Back in January, I was flattered to be asked by Maryanne Cullinan and Jennifer Genova to present at this year's Game-Based Education & Therapy Conference (GBET), which occurs simultaneously with Origins Game Fair in Columbus, Ohio. (Origins is the main "open to the public" annual event ran by GAMA, alongside some retail-only conventions throughout the year.) Despite the fact that Columbus is not terribly far from where I live -- about three hours -- I had never been to Origins before, so I was thankful for the opportunity when I attended last week.
GBET runs over three days (Friday through Sunday) in a dedicated area of the convention center, mere steps away from the exhibit hall and other gaming opportunities. I ended up presenting two sessions on Friday, June 19.
Much of what I shared was parts of the professional learning on educational tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs) I've been doing over the last few years, although clearly I moved quickly past the "What are TTRPGs?" with the crowd at Origins! I was grateful for all those who attended, as well as their enthusiastic participation. A special thanks to several members of The Hills Have Nerds (Aaron! Cody!) who came to my first session -- in particular, a shout out to Josh Damron who took several pictures and videos:
(Josh also ran a wonderful Call of Cthulu one shot he created, which allowed me to play that TTRPG for the first time -- my character even survived! More gratitude for Josh's generosity of time and service.)
A conference like Origins/GBET gave me the chance to not only meet several people in person for the first time, but to learn. Some highlights:
- Adam Davis (an early and influential person who used TTRPGs in therapy, currently with foundry10) presented on the importance of gamemasters sharing power with their players to make a truly co-created story.
- I finally met Steph Campbell of TTRPGKids face-to-face! (Their website is full of resources and self-published materials, and I am still thankful to have been interviewed last year.) I got a copy of Making a Tabletop RPG for YOUR Particular Kid: A Guide for Families, Friends, and Facilitators. I look forward to reading it.
- Carolyn Noe (of Superheroines Etc) had a session on how disabilities are represented in games. It's an important topic, and one that reminds us that as we know better, we should do better.
- Zachary Reznichek has been in the educational TTRPG space for several years, running workshops on the topic and self-publishing his book Teacher-Gamer Handbook, although I learned of his work only recently. After connecting on social media, I was thankful to meet him in person when he attended one of my sessions.
- Back in March, I was a guest on The Twenty-Sided Gamified Podcast, hosted by Jared Fishman. Jared and his organizational partner Kelly McManus had a session on "Designing Classroom Games and Game Based Learning," which included a chance for me to play a few rounds of Diplomacy (and meet Jared face-to-face) for the first time!
- For pure fun, I had the chance to playtest (alongside Josh) an upcoming rules-light TTRPG called Further Adventure to be published by Limitless Adventures. (They have always been a big supporter of educators in various ways; one of their resources is highlighted in my book.) You can follow when their new TTRPG launches on Kickstarter later this summer.
- Besides Maryanne, I was also thankful to meet her organizational partner Garrett Monroe in person. Maryanne and Garrett's Tabletop EDU has resources, self-published books, and ongoing engagement opportunities to learn from others on educational TTRPGs (follow them across social media for the latest).
I really enjoyed Origins, and the city of Columbus. The convention center and connected hotels allowed for a conference that was large with lots of options, but still inviting and not overwhelming. In particular, I was impressed with the sessions and presenters offered by GBET, and I believe its value for educators and therapists will only grow in the years to come.
Did you attend GBET this year, or in the past? What are your thoughts on Origins? How do you think it compares to other game-related convention opportunities such as Gen Con's Trade Day? Please share in the Comments below!
For more pictures from Origins 2026, see my KyEdRPG Facebook Page post here.
