Play Games, Learn History

After playing a video game with historical implications, are you prone to run to a book or the Internet to learn more about what you just played? Academics are hoping these historical games will spur people to become more interested in history.

A fascinating article in the New York Times looks at history in video games as a way to spur players to learn more. The American Library Association is so convinced that they have designated Nov. 14 as National Gaming Day at U.S. libraries:

"We have found that by adding board and video game formats to library collections we are providing users with tools to build strong literacy practices while sharpening technical and critical thinking skills," said American Library Association (ALA) President Dr. Camila Alire.

The story goes on to examine such games as Assassin's Creed II, which potrays a young Leonardo da Vinci helping the game's protagonist, and The Saboteur, which follows an special forces operative in World War II. In both cases, the game developers looked extensively at historical records while developing the games. In the case of The Saboteur:

Players step into the boots of Sean Devlin, who was inspired by William Grover-Williams, a half-English/half-French grand prix champion driver for the French Bugatti racing team in the 1930s. Like Grover-Williams, Devlin joins up with the British Special Operations Executive (SOE) and is airdropped into France. Unlike the real war hero, who was executed by the Nazis, Devlin - and the player - survives and helps liberate France.

The NYT article cites analyst Michael Pachter as saying that games incorporating history in them have accounted for about 10 percent of overall sales in the past year.