GOOD EDU RESEARCHER = GOOD GAME DESIGNER: That's the word over at Valve, maker of smash-hit first-person puzzle playing games, Portal and Portal 2. After receiving unprecedented feedback from educators using Portal in the classroom, two original team members decided to explore making the sequel in an educational context. The result is Puzzle Maker, a more expressive version of the developer tools used to make the mind-bending puzzles in Portal 2. We've had our eyes on the initiative for awhile, but this Fast Company piece provides new details on the back story. With 2,500 teachers using Puzzle Maker to-date, Valve has at least one foot firmly in the "edutainment" space.
