The Higher Education of Gaming

Abstract

New models of schooling are necessary as educational institutions attempt to transition into the digital age. This article is an ethnography of Apolyton University, an informal online university of gamers created to enhance pleasure from the game experience, teach the game, and improve upon the game's standard rule set. It identifies the life trajectory of the community from formation to completion, and identifies key participant structures that scaffold learning. The article argues that participation results in a trajectory of experience whereby players enter as players but leave as designers, as evidenced by gameplay practices, as well as several participants being hired by game companies as a result of their participation. The authors argue that this sort of participatory ethos is central to learning systems in a digital age.