2025
FOREWORDS Matt
Dalio Founding Partner
At the heart of Endless has always been a simple belief: every young person deserves the chance to be more than a consumer of technology. They deserve to be creators. Creation builds skills, confidence, and pathways into the future of work. It is not just preparation for tomorrow’s jobs. It is preparation for a life of agency. That urgency is even greater with AI reshaping the world.
When I first met Michael Crow and learned of his vision for “Realm 5” learning, I immediately recognized how deeply we were aligned. We are both focused on ensuring that everyone can be welcomed into the realm of the well-educated. But I was shocked to see the clarity with which Dr Crow understood the power of games to teach. He articulates it with remarkable precision. He will quickly espouse upon it with detailed examples like Spore, which shows how games can model complex systems and make them learnable through play. We had even shaped our shared insights in the same books, like The Diamond Age, The Foundation Trilogy and Ender’s Game. His vision for the future of scalable learning felt like the perfect complement to our vision at Endless, where playing and building games come together to turn delight into empowerment.
With that, the seeds were sown. The Endless Games and Learning Lab was born to explore how these ideas might work at scale, reaching millions of learners while still honoring each student’s individual path. We knew that it needed to be as much about industry as it was about academia. The key would be to find someone who could translate vision into execution, a leader who understood the art of games, the science of learning and the scalability of good business models. My greatest concern was that we would not be able to find a leader who could fuse the three. That concern was allayed when we found Mark Ollila.
Mark’s career blends creativity, studio experience, academia and entrepreneurial drive. And just as importantly, he reminds us of something essential: “games are fun first.” In part because, well, frankly, HE is fun! That truth so often gets lost in education, but it’s the joy and engagement of play that make games such powerful learning environments. Mark constantly reminds us of that. In addition, Mark brought along his “better half” to the lab, as he jokes everyone tells him. Elina Ollila is one of the leading experts in the world in Games UX, having worked on titles like Candy Crush, H1Z1 for starters. She is clearly his perfect pairing, in life and lab alike.
This lab was intended as a catalyst, for research, for technology, and for new educational models that can scale. But this lab is not only about what happens within ASU. Much of what I love about ASU is how far its reach extends beyond ASU. By partnering not just with universities but also with studios, technology companies, workforce programs, and governments, we aim to create pathways from play into pay, where the same creative energy that goes into making a game can translate into stackable credentials, employment opportunities, and long-term careers.
If we succeed, we’ll have unlocked a system where millions of young people everywhere can turn play into creativity, creativity into capability, and capability into careers. The real measure of our work will not be the games themselves, nor the credentials earned, but the lives changed: the learners who discover their own agency, build real skills, and walk new paths into the future. That is the vision of the Endless Games and Learning Lab.
Let’s go play. Let’s go build. And let’s go build a future for anyone who likes to play and build.
Michael M. Crow President, Arizona State University
At Arizona State University, we believe the future of learning must be radically more inclusive, adaptive, scalable and impactful than anything we’ve known before. Our institutional design reflects this commitment. The Endless Games and Learning Lab embodies this future.
Fueled by a $5 million gift from Endless Network, the Lab brings to life a vision long championed by John Dewey: that education should emerge from lived experience, not be imposed from above. Through creativity, collaboration, and games, the Lab is redefining how learners engage with knowledge—not as passive recipients, but as active participants.
This effort is a cornerstone in ASU’s pursuit of Realm 5 learning: massively scalable, deeply personalized, high-intensity learning systems that reach all people, everywhere. Play to Learn is at the heart of this approach—using the universal language of games, combined with the power of artificial intelligence, to meet learners where they are and reveal what they’re capable of becoming. Through AI platforms like MIRANDA, students gain real-time insight into their growth, agency, and emerging skills—unlocking new possibilities for assessment, feedback, and opportunity.
The Endless Lab is not just building tools. It is building pathways—where learners play, create, and earn their way into the future.
I am proud of what this team has accomplished in its first year. Even more, I am inspired by the outcomes we are seeing and the opportunities for progress that lie ahead.
Mark Ollila Founding Director, Endless Games and Learning Lab
The world is not waiting, and neither are we. Since launching in August 2024, the Endless Games and Learning Lab has evolved from an idea into a force shaping the future of education through games, AI, and scaled learning. In the future we envision, learning is not confined to curriculum or campus; it flows through every interaction, every challenge, every game.
Made possible by a $5 million gift from the Endless Network, the Lab reflects ASU’s boldest ambition yet: to realize Realm 5 learning—a new paradigm of massively distributed, universally accessible, high-intensity, and personalized learning for all. We launched the Lab with a clear framework: Play to Learn, Make to Learn, Learn to Earn. That framework now fuels an emerging global movement. In the Nordics, the Middle East, Africa, and across the American Southwest, we are actively co-building ecosystems that unite governments, universities, studios, and learners.
With industry mentors, game-platforms like Endstar, and AI companions like MIRANDA, we’re scaling game-based learning. Students now earn credits, money, and microcredentials, sometimes all at once, while also developing future-proof skills. This year, we accelerated toward Realm 5: prototyping AI-driven assessment, issuing the first game-based learning microcredentials, and building a coalition of publishers, educators, and industry leaders to answer a radical question: What if every game taught you something—and proved it?
That’s not speculation. That’s the trajectory we’re on. We are proud to showcase our achievements in this annual report—not as a retrospective, but as a launchpad. Ahead lies expansion to 35+ Cintana universities, strategic collaborations with Aethir, Games for Change, and others, AI-powered skill assessment at scale, and new courses that blend game-making, play, and augmented intelligence.
And of course, working with the new ASU GAME (Games, Arts, Media, Engineering) School that will add to our foundation at ASU.
The future is accelerating, and we intend to build it.
Forewords
Founding Partner: Matt Dalio
President of Arizona State University: Michael Crow
Founding Director, Endless Games and Learning Lab: Mark Ollila
Mission
Play to Learn Make to Learn Learn to Earn
A Year of Impact
Highlights of the past 365 Days
Programs & Initiatives
Microcredentials
Endstar Game Studio: Turning Students into Game Makers Meet MIRANDA: Mapping Learning Through Play Learning Ratings
Endstar Game Maker Spark Challenge Camp Level Up++
Events & Presentations
Notable Events and Presentations during 2024 - 2025
Conferences & Invited Visits
25
27
Notable Conferences and Invited Visits during 2024 - 2025
Our Lab Hosted Visits
Notable Lab Visitors and Visits during 2024 - 2025
What is Next?
30
Play: Globalizing Insight with MIRANDA and Industry Consortia
Make: Fostering a Global Creator Movement and Competency-Based Recognition
Earn: Building Pathways to Economic Empowerment and Learner Agency
33 Acknowledgements
Arizona State University
Endless Games & Learning Lab
Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts
Abbett Family Foundation
ASU Foundation
Endless Games & Learning Lab Working Group
Additional Team Members
Special Thanks
The Endless Games and Learning Lab
We envision a future where universal access to game-based learning empowers learners across the globe. Its mission is infinitely scalable and affordable learning through games. The lab aims to make high-quality education available at a global scale, reaching communities that have traditionally been underserved by conventional learning systems.
The following three tenets guide our vision and mission:
Play to Learn
At the Endless Lab, we believe that play is the foundation of learning. Play to Learn harnesses the power of games to build critical thinking, collaboration, and domain-specific knowledge in real time. We have developed an AI-driven platform, MIRANDA, which captures and elevates the learning that naturally occurs during gameplay, transforming entertainment into measurable education. From narrative-driven quests to complex problem-solving scenarios, games become engines of insight, reflection, and growth.
Make to Learn
Make to Learn invites learners to move from players to creators. Through designing characters, coding mechanics, and crafting storylines, students gain both hard and soft skills by engaging in hands-on, project-based creation. These experiences foster teamwork, persistence, and creativity while mapping directly to stackable microcredentials. At scale, Make to Learn enables learners around the world to join game projects, develop confidence and creative skills, and build artifacts that showcase their learning journeys.
Learn to Earn
Learning should lead to fulfilling careers and expanded opportunities for a better life. Learn to Earn bridges education and opportunity by embedding students in real-world, industry-linked projects where they earn credits, experience, and income. Through partnerships with studios, publishers, and creative companies, learners contribute to meaningful work, guided by mentors. This model turns academic progress into career acceleration, ensuring students not only graduate with knowledge but with a portfolio, a network, and a path forward.
09 A YEAR OF IMPACT
Stewardship of the Future: Learning Through Games & AI
Year one was about setting the foundation—proving what’s possible through action. Year two is about scaling that foundation into a global model for learning through games and AI.
Founding Director: Dr. Mark Ollila
ADVANCED
Play–Make–Earn
REVOLUTIONIZED
Creator Learning Method
We crystallized the Endless Arc framework: Play to Learn, Make to Learn, Learn to Earn. This vision now drives ASU’s Realm 5 learning and underpins our global strategy.
UNITED Communities
Established recurring gatherings with faculty, staff, students, and industry voices, forming a cross - school board of leaders. The Community of Practice has become a living ecosystem for games and learning at ASU.
The Endstar Spark Challenge and QS ImpACT Skills Challenge engaged students across disciplines, with every shipping team earning credentials and presenting to industry leaders by utilizing Hackathons as Learning Engines.
PIONEERED
AI-Driven Learning
35
ORGANIZATIONS HOSTED
We introduced MIRANDA, the world’s first transparent AI system that transforms gameplay & game-making into knowledge graphs of learning. A breakthrough for assessment, reflection, and microcredentialing.
A Global Framework
In partnership with Endless Lab, Games for Change, Sesame Workshop, Microsoft, Thriving in Games Group, Endless Access, and Swedish Games Association, we began building a global framework for rating how games teach. A formal launch of the Learning Ratings Consortia is planned for GDC 2026.
SPEARHEADED ARCHITECTED
Global Education
Our partnership with Cintana paves the way for thousands of learners worldwide to experience Play–Make–Earn. This marks the start of our global scaling strategy.
Microcredential Revolution
The Lab issued ASU’s first-ever game-based microcredentials. Nearly 100 were earned in courses, hackathons, and camps—signaling to the world that learning through play and creation can now be formally recognized.
INNOVATED
ASU Studio Courses
We piloted the first studio-based course where students earned both ASU credit/microcredentials. This model will be scaled globally and localized through Cintana's network of 35+ universities.
11 PROGRAMS & INITIATIVES
Microcredentials
Microcredentials are a cornerstone of the Endless Lab’s mission to make learning visible, portable, and aligned with real-world skills. They represent short-term accomplishments, such as mastering a specific tool or demonstrating leadership in a team project, and are increasingly being converted into academic credit. Partnering with ASU’s Enterprise Technology and Learning Enterprise units, the Lab has emerged as a spearheading use case for ASU’s microcredentialing infrastructure. In its first year, the Lab issued nearly 100 credentials for game-based learning to students who participated in game-making events, workshops, and credit-bearing courses, marking an important early milestone in a much larger vision.
Building on the microcredentials work done at ASU and the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts over the years, the Lab is creating a unified ecosystem where gameplay, game development, and game-making in hackathons and studio courses generate microcredentials linked to demonstrated skills. It collaborates with global partners, such as Games for Change and Endless Access, to support scalable, game-based learning experiences that feed into ASU’s formal academic and professional credentialing pipelines. Through its Play-to-Learn, Make-to-Learn, and Learn-to-Earn models, the Lab is redefining how learners acquire and demonstrate knowledge and creating new global pathways to educational and economic opportunity.
Over the next year, the Lab will move from experimentation to systematic implementation, mapping competencies and developing skill trees that credentials can validate and express. This includes hard skills like scripting, storytelling, and 3D modeling, as well as broader competencies such as teamwork and design thinking. Throughout this work, the Lab remains grounded in its core belief: that games are not just a subject of study, but a powerful pedagogy in themselves.
Endstar Game Studio: Turning Students into Game Makers
Endstar Game Studio is a project-based course where students step into the role of junior game developers within a collaborative studio environment. Designed to simulate the dynamics of a real-world game production pipeline, the course tasks students with working in teams to build a complete adventure game from the ground
up, integrating level design, worldbuilding, asset creation, and scripting using the Endstar platform.
Throughout the course, students receive ongoing mentorship from the instructor as well as guest experts from the games industry, gaining valuable feedback, production insights, and exposure to professional workflows. The curriculum emphasizes not just technical skills like creating game logic, user experience, and design iteration, but also key creative and collaborative competencies such as agile project management. Students build a playable game, develop a portfolio, learn a shared vocabulary for game creation, and a deeper understanding of how diverse disciplines from art to engineering to storytelling converge in successful game development.
The first offering of Endstar Game Studio launched in Spring 2025 and will return in Fall 2025 with an expanded cohort and updated project challenges. In parallel, a streamlined, scalable version of the course is being developed for global rollout through Cintana Education’s network of 35 partner universities. This version adapts the hands-on learning model to different regional contexts, with an emphasis on accessibility.
Meet MIRANDA: Mapping Learning Through Play
MIRANDA is an AI system designed to transform how learning that’s happening through gameplay is captured, understood, and validated. As "Multimodal Intelligent Recognition and Assessment for Next Generation Digital Accreditation," MIRANDA analyzes gameplay and creative activity to identify emerging skills, cognitive strategies, and collaborative behaviors in real time. By generating dynamic knowledge graphs from diverse player interactions, MIRANDA enables transparent, theory-aligned assessment, supporting personalized feedback and microcredentialing. It is piloted in educational, research, and industry settings to power new models of learning where playing, making, and reflecting become core pathways to next-generation digital accreditation. MIRANDA offers a transparent, theory-driven alternative to traditional black-box AI models, empowering educators and researchers to accurately track learning trajectories, foster skill development, and award microcredentials based on demonstrated learning outcomes. In addition to analyzing gameplay, MIRANDA can be used for assessing learning that
happens through making games. Similarly as used for gameplay, MIRANDA can analyze game-making, providing an overlay that captures learning. Future iterations may include more interactive models, where a game-maker can use MIRANDA as an active learning companion, providing advice and feedback.
Learning Ratings
The Learning Ratings Consortia, a joint initiative of the Endless Lab, Games for Change, the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop, Microsoft, Thriving in Games Group, Endless Access, and Swedish Games Association, is a coalition aimed at redefining how video games foster learning. Guided by the principle of “learning through every game,” it envisions a future where any game can serve as a
vehicle for learning, leading to development of real-world skills and knowledge. The initiative’s purpose is to help game-players, families, and educators identify games that not only entertain but also enrich knowledge and skills, transforming the perception of game time from pure entertainment to a space where meaningful skills and knowledge are developed. It seeks to capture the natural learning that happens during play, and deepen our understanding of how players learn through games.
As part of this effort, the initiative is developing a Learning Ratings framework that builds on initiatives such as Responsible Innovation in Technology for Children (RITEC) and ASU’s MIRANDA technology. MIRANDA can be used to gather learning data across different players, which can then be mapped into Learning Ratings that indicate possible learning outcomes from a game. Through its Learning Ratings initiative, the Lab aims to create a virtuous cycle for game-based learning: helping players recognize the educational value in games, encouraging professional game developers to build games with learning in mind, and inspiring educators to integrate games more confidently into learning environments.
This initiative is led by the Lab and powered by a broad coalition of organizations spanning education, technology, and the gaming industry. The coalition is looking to extend the network of rollout partners such as the American Council on Education (ACE), the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), and Arizona State University’s Learning Transformation Studios, who together provide additional
expertise and global reach for implementing the learning ratings system. The coalition also engages strategic collaborators across academia and industry to broaden its impact, ensuring that diverse perspectives inform the development and adoption of this new framework. A key goal is to formally launch the Learning Ratings initiative at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in 2026. There the coalition aims to galvanize the broader game development community, invite new partners and sponsors, and establish Learning Ratings as a new dimension in game design and how players, educators, and institutions evaluate games for their learning potential.
Endstar Game Maker Spark Challenge
The Endstar Game Maker Spark Challenge marked the first large-scale deployment of Endless Studios’ Endstar platform in an educational setting. The Endless Lab and ASU Enterprise Technology hosted this hackathon at the ASU MIX Center in February 2025. It was sponsored by Endless Studios, Axio, and E-Line Media, and the four-day event brought together about 70 students from disciplines as varied as dance, engineering, game design, and extended reality. The hackathon featured both no-code and code tracks, enabling creators of all technical backgrounds to participate.
Working in teams, students built original dungeon crawler games using Endstar, supported by mentors. The event culminated in a public showcase and award ceremony with four prize categories: Best Game (coding required), Best Game (no coding required), Best Prop (an interactive 3D asset), and People’s Choice (selected by the audience). Notably, the People’s Choice award went to a no-code track team, highlighting the accessibility and creative power of Endstar for non-technical creators.
A panel of industry experts, including judges from Rainbow Studios and SuperNatural Studios, evaluated the submissions and provided professional feedback, giving students a unique opportunity to present their work to real-world game development professionals.
The hackathon served as a live demonstration of the Make to Learn model, and highlighted the importance of collaboration, working in teams - skills for the 21st century. All participants who shipped a playable game and pitched their project earned an ASU microcredential in game development, and many of the participants proudly shared them on LinkedIn to signal newly acquired skills. The event achieved high engagement and retention from start to finish, underscoring both the creative potential and educational value of learning through making games.
XP Gained: Participant Highlights
Testimonial from Michelle Chen:
“The Endstar Game Maker Spark Challenge, hosted by the Endless Games and Learning Lab, provided an incredible opportunity to dive into game-based learning, collaborate as a team, and push our creativity to the next level. Many of us had never participated in a hackathon or worked with game development before, making this win even more special!”
Testimonial from Vamshi Narayana Babu
“Just wrapped up an exciting 4-day #EndstarSparkChallenge hosted by the Endless Games and Learning Lab. It was a fun and intense experience, pushing creative limits and exploring game development with the Endstar tool—an amazing platform for building games effortlessly.”
Camp Level Up++
Camp Level Up++ delivered a hands-on curriculum designed to empower middle and high school students through digital game design, creative technology, and collaborative problem-solving. Made possible through a generous gift from the Abbett Family Foundation, the camp brought together learners to explore the intersection of play, prototyping, and innovation.
Campers engaged in a series of immersive modules, each designed to spark creativity, build technical fluency, and promote confidence. The Game Design Foundations module introduced core mechanics, mission building, level design, and playtesting through paper prototyping and peer feedback. In Game Development Tools & Engines, campers explored Blender, Endstar, Unity, and Unreal Engine through hands-on sessions. The Hardware Hacking & DIY Electronics track encouraged participants to build custom Bluetooth cigar box speakers, learning circuit design, and sound integration. Meanwhile, Fab Lab & Digital Fabrication introduced laser cutting, stencil design, 3D printing, and the creative finishing of their speaker enclosures. The final module, Showcase & Presentation Skills, gave students the tools to pitch their games, share their stories, and gather family and peer feedback during a live showcase.
Throughout the camp, students developed both hard and soft skills—from technical prototyping to storytelling and teamwork. Camp participants received microcredentials, recognizing their commitment and learning. Camp Level Up++ created a dynamic space for young makers to build, break, test, and reimagine what’s possible.
XP Gained! Camp Level Up++ participants:
A fellow camper showing off his speaker
A camper playtesting his game with his dad, explaining how he used Endstar to build a game to his family
Campers building their Bluetooth speakers at the Woodwork lab at the MIX CENTER
From the Parents:
“It's always inspiring to see the energy, creativity, and engagement of the campers firsthand - and how the program continues to evolve and thrive.”
“I am grateful for the added component of putting the kiddos on a pathway by being able to start earning microcredentials in game design and creative technology.”
“I know that there is a lot of learning happening all around - especially in teaching materials and instructional methods with the neurodiverse population participants, and I can't thank you enough for your efforts to further advance their skill set and knowledge in a very exciting career path.’’
Creative expression at its finest!
An event full of curiosity and engagement!
Parents and Grandparents observe with pride and anticipation.
ASU and Endless Network Partner to launch Scalable Learning Solutions.
https://blog.endlessglobal.com/blog-1/asu-and-endless-network-partner-to-launch-scalable-learning-solutions April 15, 2024
Endless Blog
Gaming executive Mark Ollila named director of ASU’s Endless Games and Learning Lab.
https://news.asu.edu/20240818-arts-humanities-and-education-gaming-executive-mark-ollila-named-director-asus-endless August 14, 2024
ASU News
ASU students craft and code on new video game making platform. Endless Games and Learning Lab debuts “Endstar” among student game developers at ASU’s Spark Challenge.
https://tech.asu.edu/features/code-new-game-platform
February 25, 2025
ASU Enterprise Technology News
ASU, Games for Change launch partnership to advance game-based learning.
https://news.asu.edu/20250627-arts-humanities-and-education-asu-games-change-launch-partnership-advance-gamebased June 27, 2025
ASU News
Changing the game: ASU offers new game design degree.
New Bachelor of Science in game design ushers in a new era, and name, for School of Arts, Media and Engineering.
https://news.asu.edu/20250801-arts-humanities-and-education-changing-game-asu-offers-new-game-design-degree August 01, 2025
ASU News
PARTNERS
The lab is based at the MIX Center in Mesa and operates within the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, and The GAME School. The lab's initial funding was generously provided by Matt Dalio through Endless Network. Further support has been secured from the Abbett Family Foundation for Camp Level Up++, and the lab has established an agreement with Aethir for in-kind access to AI compute power, crucial for developing models and learning solutions through games.
Our Collaborators
Organizations with active, completed, or planned projects in partnership with the Lab.
Within ASU
Action Lab
https://edplus.asu.edu/how-we-work/ ASU Foundation
https://www.asufoundation.org Enterprise Technology
https://tech.asu.edu/ Geometric Media Lab https://pavanturaga.com/ T. Denny Sanford Harmony Institute https://harmonyinstitute.asu.edu/ Learning Enterprise https://learning.asu.edu/ Learning Engineering Institute https://learningengineering.asu.edu/ Learning Transformation Studio https://lts.asu.edu/ Luminosity Lab https://theluminositylab.com/ School of Ocean Futures https://oceans.asu.edu/
W.P. Carey - Real Estate Experiential Learning Lab https://real-estate.wpcarey.asu.edu/experiential-learning-lab
Organizations & Companies
Abbett Family Foundation: www.abbettfamilyfoundation.org
Aethir: www.aethir.com
Atomontage: www.atomontage.com
AXIO: www.axio.ai
Cintana: www.cintana.com
E-Line Media: www.elinemedia.com
EI Games: www.eigames.com
Endless Organization: (Endless Access, Endless Foundation, Endless Network, Endless OS, Endless Studios) www.endlessstudios.com
Games for Change: www.gamesforchange.org
Microsoft: www.microsoft.com
Unity: www.unity.com
Epic: www.unrealengine.com
Rainbow Studios: www.rainbowstudios.com
Riverkeep: www.riverkeep.com
Return Entertainment: www.returnentertainment.com
Sesame Workshop: www.sesameworkshop.org
SuperNatural Studios: www.supernaturalstudios.com
Swedish Games Industry Association: www.dataspelsbranschen.se/english
Thriving in Games Group www.thrivingingames.org
23 EVENTS & PRESENTATIONS
Notable events & presentations of 2024 - 2025
Dalio Family Office Presentation
Mark Ollila presenting
A private presentation discussing the future of learning through games, AI integration, and investment opportunities in educational technology.
School of Informatics, Computing & Cyber Systems
Mark Ollila presenting
A guest lecture titled “Reflection on Alternative Reality Experiences, Games, and the Impact of AI,” discussing how immersive experiences and AI intersect in modern storytelling and education.
W.P. Carey – Coffee, Tea, ChatGPT
A demonstration at the W.P. Carey School of Business where Mark and Elina showed MIRANDA, and discussed detecting learning in games, alongside broader trends in games, learning, and technology.
Online
December 2024
Arizona February 2025
Arizona April 2025
QS ImpACT Skills Challenge
No-Code (Beginner) Track with Endstar
The Lab mentored participants in the Beginner (No-Code) track guiding students in developing games using the Endstar platform. The event was co-hosted online by ASU Enterprise Technology, QS ImpACT, and the University of Exeter, enabling youth worldwide to create games for social impact.
Online
April to May 2025
Kyoto University
Bola Akinrolabu presenting
At Kyoto University of Foreign Studies, Bola Akinrolabu delivered a guest lecture showcasing Endstar and the idea of completing an undergraduate degree through games.
Japan July 2025
Brain Emulation using Patom Theory with PAT.AI
A thought-provoking session featuring John Ball and Beth Carey, exploring AI, language, and cognition through the lens of Patom Theory and brain emulation. Organized together with Learning Engineering Institute.
Arizona March 2025
Endless Retreat
Mark Ollila presenting Elina Ollila presenting
Represented ASU and the Endless Games and Learning Lab as part of the growing Endless ecosystem, fostering collaboration and strategic planning across initiatives.
Vermont July 2025
AIA Esports Championships
An esports-focused event involving student engagement and industry partnerships, scheduled as part of Arizona's broader interest in games and digital experiences.
Arizona May 2025
Arts, Media, and Engineering
Mark Ollila presenting
A session presented at the Future of Creative Learning Festival, highlighting the intersection of games, learning, and AI.
Arizona February 2025
Games Community of Practice
A recurring ASU event series that brings together students, faculty, and industry professionals to share, connect, and showcase game-related work across the university.
Arizona February & April 2025
Northern Arizona University
Mark Ollila presenting
Delivered at Northern Arizona University, this talk reflected on Conspiracy for Good, immersive ARGs, and the future of storytelling with AI-driven characters and environments.
Arizona March 2025
OceanX Game
Hackathon
The lab participated in a cross-disciplinary game hackathon focused on ocean futures and scientific work done at OceanX.
Europe May 2025
FOCL Fest
Mark Ollila presenting
A session presented at the Future of Creative Learning Festival, highlighting the intersection of games, learning, and AI.
Arizona February 2025
IndieCade Game Festival
Connected with game researchers, students, and indie game enthusiasts at ASU California Campus.
California November 2024
25 CONFERENCES & VISITS
Notable conference attendance & invited visits by Lab members during 2024-2025
DICE - Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain USA February
GDC - Game Developers Conference
The focus was on presenting the lab to high-profile industry participants. The connection to Aethir came through this event.
The Lab met with global game studios, investors, and partners. The trip explored investments, game-based learning, and potential partnerships. Focus was on ecosystem development and the role of AI in the games industry. The Lab met with the Swedish Games Industry Association, Unity, Unreal, KSA, Qualcomm, and others.
USA
March 2025
One year after the lab was announced by President Crow and Matt Dalio at ASU-GSV - the premier event in education - the Lab participated at the convention, demonstrating MIRANDA technology to partners and family offices, as well as formally connecting with entities interested in partnering with the Lab. The relationship with Games for Change, Sesame Workshop, and Microsoft was nurtured at this event.
USA
April 2025
Focused on studying Sweden’s successful game development ecosystem, including support structures like public funding, mentorship, and incubators. Lessons from institutions like Skövde University, RISE, and studios like Paradox and EA DICE will inform ecosystem-building strategy at global scale. Mark Ollila gave a keynote at the Swedish Games Industry’s annual general meeting.
SWEDEN
April 2025
Explored national collaborations in game-based learning, including potential for Endless Labs, dual-credit curricula, and national game design competitions. The trip aligned ASU's educational models with regional strategic goals, laying foundations for formal partnerships and future co-development efforts.
UAE and the KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA
April 2025
The Lab joined global leaders in exploring the future of games for learning and social impact. During the event, the Lab announced a formal MOU with Games for Change to collaborate on research, student engagement, and joint initiatives.
USA
June 2025
Swedish Games Industry Visit with Dennis Bartels
Games for Change Festival
UAE and Saudi Arabia Visit
27 OUR LAB HOSTED VISITS
Notable lab visitors & visits during 2024-2025
Abbett Family Foundation
Supports educational and community initiatives with a focus on empowering youth through creativity, innovation, and hands-on learning experiences. Based in Mesa, Arizona.
Aethir
A decentralized cloud infrastructure platform designed to power high-performance gaming by offloading graphics processing to distributed GPUs, enabling scalable, low-latency game streaming and AI experiences.
Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA)
The state's leading economic development organization, focused on attracting and growing businesses, supporting innovation, and strengthening Arizona’s economy through high-impact programs and partnerships.
ASU Action Lab: https://edplus.asu.edu/how-we-work
ASU Foundation: https://www.asufoundation.org
ASU Decision Theater: https://dt.asu.edu
ASU Enterprise Technology: tech.asu.edu
ASU Embodied Games XR Lab: https://psychology.asu.edu/research/labs/embodied-games-lab
ASU T. Denny Sanford Harmony Institute: https://harmonyinstitute.asu.edu
ASU Learning Engineering Institute: https://learningengineering.asu.edu
ASU Learning Transformation Studios: https://lts.asu.edu
ASU Library: https://lib.asu.edu
ASU Next Lab: https://nextlab.asu.edu
ASU Meteor Studio: https://meteor.ame.asu.edu
ASU Preparatory Academy: https://asuprep.asu.edu
ASU Principled Innovation: https://pi.education.asu.edu
ASU Real Estate Experiential Learning Lab: http://real-estate.wpcarey.asu.edu/experiential-learning-lab
ASU School of Humanities, Arts & Cultural Studies: https://newcollege.asu.edu/sharcs
ASU School of Ocean Futures: https://oceans.asu.edu
AXIO
An AI-powered learning management platform partnering with the Endless Lab to develop agentic learning systems that can integrate with MIRANDA.
Atomontage
A 3D engine that uses voxel-based technology to enable highly detailed, dynamic, and destructible environments, revolutionizing how virtual worlds are built and experienced.
Cintana
A global education network that partners with universities to expand access to high-quality learning, and serves as our key collaborator in advancing scaled learning initiatives.
City of Maricopa Police Department
Working with the Lab to explore how game-based learning, and AI technologies can enhance law enforcement training.
Consulate General of Finland, Los Angeles and Finland’s Ambassador for Technology
Supports Finnish companies and universities in building partnerships across the U.S., particularly in the globally recognized gaming sector for which Finland is renowned.
Dataspelsbranschen
The Swedish Games Industry Association, represents Sweden’s game developers and publishers, advocating for industry growth, education, and international collaboration.
EI Games
An educational game company working with ASU Enterprise Partners.
E-Line Media
A game studio with Phoenix area presence, partnering with the Endless Lab to co-develop Learn-to-Earn programs that connect students with real-world game development experience and industry mentorship.
Empty Set Entertainment
The media company of sci-fi author Scott Sigler, home to a series of published science fiction books and a passionate global fandom community.
Endava
A global technology services company that has a dedicated games work-for-hire division.
Endless Studios
A game development studio with a Phoenix-area presence and the creator of the Endstar platform.
Gen.G Esports
A global esports organization building a cross-cultural school network in South Korea and Southern California to develop the next generation of gaming and esports talent through education, competition, and career pathways.
Iconic Engine
An XR technology company specializing in cloud-based streaming and immersive content delivery, enabling scalable, high-quality virtual, augmented, and mixed reality experiences across devices.
Rainbow Studios
A leading game studio based in the Phoenix area, partnering with the Endless Lab to co-develop Learn-to-Earn programs that connect students with real-world game development experience and industry mentorship.
The Schultz Family Foundation
Founded by Howard Schultz, former CEO of Starbucks, focuses on expanding equitable access to education, employment, and economic opportunity for young people and veterans
SuperNatural Studios
A game development studio collaborating with the Endless Lab to design and develop game-based learning solutions.
WHAT IS NEXT?
Scaling Impact: The Endless Arc of Play, Make, and Earn
Over the next 12-18 months, the Endless Games and Learning Lab will focus on scale and reach, embodying the core tenets of "Play, Make, Earn" to achieve Realm 5 learning—a future of infinitely scalable, affordable, and personalized education. Our strategy hinges on extending our foundational work through strategic global partnerships and innovative technological deployment. This entire endeavor is built upon the development and nurturing of a robust international ecosystem that, while globally oriented, recognizes and leverages vital local elements.
ENDLESS ARC FRAMEWORK
Studio Courses Hackathons DIY/Modded Games
Project MIRANDA Microcredentials
Play: Globalizing Insight with MIRANDA and Industry Consortia
The rollout of MIRANDA as an enterprise-grade system will enable scalable learning experiences for hundreds of millions. This AI-powered platform will generate stackable microcredentials, making informal learning visible and valuable. Our partnerships with Aethir and Microsoft are a crucial first step to achieving this expansion: Aethir provides accelerated, scalable compute for game-based learning, while Microsoft offers essential infrastructure, technology, and extensive reach through its educational and gaming channels. We are actively exploring diverse distribution channels—international, local, and direct-to-learner—to ensure MIRANDA's transformative impact is globally accessible. This includes leading the development of industry consortia around learning ratings, fostering a shared understanding and adoption of how game-based learning cultivates essential, transferable skills. Within ASU, the lab will be working closely with the Learning
understanding and adoption of how game-based learning cultivates essential, transferable skills. Within ASU, the lab will be working closely with the Learning Engineering Institute, Action Lab, Learning Transformation Studios, Real Estate Experiential Learning Lab, Harmony Institute, Enterprise Technology, Learning Enterprise, EdPlus, Next Lab, and others.
Make: Fostering a Global Creator Movement and Competency-Based Recognition
The "Make" pillar will see the widespread adoption of the Endstar Studio course and the AI and Games course, beginning with the Cintana network of partner universities. We are committed to expanding the Trusted Learner Network by bringing in more partners to issue stackable microcredentials, a goal greatly supported by our collaboration with organizations like Endless Organization and their grantees like Games for Change. This initiative also fuels our hackathons and challenges, empowering learners and communities worldwide to create new content at scale. Our focus remains on developing Games and AI as key 21st-century skills, cultivated through a vibrant, global community of creators, emphasizing competency-based recognition of skills developed through game-making, which are highly transferable to other industries. Key local elements of this ecosystem include ongoing game jams in the Arizona and Southern California game ecosystems, notably the AZ Game Hackathon with Unity in November 2025. In addition to the work with Cintana, we are also expanding into Africa through Nigeria and Ghana, and the Middle East through the UAE and Saudi Arabia, while leveraging successful game ecosystems in Finland and Sweden for knowledge transfer and sharing.
Earn: Building Pathways to Economic Empowerment and Learner Agency
Our "Earn" strategy focuses on developing new learning pathways that directly connect students with industry. Through competency and project-based work on live industry projects, learners will earn microcredentials and, in many cases, income. A prime example is the emergence of community based game making, where content scales through contributions from learners who are recognized for their work through microcredentials. This model ensures that every learner can complete the "Endless Arc"—moving from play to creation, and then to earning—thereby
developing skills critically relevant for the 21st century and beyond. This approach underscores a thorough understanding and support of games-based learning as a powerful tool for developing agency for learners and creating those skills that are transferable to other industries. Initial partners for this approach to learning are E-Line Media, Endless Studios, and Rainbow Studios.
This integrated approach, deeply rooted in collaboration with diverse universities and industry leaders within a deliberately nurtured global ecosystem, positions the Endless Games and Learning Lab not just as an educational initiative, but as a global ground movement redefining how learning happens and is valued worldwide.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Arizona State University
PRESIDENT
COO
PROVOST
CIO
Michael M. Crow
Chris Howard
Nancy Gonzales
Lev Gonick
Endless Games & Learning Lab
FOUNDING DIRECTOR
DEPUTY DIRECTOR
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
PROGRAM MANAGER
Mark Ollila
Elina Ollila
Bola Akinrolabu
Tochi Nwosu
Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts
DEAN & VICE PROVOST
VICE DEAN
HEAD OF GAME SCHOOL
Abbett Family Foundation
ASU Foundation
Renée Cheng
Sandra Stauffer
Pavan Turaga
Endless Games & Learning Lab
Working Group
Jeff Abbett
Jenniffer Jarvis
Marshall Casebeer
Douglas Colby
Roger Edgar
Sam Lowry
Mike Angst
Dennis Bartels
Sam DaSilva
Alan Gershenfeld
David Hurwitt
Jennifer Janicki
Bridgette Lemoine
Stephanie Lo
Sandra Stauffer
Pavan Turaga
Additional Team Members
(Funded by our Partners)
RESEARCH ASSISTANT
RESEARCH ASSISTANT
STUDENT WORKER
PROGRAM SUPPORT LEAD
PROGRAM SUPPORT STUDENTS
SUMMER INTERN
Olivia Reyes
Nancy Zuo
Micaiah Wiafe
Kenya Thompson
Bonny Lee
Avantika Tiwari
Sumanth Velagala
Adam Szigeti
Special Thanks
(Our supporters at ASU and beyond)
Kevin Allen, Michael Armstrong, Alan Arkatov, Alan Aronica, Niklas Bakos, Andrew Ballon, Mark Barazzuol, Alexander Bascom, Doug Becker, Matt Booty, Justin Bourque, Megan Cauthen, Jeal Choi, Amit Chopra, Larry Corio, Andrea Corella, Melissa Conn, Faith Dalzell, Rowan Defaria, Emiliano Diez, Ken Dopher, Daniel Drake, Heather Drolot, Marwa Elgebaly, Megan Elliott, Julia Evers, Violeta Farias, Lisa Flesher, Ken George, Elisabeth Gee, James Paul Gee, Kate Giovacchini, Amanda Gulley, Dennis Gustafsson, Annie Hale, Allison Hall, Laura Hanish, Megan Hanley, Garry Hayes, Nicole Hernandez, Olivia Herneddo, Brad Hendricks, Robert Henrysson, Tricia Hilbun, Stephanie Holden, Jeffrey Holmes, Olli Honkkila, Julienne Ho, Ari Huerta-Crummey, Benjamin Immel, Paul Iannone, Anders Jackson, Eric Jacobson, Zsuzsa James, David Jeffs, Mina Johnson, Ken Jones, Brogan Keane, Terho Koivisto, Vilma Koivisto, Rubayat Khan, Larry LaPierre, Tracey LaPierre, Robert LiKamWa, Stefan Lindström, Skye Lucking, Don MacArthur, Michael Mann, Tim McKean, Danielle McNamara, Rob McQueen, Mark Naufel, Lauren Naufel, Odi Nwosu, Natalie Nailor, Johanna Nylander, Kim Nordström, Meri Ollila, Milo Ollila, Susanna Pollock, Ryan Pottle, Shanon Prum, Deirdre Quarnstrom, Connor Rawls, Briana Reed, Philip Regier, Stephen Reid, Elizabeth Reilley, Johanna Richards, Patrick Rosol-Allison, Susan Rubin, Marco Serrato, Rick Shangraw, Arana Shapiro, Julian Silva, Lisette Silva, A Sigler, Scott Sigler, Calvin Stanley, Mark Stapp, Heidi Steiger, Per Strömbäck, Carly Sulak, Deborah Sussman, Mansoor Syed, Jamie Szynal, Daniel Tabar, Paul Thind, Stephanie Tomlin, John Vanden Brooks, Joe Watson, Claudia Wiedeman, Bonnie Wilde, Brittany Williams, Daniel Williams, Megan Workmon, Philip Wu.
https://links.asu.edu/endless