Using Games As A Form Of Education

Young people of the 21st century consume a very high amount of entertainment. Whether they're following a YouTuber, binge-watching a TV show, or keeping up with a video game series, almost every young person is consuming some sort of media. Many people believe that entertainment takes away from education, something that is integral to a child's development, but it doesn't have to be that way.

Educational entertainment is nothing new. Shows like Sesame Street  teach young children about numbers and the alphabet, and kids that are a little older can learn about science from The Magic Schoolbus or Bill Nye the Science Guy. Video games can serve a similar purpose.

While Carmen Sandiego and Mavis Beacon are relics of the past, video games are still trying to educate people, perhaps in less obvious ways.

For example, Minecraft, a game that's already been a hit with kids, launched Minecraft: Education Edition in November of last year. Intended for use in schools, teachers can pay $5 yearly per student, and use Minecraft in creative ways to teach students. The teachers can set specific permissions and boundaries for students, and pull from premade lesson plans as well as make their own and upload them for use by other teachers. The lesson plans cover topics such as history and art.

Another series has recently started making educational versions of their games, and it's not a series you'd expect. The "Discovery Tour" version of Assassin's Creed: Origins will launch as a free update for the game in early 2018. It's the same as the regular game, but combat and campaign missions will be disabled.

Assassin's Creed has always been a series deeply rooted in history, and I'm glad to see them taking an interest in providing further information about Origins' setting than the story will. I remember when I first played the Ezio trilogy, I was completely drawn in by the Renaissance setting, and with the proper care, I can imagine that Ancient Egypt will be an interesting time period as well.

While games are usually just mindless fun, which is completely okay, it's also amazing to see the ways that gaming can be turned into an educational experience. Hands-on education helps many people retain information better, and aside from actually travelling to historic locations, the interactivity provided by gaming is the perfect way to learn.