Learning True History

Like any medium, games have the potential to educate.  Unlike a textbook, movie or documentary, however, games have the unique property of being an interactive medium, allowing for a whole new level of engagement.  When most people think of educational games, they think of the classic educational games, particularly from the 90s, with games like the Liberty’s Kids game, the Carmen Sandiego games, Zoombinis or the Cluefinders series.  Nowadays most of us have moved on to more traditional hardcore games, but the truth is that even those games have something to teach us.  More than you may realize, in fact.  Historical revisionism is a pervasive issue in textbooks.  They are full of lies and disgusting sanitization, but games give us nothing but the truth.  The following are just a few things games have taught us about true world history over the years.

I'll miss you Nintendo Wi-Fi

I've been a Nintendo gamer for over a decade.  Though I've definitely invested in other consoles like the PS2 and Xbox 360, Nintendo's systems have always taken my priority.  After they established Nintendo Wi-Fi for online play, they soon also became my go-to company for multiplayer, since I don't have a PS3, my computer isn't very strong, and there's no way in hell I'm paying Microsoft's ransom just to play online.

I played online Nintendo games of all kinds and have always loved the sense of community and competition online play allowed as all my friends moved away.  When I got Modern Warfare 3 for the 360, I traded it in for the Wii version (and used the extra money to get Okamiden), I played Yu-Gi-Oh World Championship 2010 and Jump Ultimate Stars religiously, and whenever I wanted a little multiplayer fun in my lonely house/apartment, my Wii and DS always suited it.  Even without free communication, there was a special connection you could feel between how you and the other players played.  It was wonderful.

And now... We fight.

Almost all of that came to an end yesterday.