DGBL Primers, the New Sesame Street, and Elon University Students

There is so much literature out there about computer games, DGBL, and education, it is sometimes a bit overwhelming to find a good overview that can quickly provide an orientation point for future research. In the past I have suggested Richard Van Eck's Digital Game-Based Learning as a starting point, but a few days ago I came across Moving Learning Games Forward by Eric Klopfer, Scot Osterweil, and Katie Salen of the MIT Education Arcade, which is also an excellent introduction and provides a broader overview. Katie Salen is the author, along with Eric Zimmerman, of Rules of Play, a hefty tome and definitive guide on game design. I heartily recommend this book, although its attention to detail sometimes makes for difficult going. Weighing in at only 56 pp., the essay is a much easier read. It also seems that the Sesame Street folks are getting in on DGBL. Last week I found Game Changer, put out by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop. If Sesame Street has finally gone DGBL, shouldn't higher education as well?

Finally, a few photos of Elon University students hard at work on the DigiBahn Project:

Jack Garratt, discussing the finer points of digital gameplay. Jack (who has gone on to graduate studies at Georgetown University) was instrumental in developing the game narrative.

Natalie Lampert on-site at Stuttgart Central Station taking photos for the 3D modelers to use as visual reference.