Welcome!
Welcome, you are probably here because you found me from one of my social links or were linked directly from my name on a site, thank you for being curious! I’m Mike Lynch, a long-time software engineer, juggler, and maker of things who has always been interested in games and using games and technology to help people internally motivate themselves to do the things that they hope to do on their own.
Gamification & Game-Based Learning
Some excellent examples of gamification in the world that are my go-to examples are Duolingo and Stack Overflow. Both sites use some typical gamification mechanics to help motivate their users along with their own special tweaks. People who are interested in learning a language can find the need to keep their streak alive on Duolingo compelling enough to keep learning. Users of SO find the points rewarding and use them to bolster their resumes and show that they have experience with the topics that are applicable to the positions they are trying to attain. Both systems are excellent examples and if you are interested in gamification, you should check them both out.
Game-based learning (GBL) is a strategy where you build a game that is designed to teach. Some of the work I’ve done on Quests and reading instruction have been game-based learning projects. Game based learning can be much more powerful when you couple it with adaptive instruction.
Education Technology
I’ve worked in Education for many years and love all the exciting changes we have seen in our schools and our homes. I love building all sorts of tools for educators and students over the years previously and now with Amplify. I’ve been lucky enough to work on some projects that have turned out amazing, such as the exciting metabolism simulator that was created with Unity, multiple whole-class immersive quests, and more recently a post-apocalyptic interactive graphic novel set in a dark future! I’m proud of all my work with Amplify!
Game Development
Just here to play a game or two? I’ve been making games for years now, including many iOS games that I created and sold many years ago (when Objective-C was still cool!) I still enjoy making a game every now and again as a fun side project and love to talk about and help others make games. I also spent 4 years as a Teacher with Citizen Schools in an afterschool volunteer role, helping students learn to code by making games. I also blog occasionally about game development and have some resources on the site if you are trying to make your own games. You can also contact me! I love talking about and helping make games, especially motivational and educational games!
Software Development
You can of course make a lot more than just games with software development, and I do occasionally post about new things I’ve discovered, and I’ve tried to keep my personal getting started with mac development up to date as a reference. I personally use Python, Java, and JavaScript (inc. TypeScript) on a regular basis. But I’m also always learning new languages and frameworks. You can read more about software development topics here.
