Ash Brandin

I’m Ash Brandin (Mx./they/them); most of my content lives on my Instagram account. I began researching video games and music education while completing my Masters in Music Education in 2011, but I found nearly no research on implementing gaming-based strategies in a classroom, let alone a music classroom. I assumed the research I was looking for might be found in gaming spaces, so I began attending conferences and conventions in search of an educator advocating for creating gaming-inspired classrooms. Unfortunately, all I found were sales pitches; most presentations were being given by games companies promising huge educational benefits by implementing their strategies. The problem? There wasn’t a teacher involved in these presentations, and without teacher knowledge these ideas felt at-odds with the authentic experiences I wanted to create. So I decided to do it myself.I knew I loved to play video games, and I knew my students did too. I wanted to find out why we were so motivated to play games, and how to harness that power in my classroom. I took my research and ideas and presented them in a talk titled “You Have Died of Dysentery: Meaningful Gaming in Education,” which I have given at 10 conferences in the US. My follow-up talk, “Assessor’s Creed: Integrating Games in the Classroom” followed a year later. This website shares my ideas, some of the ways I create game-like classrooms, and links to my presentations. If you want something beyond what you see here, please reach out.