Games-That-Teach – Simple Works!
We’re well beyond the debate as to whether games-that-teach enhance the delivery of learning content (they do), so why aren’t we seeing more of them? The two biggest challenges we encounter are:
- The perception that they take a long time to design and build and are, subsequently, very expensive.
- A perceived need to be the next incarnation of World of Warcraft in order to capture the learner’s attention.
We were at an educational gaming conference a couple years back, where a grant was awarded for the design and production of a game prototype in support of a specific curriculum. Twenty-seven months and tens of thousands of dollars later the project is still in development. The developers are the only beneficiaries of learning in that scenario.
Read more
Illumen is excited to once again sponsor the 
Illumen’s CEO, David Charney, was asked to speak on what Google’s upcoming high speed Internet connection could do for business innovation at Evanston’s Google Day press conference. Google recently asked cities around the United States to compete for their initial roll-out of their gigabit fiber connection, which would bring high speed Internet to homes, schools, hospitals, and businesses. Evanston, where Illumen is headquartered, jumped on the opportunity to respond to the challenge. Evanston has grown to be a city focused on creativity and innovation and would be a perfect location for Google high speed Internet. The Google Day in Evanston press conference, lead by Mayor Tisdahl, had representatives from NorthShore Hospital, Northwestern University, Evanston Township High School, the Evanston Chamber of Commerce, and Illumen Group. Each discussed the benefits of having a connection 100 times faster than the current standard in the United States.
Illumen’s CEO, David Charney, talks User Experience (UX) at the IBM Innovation Center Granite Group meeting. This example filled presentation covers the meaning of UX, why it is important, where it is being applied, the process of developing strong experiences, the 
The University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry set out to develop cutting edge dental training simulations using haptics. Haptics is the science of applying touch sensation and control to interaction. These dental simulations would provide a new platform for training. The dental school needed anatomically accurate tooth and gum models that would reflect natural imperfections and irregulatirites when used in the virtual dental simulator.
David Charney, Chief Creative Officer at Illumen, speaks at CD2 about the user experience and design. CD2 (Chicago Designers and Developers User Group) is focused on nurturing the collaboration between designers & developers and the importance of the user experience and how it relates to creativity and technology.