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Recently, I’ve been watching recorded livestream videos on YouTube of a very popular video game series that I think that can be a good learning tool for special educators.
“Napoleon: Total War” and “Empire: Total War” are two games that cover an important part of World History…the Napoleonic Wars and for anyone who is studying the Napoleonic Wars, history educators can look to the game for educational value for special education students.
While I will admit that I have yet to play the games, judging from what I saw in the YouTube videos, the games can give a visual representation of what life was like in the era of the Napoleonic wars. Everything from the uniforms to the weapons, to the armies are carefully recreated to the slightest detail that can help neurodivergent/special education students learn about historical figures like Napoleon Bonaparte.
Through these actions, the game also teaches about geography, world language and understanding of culture during the respective eras that are taking place in the game.
The truth of the matter is that there are neurodivergent/special education students that are visual thinkers and can only get an idea by having the actions placed in front of them. World History teachers that either have students on an IEP in their class along with History teachers that teach entirely special education students can look at this game and go, “Hey, maybe my students can learn from this.”
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Next, the “Total War” games hold their own in terms of creating a social space for neurodivergent individuals who are big into world history. I’ve known some people who are diehard history buffs, yet they struggle with social interaction. By playing the games, individuals can have the opportunity to not only live out their world history fantasies, but also build friendships and relationships through the games. To give you a visual idea of what I am talking about, here is the YouTube link to the account where the games are being uploaded. The account is called Pixelated Apollo and he not only covers the Total War games, but other era based games as well:
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Now, it’s not to say that games like “Napoleon: Total War” and “Empire: Total War” are the best games out there. But there are plenty of video games centered around war that hold almost little to no educational value. In fact, there should be some video games out there that are just like the “Total War” games for parents and educators to choose from to teach as well as entertain.
Sure, there are plenty of games out there that are good for social interaction like “Minecraft” or “Pokemon” and some that are bad like “World of Warcraft” or “Grand Theft Auto,” but there is something about the “Total War” games that can build friendships between student and teacher. If you have a special education student who is struggling with history and geography, then take a look at these games and bring them to the student because you could get the student to come out of their shell and allow them to learn on their level.
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Catch you all later!!
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