This study examined how teacher professional development could be conceived and conducted to support take up of digital game-based learning in the context of a 3-week social studies unit on governance and citizenship. The findings indicate that preparing teachers to appropriate curricula innovations involves deeply personal transformations that intersect with the core of their professional identity. The teachers, who play the game, face dilemmas and conflicts in making professional and personal decisions. This study suggests that teacher professional development through reflective, reflexive guided appropriation is vital.