elements and principals of art through board games.

Presenters: Paul Connor, Norman Froemel, Eph Degusman & Neil Klassen

Theme: Board Games

Suitable for: Grades 9-12

FULL - PM212: The Rules of Feeling - Designing Emotions and Motivation through Gameplay

This workshop explores the value of play by examining how simple and elegant rules shape player experiences.

Participants will learn why game rules are required for structured play, and how these structures can create complexity in play dynamics—even offering insights into how we interact as a society.

Using a paper-based card game, participants will observe how different rule sets affect group behaviour, communication, and cooperation. They’ll discover how small changes in rules can lead to many emotional responses and gameplay experiences.

Most importantly, they will come to understand how intentional game design can evoke specific emotions—such as frustration, joy, or competition—highlighting the potential and power of games.

Presenter: Derek Tam

Theme: Board Games

Suitable for: Grades 9-12

FULL - PM213: TTRPG Spotlight: Lancer

FULL - PM214: Using Tabletop Games in an ELA Classroom

FULL - PM215: Fakespeare and Makespeare: Teaching Shakespeare through Roleplaying and Design

FULL - PM216: RTW 2025 Digging into Authentic Issues Using NationStates