Experiencing history through video games

I'm not a big fan of video games, but as the technology matures, it is demonstrating an ability to create very compelling and engaging virtual environments that can be educational as well as entertaining.  My grandkids know more about Greek and Egyptian mythology than I ever did at their age, and its all from playing The Age of Mythology.  Now, along comes a game called Assassin's Creed II, which is set in Renaissance Italy.

According to this Wall Street Journal article, the game is "as close as we've managed to get to real time travel."  Using Renaissance scholars as advisers, the game's creators have reconstructed the look and feel of Renaissance Florence, Venice, and Rome in painstaking detail.  As the player, you are walking (or more often, running) through the streets, experiencing the everyday sights and sounds of bustling 15th century towns, exploring authentic reconstructions of major architectural landmarks, and interacting with historical figures like Leonardo, Machiavelli, and Savonarola.  It's an immersive experience that offers "a kind of education by stealth".

Of course, it would be wonderful if such historical simulations could do away with the pervasive violence and mayhem of the video game and focus on the truly educational aspects of the subject, but then who would pay to develop such a product and, perhaps more importantly, who would find it compelling enough to spend hours of their free time exploring all the intricate details.  (The original Assassin's Creed was set during the Crusades, and sold eight million copies at a theoretical list price of $60.) 

Like it or not, this is a powerful technology that will influence the way the younger generation experiences and learns about distant times and places.  If you would like to sample what the game looks like, take a look at this 7-minute YouTube video introduction to the Florence segment.