Globe and Mail argues that, so long as you aren't looking for a precise play-by-play recap of actual events, games with an historical slant can be educational. From the story:
"...I mean, what sort of education is taking place in a game like Civilization Revolution, which lets me have Abraham Lincoln build the Great Wall of China?
But now I have new ammunition, thanks to an interesting feature posted this week on game blog Kotaku in which Author Luke Plunkett interviews historian Dr. Cliff Williamson from Bath Spa University and Kieren Brigden, a developer with Creative Assembly, makers of the Total War games.
The piece suggests that, while few games can claim a high degree of narrative authenticity, there are a number that provide "an understanding of the dynamics of history; of the forces that have shaped, and will continue to shape, human society.
To wit, in Civilization Revolution I come to understand that the Great Wall, a magnificent feat of human engineering, acted as a remarkably effective defence against nations of a certain military sophistication. The ruler under whose reign it was constructed is irrelevant to this fact...."
Dorkly: "History is written by the winners, and that applies to games, too. While we hold up our post-apocalyptic wasteland adventures, period piece assassinations and Liberty City crime sprees on a pedestal, we would do well to remember the little guys. These underseen, criminally underplayed games didn't do well critically or commercially, but they were still wonderful experiences. Here's a small list of recommendations of unsung heroes of the PS3/Xbox 360/Wii era."
Alpha Protocol has some fantastic ideas in its conversation and story progression due to choices. I really enjoyed my time with it.
A spy rpg can be done with amazing results if handled correctly.
God Hand
Partly because I just recently discovered it and its insane.
What a gold nugget.
XMNR: 2K Games and Firaxis Games officially unveiled “Civilization: Beyond Earth” at a PAX East, which ended Sunday. The storied franchise heads for the stars for the second time in its twenty-three year history but the history of Sid Meier’s just-one-more-turn creation is as interesting as the games themselves.
March was a good month for bagging yourself a bargain! Hopefully we'll be able to find a few more good deals this month too. Here are a few of the bargains that FantasyMeister managed to bag himself in the month just gone.
I've learned that whenever you're trying to expand your nation, you do NOT want Ghandi as a neighbor, or even on the map. That little sociopath's always starting wars. And the Germans will try to steamroll the heck out of you.
In all seriousness though, there IS a lot of education in the game, should you choose to use it. The Civpedia is insanely deep, with real life pictures, history, annotations, etc., of every location, artifact, person, skill, trade, and resource in the game. Add to that the "specialized units" such as certain nations having panzers vs. douglas, etc.