Twenty Billion Reasons to Build an Educational Gaming Initiative in Higher Education

Brett Bixler

Wed., June 09, 5:00–7:00, Great Hall

With the video games industry topping $20 billion in annual sales, Penn State is taking a serious look at the educational possibilities of games, virtual worlds, and simulations. This poster session will present the trials and tribulations of building the Educational Gaming Commons (EGC) at Penn State, from the initial need expressed by faculty to the construction of a state-of-the-art research lab. Building a non-college specific educational gaming initiative at a research university is a roller-coaster intellectual experience. Now in its second year, the EGC is building “open” games for faculty, sponsoring research in virtual worlds, and assisting departments in simulation construction. How did we do it? Examples of current work, infrastructure of the EGC and EGC Lab, ongoing initiatives, and future directions will be shared.