Portal is now on the Required Reading list for freshmen at Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Indiana this year. File under "Awesome" or "Totally Awesome"?
I pitched the idea to my colleagues on the committee (decidedly
not a collection of gamers), and they agreed to try Portal and read selections from Goffman’s book. After plowing through some installation issues ("What does this Steam do? Will it expose me to viruses?"), we enjoyed the first meaningful discussion about a video game I’ve ever had with a group of colleagues across disciplines. They got it. They made the connections, and they enjoyed the game. Most importantly, they saw how Portal could provoke thoughtful reflection and vigorous conversation on questions germane to the course.
And so we’re playing Portal at Wabash College.