AI Role-Playing Game with Gemini (continued)

For those of you who read my original post (Build Your Own RPG with Gemini) about using Gemini to make a role-playing game, many things have changed since then (even though that was only October of last year). In one year, AI has came a long, long way and building RPGs with AI is no exception. I've played with Claude and continue to play with Gemini. 

I'm on a free version of Claude, so although it does a very solid job handling the rolling and general game play, I have noticed it is unwilling to go down some darker paths of storytelling. There is also some very interesting logic used to justify not allowing an action that seems quite contrary to sense given other things it was willing to allow. I "discussed" this fact with Claude and it basically told me, "You will not be able to convince me." LOL. OK, Claude. I'm guessing that is because I'm on a free version. 

Gemini, on the other hand, continues to have issues with legitimate rolling of the dice. As Gemini transitions from Gems to Skills, I have found it quite interesting that the AI can analyze its own weakness and attempt to correct for it. Here is an example of my new Skill explaining to me why it is struggling with rolling dice and how we can attempt to fix the issue. I actually do like the offer to have me roll for myself. I've been doing that for one game and it is more fun, not as fast for sure, but more fun.
 

Director of Technology: Reflection on Year 1

In the fast-paced environment of an international school, it is tempting to view technology through the lens of urgency—constant patches, reactive repairs, and the perpetual hunt for the "next big thing." However, true innovation requires a shift in perspective. At St. Johnsbury Academy Jeju, we are recalibrating our foundation, prioritizing stability, security, and support to ensure our technological ecosystem serves our students for the next decade.

Created with Gemini

We are moving away from reactive cycles toward a structured, multi-year strategic roadmap. This isn’t just about hardware; it is about budget predictability and ensuring that every device, from our student iPads to our refreshed teacher MacBook fleets, aligns with a sustainable growth model.

Our infrastructure is undergoing a similar evolution. By phasing the replacement of our wireless access points and repurposing equipment for dormitories, we maximize value without compromising connectivity. Furthermore, our proactive commitment to data security, exemplified by the integration of dedicated backup servers, eliminates single points of failure, ensuring that our classrooms remain resilient against the unexpected.

Managing this transition with a lean, efficient team requires discipline, but the goal remains clear: creating a seamless, reliable experience that empowers teaching and learning.

Technology should be the invisible scaffolding of an exceptional education, not a source of friction. As we build this foundation, we must ask ourselves: Are we investing in the sustainability of our tools, or are we simply maintaining the status quo? At SJA, I like to think, we are investing in sustainability that will power further innovation in teaching and learning.

Closing the Academic Year: A Clean Slate for Your Google Drive

Created with Gemini

As we approach the end of another academic year here at St. Johnsbury Academy Jeju, the physical hallways aren't the only spaces needing a refresh. While we often focus on packing up classrooms and finalizing grades, there is a digital equivalent that is just as vital: closing out your Google Drive.

Over the past ten months, our Drive accounts have inevitably become digital junk drawers. We’ve accumulated countless iterations of lesson plans, shared documents from collaborative projects, and those "temporary" files that somehow became permanent residents. Failing to organize these now is just borrowing trouble from your future self.

Think of the "Drive Purge" as an essential part of your pedagogical hygiene. Start by archiving your "2025-2026" folders. Move them into a structured sub-folder system, ensuring that your current workspace is clear and ready for the inevitable influx of summer professional development materials and next year’s curriculum planning.

Don't just delete—curate. Ask yourself: Did this resource support student learning? Is it worth migrating to next year’s master folder? If not, let it go.

By taking an hour this week to audit your permissions, clear out redundant shared files, and organize your core assets, you are doing more than just decluttering. You are setting the stage for a more focused, efficient start when August returns. A clean digital workspace clears the mental bandwidth required for the innovative teaching we strive for.

How are you prepping your digital environment for the summer break?

Gemini AI Avatar

Very quietly, Gemini was updated recently and one of the new features is buried a little bit. The AI Avatar is now something you can create with Gemini. You use a QR code and enable your camera and microphone. You are recorded moving your head and reciting some numbers. You wait a few minutes and then Gemini is able to create videos of you. You need to go videos and then More Uploads to create it. Once it is created, it will be in the More Uploads menu. This is on Flash-Lite, not even one of the advanced models. To say the least, I was shocked... And you should be as well! Everyone should be shocked. It took a couple of seconds of video of me moving my head and reading some numbers. That's it! And now I can use it to create videos of myself saying anything (anything that Gemini will allow).

Build Your Own RPG with Gemini Gems

Everweave

This story begins with my love of Role Playing Games (RPGs) and I do love them. Growing up, I would purchase Dungeons & Dragons (D&D)materials all the time. I loved reading about the character classes and different races, about unique skills and abilities, about spells and monsters. It really captivated my imagination. Later as video games started developing, I enjoyed a variety of RPGs, but nothing really captured the feeling of world creation of old school table-top gaming. So when AI came along, I started wondering how RPGs would develop... And then I found Everweave. It is a great game and I highly recommend it, if you are into that sort of RPG (which I clearly am), but Everweave isn't cheap. Now I understand that building a game takes time and money and that developing an AI model is no easy feat and also requires money, so I'm not judging the Everweave folks. I get it, they need to make a return on their investment. I'm not here to bemoan the workings of our capitalist system. I paid; in fact, I paid twice. I purchased a chunk of 900 turns and then purchased a six month subscription with 1000 turns a month. I enjoy the game, but my wallet can only take so much abuse. Enter Gems.

After playing Everweave for a short time, it occurred to me that it is really just a slick AI model and that Gemini was offering the possibility to build my own version of the game. I went online and found a old, free version of the GURPS system. If you are unfamiliar, it is a generic gaming system that is meant to be adaptable to any sort of gaming world — fantasy, spy, space, etc. If you can think it, GURPS can help you make it into a RPG. It seemed like a good place to start. I created a Gem in Gemini.

RPG V1 prompt in Gemini Gems

I uploaded the PDF of the rules to Gems. Gave it title, a description, and then the prompt. Voila! A RPG was born. Now to be fair, Everweave is way more slick than mine, but mine is free and still fun. I can create as many new games and universes as I want by simply using the Gem and then renaming the new chat. After building this one, I was so happy with the results, I built three new characters all in different RPG universes. One was a typical fantasy adventure world where magic and monsters exist. Another is a modern day world where psionic powers exist. The third one is a pirate adventure in space. The options are really limitless... But, the GURPS rules are different from the old school D&D rules, so I continued to experiment.

RPG V2 prompt in Gemini Gems

I found some old, free D&D rules online to build from for the next iteration of the RPG. I used the D&D Basic Rules (2018) and the Dungeon Master D&D Basic Rules 0.1 as the core of the world creation, but I also added a photo of a map of a land called Caprona to give some context. This latest version is very true to the D&D rules, which is something I was really hoping to achieve. I'm going to begin trying to provide my DM with more guidance on how to play, but it is responsive to my instructions and questions about game play, which is amazing to see in action. I asked it about some calculations it did to arrive at a certain point in the game and it explained, in great detail, how it rolled the "dice" and I failed, but because my roll was close (I needed a 10 and he rolled a 9) he gave it to me because my characters background as a life-long criminal made the story odd to not be successful on this particular attempted roll. I found that fascinating. It really is "thinking" through the game play. Another time I recommended something and it said, "That is a great idea. Moving forward, I will adjust the game accordingly."

So get into Gemini Gems and build yourself an old school RPG game, you won't be disappointed with the results.