Who Should Attend NASAGA 2026 — and Why It Might Change How You Design Learning
by Eric Guay
If you have ever walked away from a workshop thinking, “There has to be a better way to teach this,” then NASAGA 2026 is for you.
The annual conference hosted by the North American Simulation and Gaming Association is not just another professional event. It is a working laboratory for people who believe learning should be active and immersive. It is for those who want education to move people.
And we are gathering in Rochester in October 2026.
Who Should Attend?
One unique feature of NASAGA’s annual conference is that it brings together people from many different sectors to share and learn from each other. Where do you fit in?
Educators who want engagement not just attendance: If you teach in K–12, higher education, or professional programs and want students leaning forward instead of checking out, NASAGA gives you practical tools that make learning stick. You will not just hear about experiential learning. You will step into it.
Corporate trainers and organizational leaders: If you design leadership programs or change initiatives, you already know slides do not change behavior. Experience does. NASAGA brings together professionals who build simulations and serious games that reveal blind spots and accelerate insight.
Game and simulation designers: If you create analog or digital experiences and care about impact, this is your community. You will exchange ideas about mechanics, debrief design, feedback loops, and measurable outcomes with people who understand both craft and consequence.
Researchers and learning scientists: If you study experiential learning or behavioral change, NASAGA is where research meets practice. Theory is tested in real rooms with real participants.
Consultants and facilitators: If your work depends on helping groups think differently and learn faster, you will expand both your toolkit and your network.
Why Should You Come?
Because this is not a sit and listen conference.
It is immersive. Sessions are participatory. You will enter simulations. You will make decisions. You will reflect on outcomes. Learning is lived rather than observed.
You will leave with:
Facilitation structures you can apply immediately.
Design frameworks for serious games and simulations.
Debrief techniques that unlock deeper insight!
Connections with experienced practitioners
NASAGA is also known for its generous community. People share openly. They discuss failures as readily as successes. They collaborate across sectors and disciplines. You will meet others who are wrestling with the same question:
How do we design experiences that actually change people?
If you believe learning should be active and reflective, NASAGA 2026 will feel less like an event and more like a professional home.
Come ready to participate.
Come ready to experiment.
Come ready to rethink how learning works.