iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Ben Dyson @benjdyson.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Thanks to @pemetawe.bsky.social & Play The North organizers for the opportunity to speed pitch this weekend! @roxley.bsky.social @burntislandgames.bsky.social @offthepagegames.bsky.social #ktbg #InsideUpGames were so gracious to give up their time.

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PsychUAlberta @psychualberta.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Thank you, Elder Fernie Marty! It was an honor to host Elder Fernie Marty, Indigenous Knowledge Keeper and Member of the Papaschase First Nation, as we welcomed our incoming graduate students, postdoctoral scholars and staff, and celebrated our award recipients.

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Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology @cjep.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Call for Special Issues Papers @apajournals.bsky.social From lab to reality: How psychological protocols and phenomena hold up in the real world Letters of intent deadline: January 31, 2027 Manuscript submission deadline: November 1, 2027 Submission details here www.apa.org/pubs/journal...

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PsychUAlberta @psychualberta.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Congratulations to Yajing Zhang who passed her candidacy this afternoon (supervisor Dr Ben Dyson)! Thanks to examination committee members Dr Weimin Mou, Dr Christina Gagne, Dr Dana Hayward, Dr Carrie Shaw, and, to Dr Chris Sturdy for chairing.

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Ben Dyson @benjdyson.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

All sluggy slots for the Saturday 1pm gameplay of Slug Fest are full! Try to move fast (you are a slug, after all) to get a seat at the table for Saturday 2:30pm and 4:00pm. @fallconyyc.bsky.social #PrototypeAlley

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PsychUAlberta @psychualberta.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Congratulations to Dr Ben Dyson on being awarded a Henry Marshall Tory Chair! This prestigious 5 year appointment recognizes Ben's research and teaching scholarship. @benjdyson.bsky.social @ualberta.bsky.social

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Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology @cjep.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

El Rifai, A. M., Tellier, C., & Dyson, B. J. (2026). Using the game can’t stop to inform the novel behavioural state of near-loss. Revue canadienne de psychologie expérimentale. Advance online publication. doi.org/10.1037/cep0...

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Ben Dyson @benjdyson.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Calling all gastropods! Sluggy slots are now available for Slug Fest at Prototype Alley @fallconyyc.bsky.social Sign up via #CardboardConnect In Slug Fest, you take control of a family of slugs in search of their favorite foods in a country garden...

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PsychUAlberta @psychualberta.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

Join Dr Ben Dyson (@benjdyson.bsky.social) this Friday 13th March 12 noon for a playful Teaching Seminar session BS P226 "Can we teach concepts via game actions? Collaborators vs. innovators in the novel card game Shape" @ualberta.bsky.social

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Ben Dyson @benjdyson.bsky.social · 09/03/2026

Please join the Re: Cognition at Poster Session E 123 and 126 #CNS2026- Eunchan and Yajing are ready to take your questions! @psychualberta.bsky.social

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PsychUAlberta @psychualberta.bsky.social · 27/01/2026

Dr Ben Dyson PSYCH 353: The Psychology of Board Games Tuesday, Feb. 10 | 12:30 - 1:50 p.m.

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Ben Dyson @benjdyson.bsky.social · 15/12/2025

A highlight of this year was being invited by the Esker Foundation to write a piece on Babak Golkar's recent exhibition When Sound Becomes Unsound. Read 'Please Do Not Touch The Artwork Beyond This Point' below @psychualberta.bsky.social permanentcollection.eskerfoundation.com/essays/pleas...

permanentcollection.eskerfoundation.com

‘PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH THE ARTWORK BEYOND THIS POINT’ - Permanent Collection

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Canadian Psychological Association @canadianpsychology.bsky.social · 26/11/2025

Call for Nominations for Editor of Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology (2026-2030) The Board of Directors of the CPA has opened nominations for the Editorship of the Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology for the years 2026 through 2030. More information: buff.ly/BOdMS9S

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PsychUAlberta @psychualberta.bsky.social · 18/10/2025

We are live at @ualberta.bsky.social Open House! Lab tours at 10am and 2pm, Psychology presentation at 12 noon. Come by and say hi!

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PsychUAlberta @psychualberta.bsky.social · 22/09/2025

Applications for MA, MSc and PhD programs in Psychology @ualberta.bsky.social are now open! For application information and FAQ, please visit our website below. Deadline December 1st. Join us! www.ualberta.ca/en/psycholog...

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Ben Dyson @benjdyson.bsky.social · 28/08/2025

I was extremely happy to contribute to this article about the use of off-the-shelf board games in the classroom. Thank you @keithlaw.bsky.social for the invite!

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Keith Law @keithlaw.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

for @endlessmode.bsky.social I spoke to a number of educators about how and why they're using off-the-shelf board games in the classroom, and what games they've used successfully with students from primary school to college: www.endlessmode.com/article/how-...

endlessmode.com

How Board Games Are Used in the Classroom

There's a long history of educational games, but how are board games used in the classroom today? We talk to eight educators to find out.

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Ben Dyson @benjdyson.bsky.social · 21/08/2025

All table reservations for fine Takoyaki dining at #FallCon25 are fully booked! Although our restaurant is at capacity for scheduled opening hours, walk-ins may be accepted- just come by and say hi!

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Ben Dyson @benjdyson.bsky.social · 18/08/2025

A great new GameTek Post by @gengelstein.bsky.social‬ (hope you had a nice birthday Geoff!) regarding a YouGov poll on the non-random selection of options during chance situations. The cool thing is each of the three findings discussed replicate previously observed findings! Here we go…

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Ben Dyson @benjdyson.bsky.social · 02/08/2025

Some huge games of Tenure Track going down at #BerlinBrettSpiel25! Thanks to all the fantastic playtesters who came by today.

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Ben Dyson @benjdyson.bsky.social · 02/08/2025

Tenure Track is live at Table 16 in Prototype Alley at #BerlinBrettSpiel25. Come by and say hi!

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Ben Dyson @benjdyson.bsky.social · 15/07/2025

@fallconyyc.bsky.social playtesting times for my 2025 Canadian Game Design Award #CDGA finalist Takoyaki have been announced. Sign up via Cardboard Events and I look forward to showing you the game! Friday 22nd August 1pm - 3pm Friday 22nd August 3pm - 5pm Saturday 23rd August 12pm - 2pm

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Ben Dyson @benjdyson.bsky.social · 10/07/2025

Received Playtesting Best Practices by Chris Backe as part of @gengelstein.bsky.social Guides To Tabletop Game Design Nice to see the concept of 'double coding'- in Cognitive Psychology we call this 'redundancy gain': better discrimination when objects differ on 2 (rather than 1) features

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Ben Dyson @benjdyson.bsky.social · 03/07/2025

My Canadian Game Design Award 2025 Finalist prototype 'Takoyaki' is now on its way to the CGDA judges. And not a moment too soon according to the file status of my rule book... @fallconyyc.bsky.social

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Geoff Engelstein - The Universe Explained with Cookie out now! @gengelstein.bsky.social · 23/06/2025

Two new books have just been published in myh series Guides To Tabletop Game Design! Worldbuilding from Steve Dee and Playtesting Best Practices from Chris Backe both give nuanced, and insightful coverage of their topics from noted experts. Please check them out! www.routledge.com/CRC-Press-Gu...

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Ben Dyson @benjdyson.bsky.social · 13/06/2025

Saturday at #SARMAC2025 (8:45am; Boardroom 1) I'll be contributing to Teaching About Research in Memory & Cognition (TARMAC) @psychualberta.bsky.social @ualberta.bsky.social 'Assessing the replicability of Cognitive Psychology during remote experiential learning via mobile phone technology'

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Ben Dyson @benjdyson.bsky.social · 29/05/2025

An extremely fun morning at #LinCon25 playtesting Tenure Track as a finalist for the Swedish Annual Game Award (Anvil Category). Looking forward to seeing some of the other finalists this afternoon! @psychualberta.bsky.social

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Ben Dyson @benjdyson.bsky.social · 14/05/2025

Very fun playtesting session of Tenure Track this afternoon as part of the Festival of Teaching and Learning, including some critical feedback regarding resource management...

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Ben Dyson @benjdyson.bsky.social · 13/05/2025

Looking forward to hosting a few sessions at the 2025 Festival of Teaching and Learning tomorrow (14 May) at University of Alberta a) 10:15 am - 11:15 am ECHA 1-490 Overcoming a barrier in the use of games in education via the use of a generic card game system allowing for specific content overlay

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Charlie Hind @hindcharlie.bsky.social · 09/05/2025

New study from the Women in Supramolecular Chemistry (WISC) revealing the unique challenges resulting from being First Gen (first generation of a family to access Higher Education) in science and showing how these persist at every stage of a career in academia: pubs.rsc.org/en/content/a...

pubs.rsc.org

Being a first generation university graduate, the impact on a career in science

Being in the first generation to access Higher Education (First Gen) is a barrier to academic success. First Gens face difficulties transitioning into, completing, and attaining competitive grades in ...

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Ben Dyson @benjdyson.bsky.social · 26/04/2025

Thanks to #AGRI25 for hosting such a fun and interesting conference @banffcentre.bsky.social. Lots of great conversations in spectacular surroundings! Here are Yajing and Eunchan doing an amazing job representing @psychualberta.bsky.social

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Ben Dyson @benjdyson.bsky.social · 09/04/2025

Thanks to Grade 3 and Grade 5 Norwood School for stopping by @psychualberta.bsky.social today for some #USchool. Lots of budding scientists asking lots of great questions!

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Ben Dyson @benjdyson.bsky.social · 25/03/2025

Third and final game showcased #UnPub25 Total Chaos (2 Computationalists; 30 mins) Promo video: youtube.com/watch?v=I7wB... See you there!

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Total Chaos Rules

YouTube video by Ben Dyson

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Ben Dyson @benjdyson.bsky.social · 25/03/2025

Second game at #UnPub25 is Double Creature Feature (2-4 Casting Agents; 30 mins) Promo video: youtube.com/watch?v=1loE...

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Double Creature Feature (CE 3mins)

YouTube video by Ben Dyson

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Ben Dyson @benjdyson.bsky.social · 25/03/2025

Getting ready for #Unpub25 Tenure Track (2-4 Researchers; 120 mins) Play as competing researchers who need to succeed in Academia in this medium-to-heavy Euro Promo video here: youtube.com/watch?v=7bY6...

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Tenure Track (SAGA video)

YouTube video by Ben Dyson

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Ben Dyson @benjdyson.bsky.social · 18/03/2025

This year will be my first UnPub and I will be actively seeking feedback on three games. It would be great to meet some of your virtual folks in person! Design descriptions and times below:

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Women in Cognitive Science Canada+ @wicscanada.bsky.social · 17/03/2025

Know someone who is a fantastic mentor to 🇨🇦 women in cognitive science? Nominate them for the @wicscanada.bsky.social 2025 Mentorship Award: wicsc.ca/wp-content/u...

wicsc.ca

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PsychUAlberta @psychualberta.bsky.social · 20/02/2025

UAlberta students have an ongoing podcast called Behind the Labs on science topics ranging from biology to medicine to AI and more. A recent episode featured our own @benjdyson.bsky.social discussing his research on decision making in games. Listen here! open.spotify.com/episode/4ER1...

open.spotify.com

Behind The Labs - Episode 28 - A Chat With Dr. Ben Dyson

Behind The Labs · Episode

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PsychUAlberta @psychualberta.bsky.social · 07/02/2025

Read all about it! Our own Dr Ben Dyson features in The Quad on how games can be used to gain new perspectives on human behaviour and cognitive processes @benjdyson.bsky.social www.ualberta.ca/en/the-quad/...

ualberta.ca

Game on: Transforming cognitive research at the U of A

Psychology professor and game designer Ben Dyson is using fun and games to gain new perspectives on human behaviour and cognitive processes.

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Ben Dyson @benjdyson.bsky.social · 22/01/2025

Would you like to learn about The Psychology of Board Games in Germany this summer and attend Berlin BrettSpiel Con 2025? @psychualberta.bsky.social e3 is open to ALL post-secondary students and non-University of Alberta students should apply! Apply before Feb 2 www.ualberta.ca/en/internati...

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Ben Dyson @benjdyson.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

A piece I wrote as part of my Valentine-Cosman Research Fellowship at The Museum of Play on the relationships between sound and colour in the electronic game Simon www.museumofplay.org/blog/stimulu...

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PsychUAlberta @psychualberta.bsky.social · 13/12/2024

Congrats to Yajing Zhang for winning a #AGES2024 award bit.ly/3DaUO8E ! Her research explores decision-making and learning in simple games, with a focus on the effects of reinforcement, punishment, and goal proximity. Yajing is in Dr. @bendyson 's Re:Cognition Lab 1/2

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Ben Dyson @benjdyson.bsky.social · 03/12/2024

Tenure Track has been nominated as a finalist in the Anvil Category (heavy design) for the 2025 Swedish Annual Game Award #SAGA Lots of work and playtesting to do before then but congratulations to all the finalists! Lots of intriguing designs here: saga.boardgamedesign.se/sida/finalis...

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Dr Daisy Abbott @daisyabbott.bsky.social · 20/11/2024

Teaching research skills? Make it fun and impactful with How to Fail Your Research Degree! This game helps students navigate the chaos of academic research in a safe-to-fail environment. Watch the video! www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmAc... howtofailyourresearchdegree.com #ResearchSkills #HigherEd #GBL

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How to Fail Your Research Degree - a game for research skills and why you should play it!

YouTube video by Daisy Abbott: Game-based Learning Research

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Ben Dyson @benjdyson.bsky.social · 12/11/2024

I am Guest Editor for a Special Issue of CJEP @cjep.bsky.social: Experimenting With Games I hope to curate a diverse range of papers examining intersections between games and psychology. Expression of interest: Feb 15 2025 Details below: apa.org/pubs/journal...

apa.org

Call for papers: Experimenting with games

A call for papers from the journal Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology / Revue canadienne de psychologie expérimentale for a special issue that will provide an overview of the diverse interactions games have with experimental psychology.

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Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology @cjep.bsky.social · 04/11/2024

Paper call for a forthcoming special issue of CJEP: Experimenting With Games Guest Editor Dr Ben Dyson @benjdyson.bsky.social Expression of interest deadline: February 15 2025 Full papers submission deadline: November 1 2025 Details below: www.apa.org/pubs/journal...

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Ben Dyson @benjdyson.bsky.social · 04/11/2024

PSYCH 302 / 305 The Psychology of Board Games returns to Berlin next Summer 2025! Check out the #e3Berlin page below, for information on dates, application procedures and funding opportunities! www.ualberta.ca/en/internati...

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Ben Dyson @benjdyson.bsky.social · 24/10/2024

Calling all researchers, educators and players interested in the intersection between games, science and STEM! I have 10 copies of the computational card game Total Chaos to send anywhere in the world for FREE.

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