Iconic Games
Ideas, research and the story behind the build.
Writing from Iconic Games about learning through play, technology, Māori innovation and what we are discovering as we build from Aotearoa.
Iconic Games is building educational games and learning experiences from Aotearoa. Here is what we are creating now, what the research tells us, and where the bigger vision is heading.
7 min read Read article →Changing strategy is not the same as abandoning a vision. Here is why Iconic Games chose to prove its kaupapa digitally first.
4 min read Read article →In Mīharo, collaboration is not an optional learning outcome. Players need each other’s information to solve the game.
4 min read Read article →AI can expand what a small development team can attempt. It does not remove the need for human judgement, privacy, testing or responsibility.
4 min read Read article →A kiwi, a fern and a mountain do not automatically make a game feel like New Zealand. Country to Coastline is forcing us to think much more deeply about place.
4 min read Read article →Te Reo Quest begins with a simple idea: language should not only be recognised on a screen — it should help the learner do something.
4 min read Read article →Engagement is not decoration. The Showdown is helping us test what happens when educational game design begins with entertainment.
4 min read Read article →One pathway is being designed for curriculum-connected learning. The other starts with practical, independent learning. The world may be shared, but the purpose is different.
4 min read Read article →Good mentoring has not given Iconic Games a magic answer. It has helped the founder ask sharper questions about what to build, who it is for and what needs proving next.
4 min read Read article →A monthly record of what shipped, what changed, what broke and what Iconic Games learned while building games and learning products in Aotearoa.
5 min read Read article →Our current approach to generative AI, human responsibility, learner safety, and the future of gamified learning.
3 min read Read article →As Iconic Games officially launches at Matariki, Niva reflects on identity, whānau, learning, business, and the journey of building a Māori-owned games and learning company in Aotearoa.
4 min read Read article →As Iconic Games grows, I keep coming back to the Māori women, creators, and pakihi who show what is possible when business, identity, creativity, and courage meet.
2 min read Read article →Educational technology is not a passing wave to ride — it is becoming part of how the world learns. The real question is who designs it, and what they design it for.
3 min read Read article →AI comes with real risks for Indigenous communities — but Māori are not waiting on the sidelines. Here is why I look at what is coming and feel hopeful.
3 min read Read article →Technology should not ask Māori learners to leave their identity at the door. Te Ao Māori belongs in the future of edtech, gaming, AI, and digital learning.
3 min read Read article →Gamified education is not about adding points to boring worksheets. It is about designing learning experiences that are meaningful, memorable, and actually worth playing.
2 min read Read article →Māori businesses are already teaching lessons in courage, identity, creativity, community, and self-determination — lessons that matter for education too.
2 min read Read article →A founder note on why Iconic Games exists, what we are building, and why games can open future pathways for whānau, learners, schools, kura, and communities.
2 min read Read article →A short roundup of education, technology, AI, gaming, and digital learning stories that matter for whānau, learners, schools, kura, and Māori futures.
2 min read Read article →