Marketing Connections
Marketing Connections interviewed Prof. Bill Watson on the benefits of gaming. His 8-min. podcast interview is the 2nd in the episode Win-Wins Between Consumers and Marketers.
Learn More
Purdue Center for Serious Games and Learning in Virtual Environments
The Purdue Center for Serious Games and Learning in Virtual Environments provides support for implementing, designing, developing, and evaluating serious games and virtual environments for learning; encourages collaboration across Purdue and with K-12 schools; and establishes a foundation for securing funding and conducting research at Purdue on the use of serious games and virtual learning environments in education.
Discover the Serious Gaming Center:
Join us on Nov. 2, 2026, for the Purdue AI in P-12 Education Conference.
About
Support for implementing games in the classroom
The Entertainment Software Association’s annual “Essential Facts about the U.S. Video Game Industry Report” found that a very high percentage of U.S. children play video games regularly and that that slightly more than half of players identify as male. Games and virtual environments are today’s popular media, and fit well with the sort of motivating, exploratory, and goal-based, frequent feedback, problem-solving experiences today’s learners seek.
The Purdue Center for Serious Games and Learning in Virtual Environments seeks to encourage collaboration and establish a foundation for research at Purdue on serious games and virtual environments for learning, support innovative instructional practices, and establish a framework for developing and implementing engaging and innovative instruction for both K-12 and higher education classrooms.
FEatured EVent
Purdue AI in P-12 Education Conference
November 2, 2026
The theme for our 2026 conference is “Coherence” and focuses on how educational stakeholders can work together to bring alignment to AI in education, moving from fragmented tools to human-centered practice that aligns innovation with core educational goals and outcomes. Presentations will include resources and strategies to promote student learning and further teacher and administrator development with opportunities for sharing best practices and lessons learned.
News
Podcasts
The Academy of Esports
The Academy of Esports interviewed Prof. Bill Watson on the need a new system of education that is focused on actual learning rather than driven by time and the comparison and sorting of learners, a personalized approach to learning.
Learn More
Purdue Expert: Educational Video Games
In this video, Prof. Bill Watson explains how educational video games can boost student engagement in classrooms.
Learn More
Purdue Expert: Video Game Learning
In this video, Prof. Bill Watson explains what the metaverse is and how it and other virtual tools could be used to convey important skills in modern classrooms.
Learn MoreOUR TEAM
Dr. William (Bill) R. Watson, Center Director
Bill Watson is a professor in the College of Education Department of Curriculum and Instruction’s Learning Design and Technology Program.
Bill’s research scholarship focuses on realizing a personalized paradigm of education that optimally meets all learners’ needs rather than focusing on calendars and schedules to the detriment of learning. This includes new paradigm instruction like game-based learning and attitudinal learning; technology for facilitating personalized learning; and systems thinking to design personalized educational systems.
Contact Us
