In mid-2019, I was tutoring a new tech skills class. I quickly noticed that no one was listening. Instead, the students had their heads fixated on their screens playing video games. After stressful repeated attempts to gain their interest in the lesson, I was advised by the school to block the game sites and speak to the parents. The next day, there was a note on my desk:
 

'Dear Rose, I am very sorry for disrupting the class and playing video games. I know it was a bad thing and tomorrow I will try to change my behaviour. I will do exactly what you want me to do. It is disrespectful and unkind and I will never do it again. I'm not playing video games. Love Theo'
 

Reading the letter, a light bulb moment went off in my head. Learning should be just as exciting and engaging as video games. It was obvious if students weren't interested, forceful methods weren't the right approach. I decided to put work into research and designed my lessons with game-like elements which improved engagement and reinforced positive behaviour. 

When lockdowns pushed education online, the challenge of delivering engaging and interactive lessons became harder. I saw an opportunity to re-design what I had learned for digital learning spaces. I drew from my teaching experience and training in Video Game Design to create PlayThru, an easy way to transform ordinary online lessons into a game-like learning journey.

- Rose, PlayThru Founder