Edu-Gaming in the latest Escapist

The latest issue of The Escapist (always a good read) centers on edu-gaming. The articles include:

Allen Varney: Biz Sims
"What's more, these games - though inarguably games - feel different from those we play for fun. These sims are incredibly targeted. They pull you in because they're about your job and your co-workers at your company. When they work right, they engage you at levels you never knew existed, and you hate to stop playing. But they're not meant to be fun as such. In fact, though some of these consultants do let the word game sneak into their pitches, fun is an F-word. They aim for respectability. And believe it: In this respect, computer game publishers could learn from them."

Erin Hoffman: Tighten Those Graphics
In addition to the low cost of enrollment, community and small colleges offer practicality and skill focus. But are they delivering the best education possible? The primary criticism of these programs has been their lack of connection with actual game development -criticism also levied at larger universities, which suffer a catch-22: Upscale universities require all of their professors to have Ph.D.s, but with few exceptions, there are no Ph.D.s for game development, and even if there were, you wouldn't commonly see a practicing developer carrying one.