From Oxford commas and em dashes to hallucinated quotations and counting fingers, AI is ubiquitous in our inboxes, media feeds, and classrooms. In 2026, it seems there is no stopping how large language models impact the way we design and play games together. After all, games and play have a long and intimate history with artificial intelligence. On one hand Turing's Imitation Game, Weizenbaum's Eliza, and Conway's Game of Life each develop AI in the idiom of games. On the other hand Deep Blue's deep chess searches, AlphaGo's efficient joseki, and OpenAI Five's deathballs in Dota 2 teach us new ways to play. The question then is not only what AI teaches us about games but also what games can teach us about AI. Considering this history, we invite six educators to share a single activity, exercise, technique, or tip that played with or against AI in the classroom.

Takeaway

Considering the unique challenges of teaching games during the emergence of artificial intelligence as a global technology, audience members will hear microtalks from a panel of game educators and come away with concrete examples of playing, teaching, and making with and against AI.

Intended Audience

This presentation welcomes educators of all levels and teaching contexts as well as game designers and industry professionals navigating the impacts of climate change in and around games.