Educational Gaming: Beyond The Oregon Trail

As a child, I remember playing the Carmen Sandiego series at school. While it was a videogame, it was intentionally educational and meant for kids.

In it, players had to use geography skills and travel the world to navigate clues and track down criminals, and because of Carmen Sandiego, I’ll always remember where Reykjavik and Kathmandu are. The mystery also enhanced my appreciation for historical sites worldwide, inspiring my trip to Morocco a few years ago because Casablanca piqued my interest.

I also have fond memories of playing The Oregon Trail after school. It’s among the most popular titles ever built for educational purposes, having sold 65 million copies.

I didn’t realize it then, but these experiences educated me and shaped my mindset, and similar titles have taught me valuable lessons in geography, mathematics and other core subjects. Things like GeoSafari and The Magic School Bus were mainstays at school, and I’m glad my teachers got us to play them.

Titles like Carmen Sandiego and Math Blaster! are influential in schools, but of course their purpose is education – but what about experiences where learning isn’t the first priority? In fact, entertainment is often the priority for videogames. From Mario Party to Madden, the objective is to have good times, alone or with friends.

However, despite being meant for fun, most games also have intrinsic educational value – even if the player didn’t realize it. For example, sports titles aided my mental math, while party games fostered my teamwork abilities at an early age, and more. Let’s look at some specifics.

One easy example is Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed — it’s certainly one of the best modern titles where players can pick up real-world information.

The series is inherently educational through its historically-based settings, ranging from Ancient Egypt to 19th-century Britain. Each title drops the player into a different era, intertwining each period’s historical significance with fictional story objectives.

Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate take place in London during the Second Industrial Revolution, and my favorite part was the DLC — especially the inclusion of real-life serial killer Jack the Ripper. By immersing myself in 1888, I learned more about the eerie British story than I did with any textbook.

However, my favorite learning experiences in the series have been the Discovery Tour modes found in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Origins and Valhalla.

Discovery Tour is unique because the mode removes combat and gameplay, letting players explore the world at their leisure. There are no set objectives or goals – just forge a path and absorb the surroundings. I enjoyed putting my learning cap on in this stress-free environment to take guided tours and quizzes about real-world historical sites. For a while, Discovery Tour makes me feel less like a gamer and more like a student.

As a Greek Mythology fan, Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey’s Discovery Tour modehas been my favorite — the Politics and Philosophy tour the most. The Democracy in Athens section also fascinated me because this era set the stage for future civilizations and governing bodies. I also enjoyed the chapter dealing with Greek Philosophy, learning about famous figures like Plato, Socrates and Isocrates, inspiring me by emphasizing morality and logic.

I’m similarly fond of the Ancient Egypt tour from Assassin’s Creed Origins. The curious side of me has always wondered about the mysteries revolving around the Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx, so this tickled my fancy, and there’s an entire tour dedicated to the pyramids, not just those in Giza. The player character sees the Step Pyramid of Djoser, the Bent Pyramid of Dahshur and other mesmerizing sites.

Thanks to the Discovery Tour, I’ve gone down numerous rabbit holes of research and Assassin’s Creed actually educated me more on certain aspects of world history than grade school ever did, offering special insight into things like the Siege of Alexandria and cities outside Cairo.

With Assassin’s Creed Shadows coming out in March, I hope we’ll get another Discovery Tour. The series has yet to visit Japan, so a full exploration of the nation’s Sengoku period feels necessary. (Not to mention, I’m already looking forward to using a shuriken, kunai and other authentic weapons from the time, and a Discovery Tour would significantly add to the experience.)

Another title that deserves more credit for its educational elements is Civilization. As the name suggests, this strategy title lets players build a civilization from the ground up, and along the way, they learn both the positive and harsh realities of developing communities while juggling where their spending goes. Sharp attention to detail is needed to solve problems like outside invasions or natural disasters. From war threats to technology research, these titles genuinely have it all.

My favorite part of the experience – which I expect will continue with Civ VII – is learning about lesser-known cultures.

Scythia and the Khmer Empire were only the tip of the iceberg of my Civilization educational experience. In grade school and college, my world history teachers never discussed the Angkor period despite its significance. However, Civ VI taught me about Scythia’s potent army, horse archers and key trade routes in Asia.

Similarly to Civilization, Age of Empires promotes education through hands-on empire development. These games base themselves on the Greeks, Romans and other civilizations and evolve in real time. Each one contains tech trees, letting players upgrade tools as the campaign goes on. For example, the blacksmith tree taught me about decarbonization, occurring when producing steel for swords.

This learning in “fun” games doesn’t have to be incidental, though — I’m happy to see a push toward non-educational videogames in the classroom if produced correctly. Now, colleges like the University of Arizona are offering Age of Empires courses — classes I would’ve been ecstatic to take if they’d been offered when I was in school.

I’d also have been interested in a class on medievalism and videogames, such as the one offered at the University of Michigan. This course discusses Assassin’s Creed: Mirage and similar titles to see how historical sites are represented, covering art, architecture and the significance of Baghdad during the Abbasid Caliphate. You even hear from actual historians who consulted on Mirage and other entries in the series.

Of course, no list of educational games would be complete without Minecraft: Education Edition. I’ve seen schools incorporate it into their curriculums, and I couldn’t be happier, as it teaches the very basics of coding and an excellent educational foundation that could very well one day lead them to launch a career in STEM, tech, finance and other fields. While using code for spawning blocky cows seems simple, such fundamentals extend far outside the classroom.

Another key entry is Kerbal Space Program. Humanity’s fascination with outer space has been evident since we first looked up at the stars, and this simulation bolsters it by diving into the details of building and launching spacecraft by encouraging a process of experimentation.

In Kerbal Space Program, players can create theirr dream rocket with whatever engines or fuel tanks they want. Each decision impacts performance, so players must be thoughtful in their selection. If a spaceship explodes or crashes, they can try again with a different setup. Future NASA scientists, anyone?

While people mired in outdated ideas might believe that videogames are mindless entertainment and unproductive to daily life, I couldn’t disagree more. Educational elements have influenced millions, including myself, to be more creative and enthusiastic about history. And, when considering using play as a conduit for education, I believe meeting gamers where they play is essential. Kids are more savvy with electronics than past generations ever were, so we should emphasize these learning experiences in a way that feels natural to them, and without making it feel like a pressured formal educational setting.

Take me, for example. I was hardly a great test-taker in school but my performance was improved via hands-on experiences — and if those experiences were fun, then so much the better.

Forcing students to learn solely in traditional ways, regardless of the learning style that fits them best, can be detrimental. Further, experts have found that overstudying can result in anxiety, depression and difficulty sleeping and can ultimately make students less likely to retain information. Games can bridge the gap for kids needing to absorb information through different means.

Oregon Trail and Carmen Sandiego sparked my love for history at an early age. This passion continues today, and I have videogames to thank for it. Nowadays, kids have even more tools to boost education both inside and outside the classroom. From Minecraft to Animal Crossing, kids can internalize valuable skills without feeling the pressure of a school setting.

As the gaming industry evolves, I look forward to more titles with nontraditional approaches to teaching history, math, science and more.

— Jack Shaw

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