This War of Mine, the 2014 wartime survival sim, has been added to the education ministry’s official reading list for schools in Poland. This is the first time a country has included a video game in its national education system, according to Poland’s prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki.
“Young people use games to imagine certain situations [in a way] no worse than reading books,” said Morawiecki (via Notes from Poland). “By incorporating games into the education system, we will expand our imagination and bring something new to the culture.”
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This War of Mine will be classified as optional “reading” for students studying sociology, ethics, philosophy, and history during the 2020-21 academic year, according to GamesIndustry.biz. The game will be free to those students so long as they are 18 or older, due to its PEGI rating.
“Of course, games are already being used in education for teaching maths, chemistry, and developing cognitive abilities,” said Grzegorz Miechowski, CEO of developer 11 bit studios, “but I don’t think we’ve ever encountered a game being officially included in the educational system on a national level as a school reading.”
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Inspired by the Siege of Sarajevo, This War of Mine explores the impact of war from a civilian perspective. “In contrast to most computer games — shooting, chasing, fast cars, more shooting — in this game there is a lot of reflection, situations in which we put ourselves [in the position] of a person who has to survive war,” said Morawiecki.
IGN’s This War of Mine review called it “a great study of survival during wartime and civil collapse” and one of 2014’s “most thoughtful games.”
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Jordan is a freelance writer for IGN.
Source: IGN.com This War of Mine Added to Official School Reading List in Poland