University taking “going digital” to new heights

By Mike Jago

Universities going digital are nothing strange, but the University of South Carolina may be one digital step ahead than the rest.

The flyer for “Computer Games and History” at the University of South Carolina.

Students can now take a class entitled “Computer Games and History,” where they can learn about the historical aspects of computer video games like the “Assassin’s Creed” franchise and “Call of Duty.”

Students are given games to play as assignments, and must be able to discuss how the game portrays history and how video games are becoming a medium to learn about our past.

Whether or not video games are an effective teaching tool is yet to be seen as video games have received a bad reputation in previous years. Some people have said that violent video games are the root of violence among teenagers and would never be able to see how video games can teach us about history.

Ali Giardina, a student at Montclair State University, has a hard time seeing video games being effective. “A video game can be misleading and can exaggerate the facts,” said Giardina.

Amit Seth, a Kean University student, likes the idea of video games in the classroom. “It’s good because students won’t be bored reading the same old textbook anymore,” said Seth.

Colleges have been known to try other digital methods, such as textbooks via iPads and students receiving laptops, but a class using video games is something unheard of.

The design of video games has changed so dramatically, that the realism can be used to accurately describe events in history. Whether it’s ancient Rome or the Civil War, game designers have made it their mission to accurately depict these moments in time, in which gamers and students alike can learn from them.