Gaming SEL

Matthew Farber, Ed.D. is an assistant professor at the University of Northern Colorado, where he directs the Gaming SEL Lab. He has been invited to the White House, authored several books and papers, and is a frequent collaborator with UNESCO MGIEP and Games for Change.

Foreword: Anantha Kumar Duraiappah, Founding Director, UNESCO MGIEP – List of Figures – Acknowledgments – Introduction – About This Book – Links, Lessons, and Games – References – How Mister Rogers Taught Us to Feel – An Exploration of Social and Emotional Learning – How Games Give Players “The Feels” – Empathy Games – Mindful, Kind, and Compassionate – Ethics, Perspective- Taking, and Teen Identity – Co-op Play, Teamwork, and Relationship Skills – How Making Games Supports Self-Awareness – Index.

“Matthew Farber delivers a much-needed resource for those interested in finding ways to meet youth where they are. Games are undeniably a meaningful part of young people’s lives, and identifying ways games can offer pathways to growth and self-awareness is gold! His understanding of social and emotional learning and the games industry provides a unique insight into how games can contribute to the development of thriving global citizens.”—Susanna Pollack, President, Games for Change

“Kudos to Matthew Farber for synthesizing so much research, contemporary evidence, and expert voices into a book that is both relevant, provocative, and thoughtful. Emotions are the gatekeepers of attention, motivation, and cognition; through technology, young people make sense of and contribute to their world. This book explores the present and possible roles for technology to play in this space.”—Mark Sparvell, Education Marketing Director, Microsoft

“Games can provide a context for exploration, experimentation, and perspective-taking—a playground for human development that can help us better understand ourselves and each other. In this timely and thoughtfully researched book, Farber presents rich evidence that games build resilience and emotional well-being, and provides a robust catalogue of ideas, examples, and references to explore.”—Michael Preston, Executive Director, Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop