Stimulating Imagination through Interactive Experiences

The attention to detail in many modern computer games in astounding. Players can explore fantasy and historical worlds that are rich in environmental and man-made details.

• To what extent can this level of simulation be leveraged in primary education to meet the needs of learners?

  
  

• Can the time spend playing computer games be justified in a school setting, where time is scarce and demands are so high?

  
  

• How would use of computer games look like in schools, where resource constraints may precent purchase of expensive gaming PCs?

We will explore some computer games with educational potential and then return to these questions.

Discovery Tours

The Discovery Tours games are educational versions of the Assassin's Creed games by Ubisoft. The Discovery Tours games feature the game world and characters, with the elements of combat removed from the games.

There are three versions of Discovery Tours, one set in Ancient Greece, one in Ancient Egypt at the time of the Romans and one in Britain at the time of the Viking invasions.

The Ancient Greek version of the game is perhaps the most fully developed for education. It features well-designed tours set around themes, including politics, the Olympic Games and Philosophy. The games set in Egypt and Britain are also astounding in their detail, but slightly harder to navigate; the tours in the Egyptian game are not as compelling as the Greek game and the game set in Britain features a narrative story, that may may it harder to use (though not impossible) in schools. To be clear, all three games are incredible, absorbing and let children experience settings in breath-taking detail.

For schools that decided to use the tours in lessons, they would likely purchase a single gaming PC for the class to use together via a projector. A graphics card with at least 6GB of VRAM would be needed to run the games at their full potential. It is also worth changing some of the graphics settings to ensure smooth gameplay, things like VSync can be toggled on or off to affect this.

I have shared lesson resources for Discovery Tours on this website here.

I would suggest using Discovery Tours as a means to ask and answer questions, a bit like going on a field trip. The teacher can also guid the class on the in-game tours, which guide players through interesting aspects of ancient life.

The interactive Greek environment in Discovery Tours is breathtaking and designed with education in mind.

Microsoft Flight Simulator

Microsoft Flight Simulator is an amazing achievement. It is a complete, 3D representation of the planet Earth, modelling mountains, hills, forests, valleys, cities and rivers.

There are two modern versions of Flight Simulator, one from 2020 and one from 2024. The 2020 version is more than adequate for schools wishing to use this program.

Due to the level of detail in the games, schools could use Microsoft Flight simulator to explore human and physical geography of locations they were learning about. This could prompt questions for further investigation, or answer questions that children had posed beforehand.

Through using Flight Simulator, children will also learn about mathematical concepts, including height, speed and bearing. Some children will have prior interest in flying and others will develop this through using the software!

Like other games, perhaps the most out of this selection, Microsoft Flight Simulator needs a powerful gaming PC to run smoothly and in high detail.

Flight Simulator offers children the chance to explore localities that they are studying or might visit.

No Man's Sky

I remember showing a Year 4 class I was teaching a trailer to No Man's Sky before it was released. The children were astounded and inspired by just a couple of minutes' footage, which showed them alien creatures on procedurally generated worlds.

No Man's Sky lets players explore the universe, visiting planets that are generated by complex algorithms. The size of the game means that each player is likely the first player to have ever set foot on any give planet and experience its wildlife (or lack thereof!)

No Man's Sky could be a great stimulus for creative writing about science fiction or fantasy settings. Teachers would have to set the game up themselves, choosing the 'sandbox' version of a game and preparing a world to explore together. There are combat elements in the game, although these are fairly easy to avoid of players focus on exploration.

It is difficult to imagine a better stimulus for creative sci-fi writing than the worlds of No Man's Sky.

Manor Lords

Manor Lords lets players build a medieval town, collecting food, timber, stone and using this to build a wide range of buildings including houses, farms, churches and castles.

The game is incredibly detailed and atmospheric, from its medieval soundtrack, to the sounds that villagers and animals make as they move around the town.

There is a combat element to the game, although this can be switched off when setting up a world.

Children might use Manor Lords to explore and imagine medieval life and some of the challenges of building a medieval city. As well as generating historical understanding, the game could prompt writing about some of these topics and medieval life. The game is not aimed at children, so teachers would need to try the game and consider carefully whether it is suitable for children in their school.

Manor Lords simulates the development of medieval towns.

Kerbal Space Program

Kerbal Space Program lets players build rockets and aeroplanes to transport fictional aliens, known as Kerbals, into space.

There are different types of gameplay within the game. Schools would likely make the 'sandbox' version available to children, giving them access to the full range of parts and infinite money for building.

Through playing Kerbal Space Program, children can learn about forces, engineering and principles of flight control and orbital dynamics. Reaching orbit with a rocket is surprisingly easy, landing again not so much! Players can potentially reach other moons and planets in the system too, but this requires understanding of orbits and careful timing.

Kerbal Space Program is a delightful introduction to engineering and rocket science and may inspire some children to pursue these fields further. In terms of whole class use, it could be a way for children in Upper Key Stage 2 to explore engineering, or a great after-school club activity.

Kerbal Space Program allows children to explore physics and engineering with often explosive results!

Conclusions

To return to the questions we stated with:

To what extent can this level of simulation be leveraged in primary education to meet the needs of learners?

As with all use of technology in school, use of computer games in lessons needs to be considered against the objectives that are being aimed for. Would use of a computer game to explore Ancient Greece be better than a visit to a museum, a practical, hands-on activity, or research using books and concrete resources? Would use of a computer game as a prompt for sci-fi writing be a better prompt than use of practical objects, images, text or other resources? These are the conversations that teachers and school leaders can engage in.

Can the time spend playing computer games be justified in a school setting, where time is scarce and demands are so high?

Ultimately, the decision to use games like these in the classroom will depend on the school curriculum, views of teachers and resources available. The games above are some of the best examples of immersive experiences, suitable for children, and if used well, have the potential to stimulate enquiry and learning.

How would use of computer games look like in schools, where resource constraints may precent purchase of expensive gaming PCs?

It is likely that schools that decided to use these kinds of games would invest in a single PC capable, costing in the region of £500-£1000. This would restrict use to whole-class use, led by the teacher or groups of children at a time. This kind of experience can still be impactful, if the teacher has planned class activities carefully, or given smaller groups a focus that they can achieve in a short time. It is worth noting that of these games, Kerbal Space Program has significantly lower requirements and may work on computers without specialised graphics cards.