Guest article by Chris Wright from Dadding on the Road. This article is part of our Gameschooling with Video Games series.
How much do you remember about history from lectures in school? If your school experience was anything like mine, probably just enough to pass the test, and quickly forgotten. Now imagine if you were able to walk through medieval Europe and experience the black death, or stand in George Washington’s shoes as you command the siege of Yorktown and bring an end to the American Revolution! Those are the experiences video games can give the player. We are lucky to be in a golden age of history learning through video games. There are many, many titles out there that can teach children of all ages about history in an engaging way.
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Sid Meyer’s Civilizations IV is a complex world simulation where players guide a civilization’s development through thousands of simulated years to become a world-dominating empire. Each civilization in the game is based on real-world cultures and kindles natural curiosity in players to learn more. Better still, players can win the game in non-military ways, excelling in sciences, culture, or economic power.
Assassin’s Creed series: This game series is more appropriate for older kids and teens as it’s a bit violent by nature. However, each game is set in a unique historic context. The first game is set in Jerusalem during the 3rd Crusade. The second game in the series has players exploring Renaissance Italy. Assassin’s Creed 3 puts players in the American Revolution.
All of these games have players exploring historically accurate recreations of the locations, interacting with historic figures, and acting as a side character during historic events.
The accuracy of these maps is spot on. I’ve heard an anecdote from another family that was touring Rome and got lost. The son was a fan of Assasin’s Creed: Brotherhood, which takes place in Rome. The son recognized landmarks, alleys, and streets with enough confidence to help them navigate the town like a local!
Total War series: These games, while primarily strategy games, teach a lot about events and technology from different eras. From the Shogan era of Japan in Shogun Total War to the rise of empires in Rome Total War. Empire Total War is the most extensive in the series, focusing on European colonization of the world and culminating in the American Revolution. Empire Total War even has a mini-campaign where players guide the American forces through several historic battles.
Dawn of Man is available on multiple platforms (I just couldn’t find it on Amazon). This title, while not following historic cultures, can give players a look into what life may have been like for paleolithic, pre-historic peoples. Players advance their tribe through different eras by researching technologies. Players then update their buildings from wood and hide huts, to stone roundhouses. As players advance through the ages, the available animals also change. Mastodons and cave bears go extinct in the game and are replaced by modern, extant animals.
Worldle is a free phone app similar to Wordle in which you guess the country. After each guess, the app tells you how far away your guess is and highlights it on the world map. You only have five guesses each day, so for the geographically challenged, it can get frustrating. However, daily play will improve world geography.
Stack the States and Stack the Countries are two popular geography apps. We haven’t tried them, but I’ve heard nothing but good things about them and they’re worth a try if your kids need more geography practice.
Even outside of these titles, many games set in a historical or cultural context help players contextualize social studies in a way books and documentaries can’t begin to approach. They all can become seeds for curiosity and further exploration. Next up: Learning Science Through Video Games!