Perhaps the most elegant example of learning while actually having fun came from a real-time strategy game called Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom. But first some gaming history. Strategy games such as Chess, Risk, and Stratego have enjoyed a long heritage. The classic games were turn-based, essentially allowing each player to gather his or her thoughts, devise a strategy, and then move. The transition to the computer added a second exciting prospect – that of games that simulated a seamless flow of events, allowing for the consequences of each move to play out in real time and giving birth to the genre of “real-time strategy” games or RTSs. Developer Bullfrog’s Populus was arguably the first game in the RTS genre, further refined by Westwood Studio’s Dune 2, and then the Command and Conquer series. Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom, developed by Maryland-based BreakAway Games, was this type of game, but also much, much more. In Emperor, the object is to lead a group of people through the process of building a civilization from the humble beginnings of a small rural community. The tutorial missions, which are set during the Neolithic Xia dynasty, very gently encourage you to understand the basics of community-building from the perspective of a 2100 BC farmer – everything from the proper seasons to cultivate soy versus rice to the vitals of repelling invading marauders is covered, as this description from the game would suggest:
“In the northern region, along the banks of the Yellow River (or Huang He), the fertile yellow ‘loess’ soil and cooler climate was well suited for hardier grains such as millet and wheat. Further south, along the meandering Yangzi, the warmer and wetter climate was ideal for rice, which soon became an important staple of the Chinese diet. Far to the north and west, above the Yellow River and in northwestern China’s Tarim River basin, the extremely dry soil and harsher climate made cultivation without irrigation almost impossible.”
As dry as this may seem on paper, this information proved vital to the survival of my township, which gradually grew and prospered – something that gave me a great deal of pride. I recall how attached I became to each of my little subjects. Added to this was the thrill of our repelling invaders successfully, and the decision to embark upon the gargantuan task of building a little-known monument called the Great Wall of China. In total, just a few hours of game play over some weeks had allowed me to experience some 3000 years of ancient Chinese history. I like to think that Ms. Wilcox, my high school world history teacher (and top-drawer pickle-ball player), would have approved.