Inherently fascinating, learning games and virtual worlds can bring realistic and engaging learning opportunities to your courses. Games bring the promise of a motivating and enjoyable learning environment because the activities and sensibilities are powerful, offering an opportunity to move beyond standard thinking and routines. They create spaces where new ideas and relationships can emerge, often in unexpected ways. Importantly, games and simulations have changed the way our students learn, socialize and problem solve. Best of all, students LOVE them! However, few educators and distance education programs are positioned to take full advantage of these intriguing, new possibilities. Still, simple elegant games and virtual worlds create a powerful opportunity for the most experimental educators to step forward and lead the field in designing truly original and motivating learning experiences for the next generation of college students.