It all started in October 2017. Dustin Staats and his friend Rich went on a podcast adventure called Board Gaming with English. Both friends were teachers: Dustin with a strong background in English Language education and Rich as the resident history and international education experience guru. The podcast shifted gears and started including subjects apart from English, paving the way to its current version: Board Gaming with Education.

Dustin and his team’s goal is to use board games as a fun and engaging tool for learning. Their mission is to “grow the idea of games for learning and ensure best practices when doing so.” In today’s Meet The (818) Interview, we chat about the importance of keeping students engaged, how he came up with the idea of using board games, and his plans to grow the community and the business to help teachers, parents, and students. We also discuss some of his favorite board games and how he incorporates them in his lesson plans.

This week, Board Gaming with Education received the GAMA award–Innovation in Games (Retail).

Meet Dustin in person at at Café Aficionado in Northridge on Saturday, August 7 from 4pm – 8pm and Sunday, August 8 from 9am – 2pm. You can also catch him at The Valley Fest on August 28, Saturday from 5pm – 10pm.

Follow Board Gaming with Education on Instagram @boardgamingwitheducation and visit their website for more information and to purchase board games.