Misaligned education

Abstract

I expand and adapt Thi Nguyen ’ s account of games to the context of university humanities education. I analyse ‘ misalignment ’ , wherein the stakes of success or failure in a game undermine players ’ capacity to submerge themselves in play, thus missing the associated benefits. I argue that in many ways humanities university education is misaligned: crucial pedagogical goods require submersion, but submersion is undermined by how success or failure underwrites future student success.