Plasma Games is Joining Forces with Nebraska!
Over 1,000 game based and unplugged resources, now available in Nebraska.
The Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) has awarded grant funding that gives NE teachers access to Plasma Games, a game-based STEM platform designed to turn reluctant science students into engaged problem solvers. You can explore the platform at play.plasma.games.
This funding is supported through Nebraska state lottery dollars allocated specifically to strengthen science instruction. There is no cost, no hidden fees, and no future financial obligation to your school.
What This Means for Your Teachers and Students
If you walk into a typical middle or high school science classroom, you’ll usually find three types of students:
- The few who already love science.
- The many who are quietly “doing school” but not truly engaged.
- The group that checks out mentally the moment they enter.
Plasma Games is built for that middle and third group—the students who could become future STEM leaders, but don’t yet see themselves as “science people.”
With this NDE-supported access, your teachers can:
- Engage more students with game-based missions and stories.
- Reinforce key concepts through interactive practice and auto‑graded activities.
- Support remediation and enrichment without creating everything from scratch.
Nebraska Standards-Aligned Resources, Ready on Day One
Through this partnership, your teachers gain access to more than 1,000 Nebraska standards‑aligned digital and unplugged science resources for grades 6–12, including:
- Middle school science
- High school chemistry
- Physical science
A few important notes for curriculum leaders:
- Plasma Games is a supplementary resource—it’s designed to be used alongside your existing curriculum, not as a replacement or a new initiative.
- Teachers can pick and choose missions, activities, and practice resources that fit their current units.
- Built‑in auto‑grading and ready‑to‑use materials help reduce workload, not add to it.
Why Game-Based Learning Fits Nebraska Classrooms
Traditional textbooks and lectures can deliver content, but they rarely shift a student’s identity from “I’m not a science person” to “I can do this.”
Plasma Games uses game-based learning so that students can:
- Experiment safely and see instant feedback, without the pressure of being wrong in front of peers.
- Connect concepts to real-world context, not just equations on a page.
- Build confidence incrementally through small, meaningful wins.
For teachers, this means:
- Built-in engagement, so every lesson doesn’t rely solely on your performance.
- Actionable data on student understanding to see who’s stuck and who’s ready to move on.
- Alignment to Nebraska standards, so time spent in the game still moves students toward your instructional goals.
How Access Works: Respecting Local School Choice
NDE is committed to respecting school choice and local control.
Before any teacher accounts are activated, a school or district leader must opt in. That means principals, supervisors, department heads, or district administrators decide whether and when to enable access for their staff.
Once you opt in:
- Your teachers will receive access to Plasma Games at no cost.
- They can start using missions, labs, and activities immediately in grades 6–12.
- You retain control over how the resource is rolled out and communicated locally.
Next Step: Enable Access for Your Teachers
If you’re a principal, supervisor, department head, or district administrator in Nebraska and you’d like your teachers to take advantage of this NDE‑funded resource:
Be on the lookout for emails with directions on enabling access for your teachers or leave us a note below and we will get in touch.
