I'm fascinated by the types of learning games in mainstream media that have emerged during the last few years. I tend to think of games like Darfur Is Dying and Brain Age in this category, and as a result I've been showing both off a lot lately (see Aaron's list of quick educational gaming links for similar games to the Darfur one online).

Following up on John Kirriemuir's suggestion, I've been carrying my Nintendo DS around with me and actually showing the games to librarians. It does, indeed, make a difference. They love playing Brain Age, Nintendogs, and even Tempest.

Next on my list to purchase for helping get across the point about how FUN learning can be:

• Electroplankton (thanks, John)
• Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
• Trauma Center: Under the Knife

Unfortunately, it's more difficult to carry Guitar Hero around with me....

I'd love suggestions for more games that are fun, mainstream, and also teach at the same time (in addition to the fact that games teach literacies in general - you know what I mean). I'm especially interested in ones for the Nintendo DS, because they're portable and usually easy to play. (Maybe next year I'll be able to afford a Sony Playstation Portable - PSP - but with the Wii and Playstation 3 coming out, probably not....)