After our successful workshops in Turin and Poland, where we developed the Resource Library on inclusivity, accessibility, environmental awareness, and circular economy, the UpGameIn team met once again, this time in Larissa, Greece, hosted by Odd Statue Social. Our Learning, Teaching, and Training Activity (LTTA) marked a crucial milestone: translating our research and frameworks into practical training guidelines for VET educators.
The Mission: From Resource Library to Training Curriculum
Having built comprehensive guides on inclusive, accessible, and environmentally conscious game design that incorporates circular economy principles, we now faced a new challenge: How do we help VET educators adapt their curricula to prepare the next generation of game developers with these essential skills? Our goal was to create a bridge between the game industry’s evolving needs and the educational programs that train future professionals.
Key Moments and Activities
The workshop brought together our diverse expertise in a collaborative effort to design effective training methodologies.
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Synthesizing Our Work: We reviewed and integrated the insights from our previous LTTA meetings, ensuring that the VET Training Guidelines would reflect the full scope of our Resource Library—from inclusivity and accessibility features to environmental awareness and circular economy practices.
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Understanding VET Context: Through presentations and discussions, we explored the unique challenges and opportunities within Vocational Education and Training systems. How can educators balance theoretical knowledge with practical, industry-relevant skills?
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Designing Training Modules: We worked collaboratively to structure training content that is both comprehensive and adaptable. The guidelines needed to serve educators across different countries and educational contexts while maintaining consistency with our core principles.
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Testing and Refinement: We engaged in hands-on activities to test our proposed training approaches, ensuring they are practical, engaging, and effective for adult learners in VET settings.
Key Takeaways
We left Larissa with a clear vision and strengthened commitment:
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Education is the Foundation: The game industry’s transformation toward inclusivity and sustainability starts in the classroom. By equipping VET educators with the right tools, we multiply our impact exponentially.
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Adaptability is Essential: The guidelines we’re developing must be flexible enough to work across different educational systems while maintaining the integrity of our core methodologies.
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Collaboration Creates Excellence: The diverse perspectives of our partners—from game developers to educators to researchers—ensured that our training guidelines address real-world needs from multiple angles.
The LTTA in Larissa was more than a meeting; it was a commitment to ensuring that the knowledge we’ve gathered doesn’t remain in research papers, but becomes a living, breathing part of how game developers are trained across Europe. The work continues, and we’re excited to share the final VET Training Guidelines in the coming months.
