Chad Harrison
Video Games as a Teaching Tool
The picture above shows a battle scene from the popular video game series, Medieval II: Total War. In the picture, Aztec eagle warriors face off against Spanish soldiers. The video game takes a particular snapshot of world history, from shortly after 1500 into the conquest of Mexico. Players win by conquering territories and eliminating certain other factions. Players can take on the role of New Spain under the leadership of Hernan Cortes and Diego de Velazquez, who in actuality were political enemies. They can also play as a number of Native American factions, notably the Aztec and the Maya.
The success of the Total War franchise raises some interesting questions. Is it morally and ethically sound to have player engage in such practices as exterminating the populace of certain towns? In fact, players are rewarded by such behavior as they are given money on a scaled basis. To what extent should games be allowed to bend the facts of history to their needs, such as the representation of Cortes’ career as a strategic game, rather than as a tragic clash of cultures that cost thousands of lives?
Another intriguing question arises: could video games also be used to teach history? According to Julian DelGuadio, “it is generally understood that the traditional way of educating college students is limited in its ability to reach all students or to promote sound educational outcomes.” New, interactive techniques are more popular, and may help historians teach history in better ways. What better way to understand the task set ahead of Cortes than to see first hand how limited resources, an unfamiliar political environment, and a lack of support from his home affected the outcome of his expedition into Mexico? This sort of activity could be valuable as it brings history to “higher levels of interactivity, decentralization of learning, and student empowerment.”
This is not to say that the current video game market could support this sort of implementation. The video game market is dominated by entertainment first, with educational products making up only a very small segment. Historical accuracy is not the main goal, but is more a backdrop to the game play. In short, the entertainment drives the history, and not vice versa. The Spanish are the conquering heroes facing overwhelming odds, and the Aztecs are the brutal blood thirsty savages. It is possible that some time in the near future interactive simulations will become more the norm than the exception, but their value to the historical profession is one that has yet to be tapped sufficiently.
Victor Davis Hanson , Carnage and Culture (New York: Doubleday, 2001), 172.
Julian J. DelGaudio, “Should Historians Become Programmers? Limitations and Possibilities of
Computer-Assisted Instruction in the United States History Survey” The History Teacher 33 (1999): 67-78
The Creative Assembly Limited, SEGA of America Inc, Video Games as a Teaching Tool, Digital Photograph, 2007, Sugar Hill, GA.
For more information about the Video Game please visit:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_War_(video_game_series)
Video Games as a Teaching Tool
The picture above shows a battle scene from the popular video game series, Medieval II: Total War. In the picture, Aztec eagle warriors face off against Spanish soldiers. The video game takes a particular snapshot of world history, from shortly after 1500 into the conquest of Mexico. Players win by conquering territories and eliminating certain other factions. Players can take on the role of New Spain under the leadership of Hernan Cortes and Diego de Velazquez, who in actuality were political enemies. They can also play as a number of Native American factions, notably the Aztec and the Maya.
The success of the Total War franchise raises some interesting questions. Is it morally and ethically sound to have player engage in such practices as exterminating the populace of certain towns? In fact, players are rewarded by such behavior as they are given money on a scaled basis. To what extent should games be allowed to bend the facts of history to their needs, such as the representation of Cortes’ career as a strategic game, rather than as a tragic clash of cultures that cost thousands of lives?
Another intriguing question arises: could video games also be used to teach history? According to Julian DelGuadio, “it is generally understood that the traditional way of educating college students is limited in its ability to reach all students or to promote sound educational outcomes.” New, interactive techniques are more popular, and may help historians teach history in better ways. What better way to understand the task set ahead of Cortes than to see first hand how limited resources, an unfamiliar political environment, and a lack of support from his home affected the outcome of his expedition into Mexico? This sort of activity could be valuable as it brings history to “higher levels of interactivity, decentralization of learning, and student empowerment.”
This is not to say that the current video game market could support this sort of implementation. The video game market is dominated by entertainment first, with educational products making up only a very small segment. Historical accuracy is not the main goal, but is more a backdrop to the game play. In short, the entertainment drives the history, and not vice versa. The Spanish are the conquering heroes facing overwhelming odds, and the Aztecs are the brutal blood thirsty savages. It is possible that some time in the near future interactive simulations will become more the norm than the exception, but their value to the historical profession is one that has yet to be tapped sufficiently.
Victor Davis Hanson , Carnage and Culture (New York: Doubleday, 2001), 172.
Julian J. DelGaudio, “Should Historians Become Programmers? Limitations and Possibilities of
Computer-Assisted Instruction in the United States History Survey” The History Teacher 33 (1999): 67-78
The Creative Assembly Limited, SEGA of America Inc, Video Games as a Teaching Tool, Digital Photograph, 2007, Sugar Hill, GA.
For more information about the Video Game please visit:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_War_(video_game_series)