For the Garland Independent School District, a tournament was the tipping point. With too many of its students failing the math portion of state-mandated exams and in danger of being held back, the suburban Dallas district was determined to raise scores. The students lacked motivation, and Garland was seeking a better method of engaging them. Jaime Arizaleta, the district's facilitator for online education, believed educational video games were the way to go. This article discusses that implementing a program to bring video games into instruction requires thoughtful preparation. Success hinges on appealing to game-savvy students, fretful teachers, and dubious parents and administrators.