The Historical Realism of Assassins Creed Has Paid Off
The Assassin’s Creed franchise has taken place over a number of unique and interesting times in history. All the way from the French Revolution to the time of Ancient Egypt and Greece. While the idea of a shadowy group of assassins being in a never-ending struggle against an evil cabal of powerful individuals bent of world domination is not the most realistic retelling of history There is no denying that the cities and nations that the games take place in are meticulously researched and offer a level of historical accuracy that is hard to top. It is the detailed world that these games take place in that can, and do, offer players a very valuable history lesson of the societies that they are playing in. These times in history are so well recreated that teachers are now using games like Assassins Creed to teach their students amidst the COVID-19 outbreak.
While education is not the primary purpose of any of the Assassin’s Creed titles, the option is there for anyone who wants to learn. Whenever a player comes in contact with an important historical figure, building, or cultural icon like a statue, chances are there is a quick burb of information that is available either in a menu or by pressing a button.
One school teacher in Canada is using Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey to teach his students about Ancient Greece. “When I spoke about it with my students, they seemed really, really pleased and surprised that we can work on our history course through a video game, ” said Kevin Péloquin a history teacher in Quebec. Péloquin is using Google Stadia as a means to get the game in the hands of all of his students. This means that everyone in his class can play the game regardless of what computer they are on.
This is not the first time that games and education have crossed paths, but this is perhaps the only time that a game has played such an integral part of a course. Perhaps the blend between education and entertainment is only going to grow as the pandemic rages on.
What do you think about teachers using games to teach students? Let us know in the comments.