Serious Game Design, systems thinking, innovation and the power of play — taught with stories, participation and humor.
Gabe Mac is an international speaker, game designer and educator who helps audiences see real-world problems through the eyes of a game designer.
His talks combine practical ideas, visual storytelling and audience participation, leaving people with a new way to think about goals, rules, motivation, feedback and systems.
“Gabe Mac is one of the best speakers and entertainers I’ve seen on stage – ever. The way he makes audiences crack up in laughter, whilst providing such insightful knowledge, makes his speaking appearances truly unique!”
“Gabe Mac is a secret weapon for event organizers. I’ve had him speak twice at Le Web. He has big impact. The crowd is always entertained, energized & enlightened.”
CURRENT TALK THEMES
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How game designers think about systems — and how those methods can be applied to business, education, behavior and social challenges.
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What goals, feedback, choice, challenge and game mechanics teach us about participation and motivation.
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A practical introduction to reframing complex problems as systems of players, goals, rules, actions and feedback.
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Why play matters for experimentation, learning, creativity and human behavior.
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Gabe can adapt examples and emphasis for learning, marketing, innovation, education and creative-industry audiences.
20+ YEARS OF GAME DESIGN, TEACHING AND INNOVATION
Gabe has spent more than 20 years teaching game design, new media and interactive design.
He has taught at European colleges and universities, worked on interactive projects and campaigns for international organizations, and spoken at conferences including DLD, Le Web, Picnic, Webcom, La Red Innova and the Monaco Media Forum.
His work includes Microsoft’s Silver Line Society, winner of a 2011 Silver SpinAward for Best Gaming Concept.
Today, his central focus is Serious Game Design: teaching people how to use game-design methods to solve problems beyond games.
“The audience resonated particularly well with the lecture by Gabe Mac about game design. He explained with an interactive presentation elements such as how emotional learning about games can work in marketing. “For the first time it has been a good experience,” said Laura Sadau and Keith Wischermann, student of the Hamburg Brand Academy. Gabe Mac’s lecture was “exotic and something else.””
“ Gabe is fast. He knows stuff you need to know. When you are around Gabe you will learn things. And he’s great to drink a beer with, once in a while. ”
“Gabe is a great team player, a great coach and teacher and has a keen eye for quality and innovation. It was and still is very inspirational to work with him.”
USE GAME DESIGN TO SOLVE REAL-WORLD PROBLEMS
For more than 20 years, I’ve taught people how game designers think.
Today I use that experience in customized workshops for organizations that want to improve learning, engagement, innovation and the systems around them.
In a four-hour Game Beyond workshop, your team learns a practical framework based on goals, rules, actions, feedback and game mechanics — then applies it to a real problem and prototypes new approaches.
It’s hands-on, collaborative and designed to make people see familiar problems differently.
Stop designing accidental gameplay. Discover why distinguishing between Mechanics, Dynamics, and Aesthetics is vital for balancing interactive systems.