Experience the plague in a new educational history game

Nov. 23, 2010 - PRLog -- PRESS RELEASE
Copenhagen, Denmark, 22. November 2010

Computer games have many purposes. They can entertain and educate and Serious Games Interactive develops games that can do both. Serious Games Interactive, a Copenhagen-based developer of games and virtual worlds, has just released the first episode in the Playing History educational game series, which gives pupils the chance to experience major historical events in an interactive environment.

The first episode in the series is called “The Plague” and centers, as the title indicates, on the Black Death’s arrival to Europe. In the game, which is a 3D adventure game, you play a young boy from Florence, on a mission to save himself and his family from the plague. To complete the game you have to learn about the dominant religious views, science and living conditions in the middle ages. The game combines a colorful and humorous visual style with an engaging narrative to motivate pupils to keep playing and complete the assignments they are given during the course of the game.

“Playing History is the result of five years of research and development, where our aim has been to create the best educational game possible. We have worked towards finding the right balance between play and learning and we believe we managed that with Playing History.” says Mikkel Lucas Overby, commercial director at Serious Games Interactive. “For too many of schoolchildren, our past is unknown territory. By giving them the opportunity to replay history in an interactive environment we aim to change the way children think about history, and give them a new understanding of important historical events. Games may be today’s dominant entertainment medium but, as we´re demonstrating with Playing History that they’re also a powerful tool to develop and expand children’s knowledge and competences.”

The game integrates learning and playing to engage pupils and give them a concrete feel for the historical time and setting. Pupils work with the subject of history, not as rote learning but through a learning process based on their actions and decisions taken in the game. The game series has received a lot of attention and has already won an international award at the European “Serious Games, Education & Development” conference in the fall of 2010.

Playing History: The Plague is developed to fit curriculum requirements for key stages 2-3. The game is available in English, German, Danish and Swedish on www.playinghistory.eu. Prices from 9.95€
About Serious Games Interactive

Serious Games Interactive is an award-winning, research-based developer of games, simulations and virtual worlds. SGI offer a unique blend of competences within games, learning and storytelling. Since the company’s establishment in 2006 we’ve developed solutions that integrate learning and game elements with the best possible user experience. Serious Games Interactive is also the developer behind the BETT award-winning educational game-series "Global Conflicts".

Game information: www.playinghistory.eu
Playing History press: www.playinghistory.eu/pressroom
Downloads: www.playinghistory.eu/pressroom/downloads
Company info: www.seriousgames.dk
Facebook: www.facebook.com/playinghistory

Contact: Mikkel Lucas Overby, commercial director: mlo@seriousgames.dk or tlf: +45 40 24 26 12

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Serious Games Interactive is an award-winning, research-based developer of games, simulations and virtual worlds. SGI offer a unique blend of competences within games, learning and storytelling. Since the company’s establishment in 2006 we’ve developed solutions that integrate learning and game elements with the best possible user experience. Serious Games Interactive is also the developer behind the BETT award-winning educational game-series "Global Conflicts".