In 2014, researchers at the Pullias Center for Higher Education at the University of Southern California (USC) received a grant from the U.S. Department of Education's Fund for the Improvement in Postsecondary Education's First in the World program to do research aimed at understanding how games can be used to cultivate college knowledge and elevate college-going outcomes in high schools across California. In this article, the members of the research team reflect on findings from the first year of the research. In particular, they identify key design factors and implementation features for creating a sustainable game-based curriculum that is effective in schools. To work in diverse school learning environments, a game should be both adaptable and scalable. However, the most successful implementations are complemented by an on-site problem-solver who is able to engineer solutions that address their school's unique configuration of technology resources and socio-cultural practices.