Professor Game Podcast

🚀 Want your community buzzing and bringing in more revenue? Snag my free mini course with 3 killer gamification hacks: professorgame.com/freebie-3-gamification-hacks

Forget trust falls and awkward icebreakers. Alex Suchman is redefining the workplace with intentional play. Tune in to find out how one game changed a manager's mindset—and why play may be the missing ingredient in your team culture.

Alex Suchman is the CEO and co-founder of Barometer XP, whose mission is to create cultures where people are excited about their work because they feel a strong sense of purpose and belonging. She uses games and play to strengthen interpersonal dynamics, such as trust, accountability, and psychological safety, into the workplace.

Rob is a host and consultant at Professor Game as well as an expert, international speaker and advocate for the use of gamification and games-based solutions, especially in community building and education. He's also a professor and workshop facilitator for the topics of the podcast and LEGO SERIOUS PLAY (LSP) for top higher education institutions that include EFMD, IE Business School and EBS among others in Europe, America and Asia.

Guest Links and Info

• Website: barometerxp.com
• LinkedIn: Alex Suchman
• Play Concierge Platform: barometerxp.com/concierge

Links to episode mentions:

• Recommended book: Predictable Success by Les McKeown
• Favorite game: The Mind

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Get access to over $1,000 worth of retention and gamification strategies, templates, and live sessions—for free.

All inside our Professor Game community: 🎁 professorgame.com/freecommunity-web

What happens when a powerful game opens Pandora's box? Elisa Navarro Chinchilla shares the highs, lows, and serious challenges of designing games for real-world impact—from schools in Mexico to reforestation efforts in Afghanistan.

Elisa Navarro Chinchilla is the CEO and co-founder of Gold Bug Interactive and a veteran educational video game developer with more than 25 titles under her belt. Her most recent projects include Dino Dance for PBS Fred Rogers, Sabz, a reforestation game for Afghanistan; Protection, a tabletop game to teach Results Based Protection for InterAction; Chuka: Break the Silence, developed for the Education for Justice initiative of the UNODC, that leverages social and emotional learning to help prevent domestic violence, and consulting for Project 21, FES, to develop a game for youth participation, governance and citizenship in the MENA region. Convinced of the power of games to support underprivileged contexts through collaborative learning, she has received several national grants in Mexico (Fonca, Procine, Prosoft) to create educational experiences with networked technology, alternate reality games, and digital literacy workshops. Her games challenge players to develop resilience through problem solving, stimulate critical thinking, and practice transferable skills. Elisa has an MA from the Institute of Education at UCL, UK.

Rob is a host and consultant at Professor Game as well as an expert, international speaker and advocate for the use of gamification and games-based solutions, especially in community building and education. He's also a professor and workshop facilitator for the topics of the podcast and LEGO SERIOUS PLAY (LSP) for top higher education institutions that include EFMD, IE Business School and EBS among others in Europe, America and Asia.

Guest Links and Info

• Website: goldbuginteractive.com
• Website: seriousplayconf.com
• LinkedIn: Elisa Navarro Chinchilla

Links to episode mentions:

• Proposed guest: Gonzalo Frasca
• Recommended book: What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy by James Paul Gee
• Favorite game: Puerto Rico

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Click the link below to book a quick 10–15 minute chat with me.

No sales, no pressure—just ideas and clarity on how to engage your community and grow revenue. 🗓 professorgame.com/discoverycall

What do sticky communities and addictive games have in common? We break down two powerful design moves to build a community you love showing up to—and one your members will too.

Rob is a host and consultant at Professor Game as well as an expert, international speaker and advocate for the use of gamification and games-based solutions, especially in education and learning. He's also a professor and workshop facilitator for the topics of the podcast and LEGO SERIOUS PLAY (LSP) for top higher education institutions that include EFMD, IE Business School and EBS among others in Europe, America and Asia.

Links and Info

• Book your clarity call: professorgame.com/discoverycall
• Start your own community on Skool and take advantage of the perks of using this link: professorgame.com/openyourskool (let me know on a DM in Skool)

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Build a thriving, loyal community—without chasing members or cranking out content 24/7.

Join us for free: 🏡 professorgame.com/freecommunity-web

Crushing churn in the classroom? It starts with embracing AI. Rob Alvarez is joined by Dr. Matt Metzger to explore how AI can revamp higher education—boosting motivation, retention, and engagement while staying human-centered. No tech expertise required, just a willingness to rethink learning.

Dr. Matthew R. Metzgar, PhD, is a Clinical Professor of Economics at UNC Charlotte's Belk College of Business and an award-winning teacher who develops and delivers undergraduate and MBA courses focused on real-world applications and innovative pedagogy. He is the author of a new book, "The Overnight AI Educator: Transform Your Course in 24 Hours". His research spans the effectiveness of teaching methods and the economics of obesity, and as a Gambrell Faculty Fellow he is leading a study on employee ownership's impact on the racial wealth gap in the Charlotte region. He co-chairs the Heterodox Academy Campus Community, facilitates the Constructive Dialogue Faculty Learning Community, and has been interviewed on labor-market shortages at both local and national levels. Dr. Metzgar earned his PhD from the University of Tennessee, an MBA from Wheeling Jesuit University, and a BS from West Virginia University.

Rob is a host and consultant at Professor Game as well as an expert, international speaker and advocate for the use of gamification and games-based solutions, especially in education and learning. He's also a professor and workshop facilitator for the topics of the podcast and LEGO SERIOUS PLAY (LSP) for top higher education institutions that include EFMD, IE Business School and EBS among others in Europe, America and Asia.

Guest Links and Info

• Website: overnight.education
• LinkedIn: Matt Metzgar

Lets's do stuff together!

• 3 Gamification Hacks To Boost Your Community's Revenue
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🚀 Want your community buzzing and bringing in more revenue? Snag my free mini course with 3 killer gamification hacks: professorgame.com/freebie-3-gamification-hacks

"Sometimes your idea isn't broken — it's just not ready yet." In this immersive episode, Dain joins Rob to explore how interactive storytelling can drive real-world impact, from failed game prototypes that resurrected years later to transforming news stories into joyful community games. Tune in for deep insights on designing for emotion, embracing iteration, and why sometimes a pamphlet beats an app.

dain saint (he/they) is a Philly-based storyteller, designer, and creative director making beautiful immersive experiences. They run Reckless Magic, an interactive storytelling label, and curate Futurefull, an interfuturist storytelling collective.

Rob is a host and consultant at Professor Game as well as an expert, international speaker and advocate for the use of gamification and games-based solutions, especially in community building and education. He's also a professor and workshop facilitator for the topics of the podcast and LEGO SERIOUS PLAY (LSP) for top higher education institutions that include EFMD, IE Business School and EBS among others in Europe, America and Asia.

Guest Links and Info

• Website: dainsaint.com
• LinkedIn: Dain Saint
• Instagram: @dainsaint

Links to episode mentions:

• Recommended book:
  • Immersive Storytelling for Real and Imagined Worlds by Margaret (Imagineering)
  • Emerging Strategy by Adrienne Maree Brown
• Favorite game:
  • Hades
  • Roll For Shoes
  • Tag!
  • Football / Soccer

Lets's do stuff together!

• 3 Gamification Hacks To Boost Your Community's Revenue
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🚀 Want your community buzzing and bringing in more revenue? Snag my free mini course with 3 killer gamification hacks: professorgame.com/freebie-3-gamification-hacks

What if your life was a game—and you had the playbook to win? In this episode, gamification expert Yu-kai Chou returns to share his new framework, 10K HP (10,000 Hours of Play), and how aligning your purpose, role, and daily actions can unlock real-life legendary success. 🎮💥

Previous episodes with Yu-kai:

• Yu-kai Chou and how to do gamification with Octalysis
• Yu-kai Chou Creating Frameworks including REMOTE
• Octalysis Prime is a Big Part of Yu-kai Chou's Life Mission
• Yu-kai Chou Bringing Gamification Balance for Kids

Rob is a host and consultant at Professor Game as well as an expert, international speaker and advocate for the use of gamification and games-based solutions, especially in community building and education. He's also a professor and workshop facilitator for the topics of the podcast and LEGO SERIOUS PLAY (LSP) for top higher education institutions that include EFMD, IE Business School and EBS among others in Europe, America and Asia.

Links to episode mentions:

• 10,000 Hours of Play: Unlock Your Real-Life Legendary Success Yu-kai's new book!

Lets's do stuff together!

• 3 Gamification Hacks To Boost Your Community's Revenue
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Want help creating online revenue—without needing like a thousand different tools?

Book a free 1:1 call to create your single platform revenue-creating online community: 🎯 professorgame.com/discoverycall

Tired of juggling tools to run your online business? We break down why Skool is a game-changing platform for building and scaling online communities and offer a tour of its features, benefits, and real earning potential. Plus, learn how to go beyond tech and design for retention and revenue with the right strategy.

Rob is a host and consultant at Professor Game as well as an expert, international speaker and advocate for the use of gamification and games-based solutions, especially in education and learning. He's also a professor and workshop facilitator for the topics of the podcast and LEGO SERIOUS PLAY (LSP) for top higher education institutions that include EFMD, IE Business School and EBS among others in Europe, America and Asia.

Links to episode mentions:

• Create your own community in Skool with my help
• Book Your FREE Clarity Call

Lets's do stuff together!

• Book Your FREE Clarity Call
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If you're struggling to make more money with your online community, check out my FREE resources to learn how to do just that: professorgame.com/freecommunity-web

What can a 40-year-old machine teach us about loyalty, engagement, and creative freedom? In this episode, Jesper Juul returns to the Professor Game Podcast to talk about his new book Too Much Fun, diving deep into the legacy of the Commodore 64.

From hacking and game development to subculture and hardware design, Jesper unpacks the "five lives" of the C64 and what they reveal about user retention, tinkering, and systems that last. If you're designing for engagement today, this is a nostalgia-fueled masterclass in getting it right—and where we started getting it wrong.

Jesper Juul is a video game theorist and occasional developer working at the Royal Danish Academy. He has previously taught at MIT and New York University. His books include Half-Real, and recently "Too much Fun" about the Commodore 64, his first computer, on which he wrote games and demos. Here's his first episode on the podcast: Jesper Juul and Handmade Games

Rob is a host and consultant at Professor Game as well as an expert, international speaker and advocate for the use of gamification and games-based solutions, especially in community building and education. He's also a professor and workshop facilitator for the topics of the podcast and LEGO SERIOUS PLAY (LSP) for top higher education institutions that include EFMD, IE Business School and EBS among others in Europe, America and Asia.

Guest Links and Info

• Website: jesperjuul.net
• X/Twitter: @jesperjuul
• BlueSky: @jesperjuul.bsky.social

Links to episode mentions:

• Jesper's new book: Too Much Fun: The Five Lives of the Commodore 64 Computer

Lets's do stuff together!

• Get started in Gamification for FREE!
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Click the link below to book a quick 10–15 minute chat with me.

No sales, no pressure—just ideas and clarity on how to engage your community and grow revenue. 🗓 professorgame.com/discoverycall

Strategy Meets AI Game design + AI = game changer. In this episode, Amy Jo Kim returns to share how she's combining decades of design wisdom with cutting-edge AI to build smarter, faster onboarding and retention systems. If you're struggling with churn, this conversation is your blueprint to better systems, better questions, and better engagement.

Previous episodes with Amy Jo Kim:

• Amy Jo Kim shows the importance of finding the fun as a game designer
• Amy Jo Kim's Game Thinking Masterclass 2019

Rob is a host and consultant at Professor Game as well as an expert, international speaker and advocate for the use of gamification and games-based solutions, especially in education and learning. He's also a professor and workshop facilitator for the topics of the podcast and LEGO SERIOUS PLAY (LSP) for top higher education institutions that include EFMD, IE Business School and EBS among others in Europe, America and Asia.

Links to episode mentions:

• AI Journey Maker

Lets's do stuff together!

• 3 Gamification Hacks To Boost Your Community's Revenue
• LinkedIn
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• Ask a question

🚀 Want your community buzzing and bringing in more revenue? Snag my free mini course with 3 killer gamification hacks: professorgame.com/freebie-3-gamification-hacks

Why are your members disappearing—even when you're doing everything "right"?

Rob breaks down the real reasons communities lose members, even when packed with great content. Drawing from what successful games do to keep players hooked, you'll learn the 3 invisible traps that quietly destroy retention—and what to do instead.

No gimmicks. No burnout. Just practical, game-inspired strategies to re-engage your members and boost community revenue.

Grab the free Retention Hacks Guide above to start implementing today!

Rob is a host and consultant at Professor Game as well as an expert, international speaker and advocate for the use of gamification and games-based solutions, especially in community building and education. He's also a professor and workshop facilitator for the topics of the podcast and LEGO SERIOUS PLAY (LSP) for top higher education institutions that include EFMD, IE Business School and EBS among others in Europe, America and Asia.

Lets's do stuff together!

• 3 Gamification Hacks To Boost Your Community's Revenue
• LinkedIn
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Instagram
• TikTok
• YouTube
• Ask a question