Gamification project with Griffith University and Hyper Theory

[Image of children looking at digital tablets]

Kirsten Magarry, CSIRO iPhD student: Should we be letting kids play video games in the classroom?

[Image changes to Kirsten talking to the camera]

Well, it depends why.

[Image changes to Kirsten and other students looking at a large screen with graphics from a video game]

The PhD project I'm working on is called Mind Maze.

We use digital games, and in-class activities to bring fun to learning empathy.

[Image changes to teacher and primary school students looking at a digital tablet]

Helping kids to understand their brain, and really kind of see it as their best friend throughout their life.

[Image changes to Kirsten walking into Hyper Theory office]

Belinda Eccles, Hyper Theory, Industry iPhD Partner: We hope to minimize bullying, eradicate domestic violence in their older years.

[Image changes to Belinda talking to the camera]

And also create stronger relationships with their peers, with their family.

[Image changes to Kirsten talking to other students and working on a laptop]

We work with Kirsten, CSIRO and Griffith quite closely on how to bring that to life. Kirsten has been really pivotal in combining the pragmatic approach in the research components together,

[Image changes to Belinda talking to the camera]

To make sure that what we're creating in a product aligns with the theories that are required within all of our schools in Australia.

[Image changes to Kirsten talking to other students and working on a laptop, and occasionally talking to the camera]

Kirsten: To me, this is the definitive way to do a PhD.

Hype Theory provide a lot of practical and technical knowledge because in industry things can move really fast.

CSIRO is all about applied science. There's a lot of - how do you implement things? How do you actually make sure something is working?

And then Griffith, as a university, provides a lot of the research training that I need to bring a bit of rigor to the process and communicate those outcomes out to the world.

Timo Dietrich, Associate Professor, PhD Supervisor: It's the collaboration between the parties.

[Image changes to Timo, talking to the camera, mixed with Kirsten talking to other students and working on the game]

When you connect with an industry partner, where there's the overlap, then there's also opportunity to co-create something that you didn't even sort of think of at the start of that relationship.

And for the student, this is opportunity to learn from both partners.

Kirsten: With the connections I'm making and with the skills I'm developing, I can go in so many different directions creatively and professionally.

[Image changes to Kirsten talking to the camera]

And I think my greatest hope is that this becomes something that can be taught in any classroom.

That kids can sit down, pick up something, and ultimately, what I want them to do is kind of have fun and to have skills they need to thrive and really to build something that's going to be a kinder world for them in the future.

[Image changes to show a blue screen with the CSIRO logo and text appears: Industry PhD scholarship program]