Meghan Gardner on Gamification for Emotional Engagement
From Experience Points by Dave Eng, EdD
February 22, 2026 · 25 min · Season 1 · Episode 158
About this episode
Meghan Gardner discusses how gamification can enhance emotional engagement in educational settings.
Meghan Gardner on Gamification for Emotional Engagement This episode of Experience Points features transformative design expert Meghan Gardner, who shares how gamification can create emotionally engaging, healing, and educational experiences. Meghan explains how structured play and role-playing; using techniques like “alibi” and safety signals—help learners explore tough topics while feeling safe and in control. She highlights the importance of session zero and post-game debriefs in turning g...
People in this episode
Host: Dave Eng
Guest: Meghan Gardner
Topics covered
- gamification
- emotional engagement
- transformative design
- educational experiences
- structured play
- role-playing
Keywords
- gamification
- emotional engagement
- learning
- role-playing
- design
- education
- session zero
More episodes of Experience Points
- Escape Rooms for Learning · May 31, 2026 · 9 min
- Victoria Ichizli-Bartels on Be Your Best Game Master · May 17, 2026 · 20 min
- Raul Mora on Understanding Second Language Users as Gamers · May 3, 2026 · 27 min
- Jon Spike on Games as Creative Constraint · April 19, 2026 · 26 min
- AP Table Talk: Race · April 5, 2026 · 1h 19m
- Katrin Becker on Learning through Playful Experiences · March 22, 2026 · 28 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Experience Points podcast page.