Zeldology 101: Video Games Incorporated Into Liberal Arts Syllabi

When you were in school, did you ever wish you could learn “Tetris Theory” instead of Geometry, “Space Invading” instead of Astronomy, or “Mario Painting” instead of Art? Perhaps it’s not as crazy as it seems, according to some teachers. Students are now closer than ever to being able to turn their wistful video game-laden daydreams into realities.

When I first entered my New Media Studies class in college, I was delighted to discover an entire section devoted to video games in my syllabus. At first I was shocked, but then it suddenly dawned on me: if I’m perpetually being told to analyze films in my classes, why not video games? They are both visual media that people took great care to construct a certain way, and they both have massive amounts of cultural impact that merit some exploring. I gleefully watched my professor present demos of “Doom” and “The Sims,” learning new and exciting tidbits about games that were once old news to me. Consequently, this is one of the few classes that I actually attended.

Similarly, educators are catching on that the more they incorporate things that interest the students, the more desire they’ll have to learn. Organizations like the World Wide Workshop not only use games to teach, but are also teaching kids how to make the games themselves. Through these programs, students potentially gain a new-found enthusiasm for subjects like math and science, and they are able to apply the knowledge they learn in ways that matter to them. Girlstart, for example, directs a program to draw more girls towards a future in computer science. In addition, sociology and marketing come into play when students learn about the distribution of games, making this the ultimate liberal arts education for kids.

If you’re thinking most of these games are probably all fluff, think again. Playing 4 Keeps students created Tempest in Crescent City, focusing on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Lofty topics like world poverty are also touched upon in games like Ayiti: The Cost of Life. Despite the depressing undertones, such socially aware titles have gained these young developers quite the following: over 1.5 million people have played their games to date. Somebody give these kids a gold star!

It’s doubtful schools will ever “Dance Dance Revolutionize” Phys Ed class, but learning about video games is becoming increasingly acceptable in the world of academia, and it’s a good step in the right direction. Had these programs been around when I was in grade school, I’m sure I would’ve spent fewer algebra classes with my face down in the textbook.