Katie Salen - Current Projects

Current Projects

Institute of Play

Salen is the Executive Director of Institute of Play, an organization that embraces game design as a learning tool for the 21st century. Institute of Play aims to use games as a non-traditional tool in areas such as academia, the government, science, technology and the arts. Some of the goals that the Institute of Play works toward include providing a space to experiment and exchange one's ideas through different channels and creating collaboration among students, educators and professionals. They also aim to connect the so-called digital natives – those born into a tech-savvy culture – to the digital immigrants – those who must learn to adapt to the tech-savvy culture in their adult years. Some projects the Institute of Play has produced include Quest to Learn, Situated Multimedia Art Learning Lab, Summer Teaching Institute, and Gamestar Mechanic Strategy Guide.

Quest to Learn (Q2L)

Salen is the Executive Director of Design of Quest to Learn, a newly developed public school in Manhattan, New York City created out of a collaboration between Institute of Play and the New York City Department of Education, with backing from the MacArthur Foundation and support from New Visions for Public Schools. The school began in the 2009-2010 school year with one sixth grade class, and will add a new sixth grade every year until 2015, when it will be a fully functioning combined middle and high school encompassing grades 6-12. It is located in the Bayard Rustin Educational Complex in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan.

Q2L is based on a collaborative systems thinking approach, with game design being the central organizing focus. The school uses digital media and game design as the primary means for accomplishing educational goals, with video games and other technologies at the center of all classes and learning experiences. Not only are games played, but game design itself is used as a teaching tool as well.