Field Day Lab

What Field Day Lab does

Field Day Lab is a small academic research studio within the Wisconsin Center for Educational Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, founded in 2015 by David Gagnon. The studio designs and develops free, curriculum-aligned learning games for K-12 and higher education audiences, with a portfolio of more than 30 titles spanning science, mathematics, journalism, history, and civic education. Flagship games include Project Hercules (astronomy), Bloom: The Saga of the Fertilizer Economy (agricultural and environmental science), Wake: Tales from the Aqualab (ocean ecosystems), Lakeland (complex systems), Jo Wilder and the Capitol Case (Wisconsin history with PBS Wisconsin), Legend of the Lost Emerald (maritime history), and AtomTouch (molecular dynamics). The lab also produces VR experiences (Waddle: A Penguin's Tale, ThermoVR, the On the Ice series) and short science simulations through its Yard Games collection.

The studio's technology stack is built on Unity and web technologies, augmented by two proprietary open-source platforms. ARIS (Augmented Reality and Interactive Storytelling) is a mobile game design platform used by 100,000+ researchers, designers, and learners worldwide for location-based AR experiences. Open Game Data is an open-source data pipeline that ingests millions of data points per day from educational games, providing logging libraries, automated detectors, calculated events, feature extractors, and designer dashboards for learning analytics and replication research. Field Day pairs game development with evidence-centered design and stealth assessments (Mislevy, Shute) to embed learning instruments into gameplay.

The lab operates as a public-funded research unit, not a commercial company. All games are free to the public with no ads, logins, subscriptions, or microtransactions. Operating revenue is drawn from federal and state research grants (NSF, EPA, Department of Education, Baldwin Wisconsin Idea Endowment), Broader Impacts project funding, and partnerships with research institutions including Harvard, Penn, PBS Wisconsin, Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, UW-MRSEC, and BrainPOP. Distribution is fully open via the Field Day website, The Vault Games Library, The Yard Games, museum VR exhibits, and partner channels. The team is multidisciplinary (artists, engineers, designers, researchers, writers) and is supplemented by graduate research interns and undergraduate interns participating in a Teacher Fellowship Program that co-designs games with educators.

Name

Field Day Lab

Legal name

Field Day Lab

Website

https://fielddaylab.wisc.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Field Day Lab is a UW-Madison research studio that designs and develops free, curriculum-aligned educational games and VR experiences for K-12 students, teachers, museums, and undergraduate audiences, funded through federal grants and research partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Games and Simulations

NAICS

Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming Services (7371), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPAFAAAH

Serious Games & Simulation Studios (Training, Defense, Enterprise)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Gaming & Interactive Entertainment (Video Games, Esports)/Game Development Studios (PC/Console/Mobile)

SECONDARYEDAGAEAG

Simulation-Based Learning & Virtual Labs

Education/Educational Publishing & Learning Content/Digital Learning Content & eLearning Modules

SECONDARYEDAFAJAE

Lab & Science Virtual Labs (Chemistry, Biology, Physics)

Education/Education Technology (EdTech) & Digital Learning/AR/VR/XR, Simulations & Immersive Learning

SECONDARYEDAGAKAH

Simulation, Scenario & Serious Games Design

Education/Educational Publishing & Learning Content/Instructional Design & Content Development Services

SECONDARYMPAFAAAI

Educational Games & Kids/Families Game Studios

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Gaming & Interactive Entertainment (Video Games, Esports)/Game Development Studios (PC/Console/Mobile)

Keywords

• Educational game development
• Learning games studio
• Curriculum-aligned games
• Immersive learning simulations
• Citizen science platforms

Headquarters

HQ city

Madison

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding / Public Funding: Field Day Lab operates as a research lab at the Wisconsin Center for Education Research at UW-Madison. The organization is publicly funded through grants from NSF, EPA, and other research funding bodies. Games are created as part of Broader Impacts outreach for research projects.
2. Broader Impacts Partnerships: Researchers and institutions partner with Field Day to create game-based outreach as part of grant Broader Impacts requirements. This is not direct revenue but partnership-based project work funded through research grants.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Field Day Lab designs and develops free, curriculum-aligned educational games, VR experiences, and simulations covering science, journalism, history, environmental science, and civic education for K-12 and higher education audiences. The studio co-designs each title with academic researchers, subject matter experts, educators, and students, embedding stealth assessments directly into gameplay and aligning games with academic standards such as NGSS and Wisconsin Standards. All games are distributed free of charge through the web, with no ads, subscriptions, logins, or microtransactions.

Product overview

Field Day Lab is an educational game development studio that produces a portfolio of curriculum-aligned games and simulations spanning science, mathematics, social studies, and civic education. Their flagship titles include Project Hercules (astronomy), Bloom (fertilizer economy), Wake (ocean ecosystems), and Headlines and High Water (journalism/media literacy). Beyond individual games, the portfolio includes the Yard Games Collection of science simulations (carbon cycle, water cycle, nitrogen cycle, earthquake, wave combinator, and more), VR experiences (Waddle: A Penguin's Tale, ThermoVR, On the Ice series), and core educational titles like Jo Wilder and the Capitol Case (history), Lakeland (complex systems), and Legend of the Lost Emerald (maritime history). The studio also maintains supporting platforms including Open Game Data (open-source research infrastructure for game analytics), ARIS (mobile game creation platform), and Siftr (citizen science field tool).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Open Game Data: An open-source infrastructure project for sharing educational game data with researchers and building analytics tools.
• The Vault
• The Yard Games

Products and services

• Project Hercules Project Hercules is an astronomy game where students in grades 8-12 play as astronomers in the distant future, working to identify objects in the night sky and uncover the mystery of an impending celestial event. Built in partnership with astrophysics researchers.
• Bloom: The Saga of the Fertilizer Economy Bloom: The Saga of the Fertilizer Economy is an agricultural and environmental science game for grades 9-12 in which players create trade networks and policies that keep farmers in business while protecting local lakes and rivers. Developed in partnership with UW-Madison Scalable Systems Lab.
• Wake: Tales From the Aqualab Wake: Tales From the Aqualab is an ocean ecosystem exploration game for grades 6-9 in which players take on the role of a scientist, study ocean ecosystems, travel to ocean research stations, and work with fellow scientists to solve problems. Built in partnership with Harvard University, Penn Center for Learning Analytics, and Wisconsin Sea Grant.
• Headlines and High Water Headlines and High Water is a journalism and media literacy game combined with science concepts for middle school students, in which players take on the role of a journalist in the town of Twin Lakes and decide which stories to publish before the flood of the century.
• Jo Wilder and the Capitol Case Jo Wilder and the Capitol Case is a history game for grades 3-5 that develops historical inquiry skills while meeting state standards. Developed in partnership with PBS Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Historical Society, with archivists contributing.
• Lakeland Lakeland is an award-winning complex systems teaching game for grades 7-12 in which players build a town while learning how interconnected systems behave.
• Legend of the Lost Emerald Legend of the Lost Emerald is a maritime history game for grades 4-6 exploring Great Lakes shipwrecks and maritime archaeology. Developed in partnership with PBS Wisconsin and Wisconsin Sea Grant.
• Waddle: A Penguin's Tale Waddle: A Penguin's Tale is a virtual reality experience introducing polar research concepts to young learners, developed in partnership with Jean Pennycook (Adelie Penguin Researcher) and the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery.
• Discover IceCube Discover IceCube is a simulation exploring astrophysics and the IceCube Neutrino Observatory, developed in partnership with the Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center (WIPAC) and deployed in museum exhibits.
• Thermo Lab / ThermoVR Thermo Lab / ThermoVR is a virtual reality thermodynamics lab for undergraduate students that lets students explore the equation of state and other thermodynamic concepts interactively. Developed in partnership with John Pfotenhauer, Professor of Thermodynamics at UW-Madison.
• Atom Touch Atom Touch is a middle school science simulation exploring atomic structures and molecular interactions, developed in partnership with the UW-MRSEC (Materials Research Science and Engineering Center).
• Yard Games Collection Yard Games is a collection of science simulation games for grades 5-8 covering carbon cycle, water cycle, nitrogen cycle simulations, magnet hunt, hot air balloon physics, earthquake simulation, wave combinator, and antibiotic resistance games.
• On the Ice: Hatched On the Ice: Hatched is a virtual reality experience focused on polar ecosystems and wildlife hatching, in the On The Ice series developed with researcher Jean Pennycook.
• On The Ice: Weather Station On The Ice: Weather Station is a virtual reality experience teaching weather observation and meteorology in polar regions, in the On The Ice series developed with researcher Jean Pennycook.
• Transformations Quest Transformations Quest is a geometry education game focused on geometric transformations, developed by MindFuel and hosted on Field Day's Open Game Data infrastructure.
• Conectado Conectado is a cyberbullying awareness game for students, developed by e-UCM and hosted on Field Day's Open Game Data infrastructure.
• Open Game Data Open Game Data is an open-source, community-maintained data storage and processing pipeline for educational game research. It includes data logging libraries, detectors, calculated events, extractors, feature types (population, player, session), and designer dashboards for visualizing and analyzing educational game data.
• ARIS ARIS is an open-source mobile game design platform supporting location-based and augmented reality experiences for educational game development. It has been used by over 100,000 researchers, designers, and learners worldwide and supports thousands of location-based AR projects and hundreds of educational papers.
• Siftr Siftr is a citizen science and field research tool that enables data collection in educational and research contexts. It has been used by over 25,000 users worldwide.

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• University of Wisconsin-Madison / Wisconsin Center for Educational Research (WCER)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerField Day Lab is based at WCER at UW-Madison. The lab operates as a research studio bridging academic research with public outreach through learning games. WCER provides institutional infrastructure and research oversight.
• Harvard UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in development of Wake: Tales from the Aqualab game. Harvard contributes research expertise to educational game development.
• Penn Center for Learning AnalyticscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in development of Wake: Tales from the Aqualab game, contributing learning analytics expertise.
• UW School of Journalism and Mass CommunicationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Headlines and High Water journalism game with funding from Baldwin Wisconsin Idea Endowment.
• Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center (WIPAC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Project Hercules astronomy game and IceCube VR experience, bringing astrophysics research to public audiences.
• UW-Madison Scalable Systems LabcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDirected by Victor Zavala, partnered on Bloom: The Saga of the Fertilizer Economy and Lakeland games teaching agricultural and environmental science.
• PBS WisconsincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Jo Wilder and the Capitol Case (Wisconsin history game) and Legend of the Lost Emerald (maritime archaeology game).
• Wisconsin Sea GrantminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Legend of the Lost Emerald maritime archaeology game and Wake ocean science games.
• MIT Education ArcademinorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Shadowspect geometry and spatial reasoning game.
• e-UCMminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloper of Conectado cyberbullying awareness game, partnered with Field Day for Open Game Data hosting.
• MindFuelminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloper of Transformations Quest geometric transformations game, partnered with Field Day for Open Game Data hosting.
• Wisconsin Historical SocietyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchivists at Wisconsin Historical Society contributed to Jo Wilder and the Capitol Case game.
• Wisconsin Institute for DiscoveryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Waddle VR penguin game and IceCube VR experience. Hosts VR exhibits for public learning.
• UW-MRSEC (Materials Research Science and Engineering Center)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for AtomTouch molecular dynamics app and Lost at the Forever Mine scientific modeling game.
• BrainPOPminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Plate Tectonics simulator game.
• Jean Pennycook (Adelie Penguin Researcher)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPolar researcher and educator who collaborated on Waddle: A Penguin's Tale VR game and On The Ice games about Antarctic research.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• BrainPOP: Long-established K-12 educational content platform with games, animations, and quizzes. A Field Day partner (Plate Tectonics simulator) and a significantly larger commercial incumbent in the same classroom-content category.
• PBS Kids: Public broadcaster's K-6 educational media brand, including digital games. Field Day co-developed Jo Wilder and the Capitol Case and Legend of the Lost Emerald with PBS Wisconsin, making PBS a partner and a core institutional incumbent in the same distribution market.
• National Geographic / Learning Games: Major educational publisher with a long-running catalog of science-themed learning games and interactive experiences for K-12. Comparable to Field Day's science-domain (astronomy, ocean, environmental) games and informal learning deployments.

Direct peers

• E-Line Media: Independent game studio focused on games that engage, educate, and activate around meaningful topics (e.g., Beyond Blue, Never Alone). Closely comparable mission of impact-first serious games with research-backed design.
• iCivics: Founded by Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, iCivics produces free civics-education games for classrooms. Shares Field Day's free-distribution model, classroom-first design, and previous-teacher-team cultural fit.
• Filament Games: Madison-based educational game studio that develops learning games for clients like Scholastic, iCivics, and the Wilson Center. Multiple Field Day team members (Autumn Beauchesne, Terra) are Filament Games alumni, making it the closest operational and cultural peer.
• MIT Education Arcade / Scheller Teacher Education Program: MIT-affiliated academic research group that designs and studies educational games, including Transformative Play. Partners with Field Day on Shadowspect and shares the same research-led, standards-aligned serious games orientation.
• Schell Games: Pittsburgh-based game studio that develops educational, training, and entertainment games (e.g., I Expect You To Die, Until You Fall, various Disney-funded title). Comparable to Field Day in serious-games and VR-educational-experience work.
• GlassLab (formerly Institute of Play / GlassLab Games): Non-profit focused on the design and assessment of digital games for learning, with roots in the Institute of Play. Closely aligned with Field Day's evidence-centered design and stealth assessment approach to educational game design.

Others

• Games for Change: Non-profit that supports and curates social-impact games across education, health, and civic engagement. Hosts the G4C Festival where Field Day games have appeared, providing adjacent ecosystem and award-program context.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/fielddaylab
• GitHubgithub.com/fielddaylab
• Facebookfacebook.com/fielddaylab
• Instagraminstagram.com/fielddaylab
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fielddaylab

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Field Day Lab