Officially, I am a high-school English teacher. I lead discussions, assign important texts, and grade essays (slower than I should… Christmas cards from my students often read like bribes: “Merry Christmas and please grade our Narrative Essay”). But once or twice a year, during a special time called Mini-Course Week, I put aside the poetry anthology, pick up a video game controller, and teach a weeklong course called “The History of Video Games.” Given that my school is a high-achieving, Christian boarding school, this course stands out as a bizarre anomaly in our 100 years of educating students. Taking a break from Dante to talk about an Italian plumber who jumps on turtles can feel off-putting. But a couple of years ago, some enterprising students wrote an official pitch for the class, recruited me as the teacher, and made a successful plea to the academic dean. As a result, my job description now includes discussing the ethics of gaming and occasionally defeating a horde of students at Street Fighter II.
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