What If Learning Worked Like a Video Game With Dan Leeson

Flashcards can teach chess openings, but they can also crush your will to practice. Jackie sat down with Dan Leeson, the creator of Chessferatu, a gothic chess training game that makes opening practice feel like play by changing the objective from “win the match” to “survive the sequence.” Dan shares how his own frustration with repetitive study, plus an ADHD brain that refuses to stay bored, pushed him to design a game loop with real stakes, fast feedback, and the kind of momentum that keeps learners coming back. We also get practical about AI-assisted creation. Dan explains where generative AI genuinely helped him ship a project faster, where it can make creators think less, and how the “interview me” prompt flips the tool into a collaborator that pulls your vision out of you instead of replacing it. If you care about student engagement, gamification, learning experience design, and using AI without losing human taste, this conversation will give you fresh moves to try right away. Subscribe for more conversations like this, share the episode with a designer or educator who’s stuck on engagement, and leave a review so more people can find the show. 🔗 Website and Social Links Please visit Dan Leeson’s website below. Dan Leeson’s Website 📢 Call-to-Action: The Chessferatu page gives listeners a concrete example of the ideas we discussed in the episode—game design, gamification, learning through play, and AI-assisted creation—all applied in a finished product. It also gives interested listeners a simple way to explore the game, see how those ideas work in practice, and try Chessferatu for themselves.  Send Jackie a Text Join PodMatch! Use the link to join PodMatch, a place for hosts and guests to connect. Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Support the show 💟 Designing with Love + allows you to support the show by keeping the mic on and the ideas flowing. Click on the link above to provide your support. ☕ Buy Me a Coffee is another way you can support the show, either as a one-time gift or through a monthly subscription.  🗣️ Want to be a guest on Designing with Love? Send Jackie Pelegrin a message on PodMatch, here: Be a guest on the show 🌐 Check out the show's website here: Designing with Love 📱 Send a text to the show by clicking the Send Jackie a Text link above.  👍🏼 Please make sure to like and share this episode with others. Here's to great learning!