Truth be told, this was probably the most enjoyable course I've taken in a long time. I remember when you first told me about it last semester, I rearranged my entire schedule to fit it in, solely because it sounded fun; and, lo and behold, I was right! Although it did have its faults, there was nothing about this course that I didn't thoroughly enjoy, from the relaxing class structure to the unique and enjoyable subject matter. This class scratched at an itch I didn't really know I had; the ability to discuss and value videogames as the wonderful historical medium I knew in my heart that they were, without someone looking at me like I'd spend the rest of my life in parents' basement. All my melodramatic adorations of series live Civilization, Assassin's Creed, Call of Duty, and now I'll add Tropico to that number, were finally validated by my peers and treated like they mattered, which was a very welcome change of pace from how things usually go in my family.
Starting out the course with Civilization was a great introduction, and a wonderful stroll down memory lane for me. I've explained before how Civilization IV was one of the first games I ever played, (I'm afraid I wasn't very good at it) and so to revisit the series in a more professional setting was interesting, to say the least. There's something special and tantalizing about Civilization, an awe and reverence for humanity and its history woven into the fabric of the game that helped set the tone beautifully for the course. This course's goal was always to explore history through videogames as a medium, and there is perhaps no better example than Civilization, a work solely dedicated to history and its importance. Though the learning curve was a little steep at first, with some practice it was easy to handle and understand, even for less-experienced gamers like Leah. In the end, Civilization was a wonderful first outing, and proved the effectiveness of videogames as an educational tool.
I've already gushed ad nauseum about Assassin's Creed, but this is supposed to be a review, so forgive me for gushing just a little bit more. There's nothing quite like watching history come alive before your very eyes in this series, walking the busy streets of such storied cities as Constantinople, Venice, Florence, Jerusalem, and Rome. With these games, you can sail under the black flag in the Golden Age of Piracy in the Caribbean, traverse the ancient sands and monolithic monuments of Ptolemaic Egypt, and navigate the geopolitical chaos of the Peloponnesian War. With these games, you can see the lost relics of Roman London, the Great Lighthouse and the Library of Alexandria, and the long lost Athena Parthenos. Historical simulation is at its best in Assassin's Creed, and it was an absolutely perfect choice for this course.
The only misstep I felt was truly made was Empire: Total War. Don't get me wrong, it is a brilliant game, but it was just a little too expansive for the classroom, and though I do understand that we were supposed to play outside of class time... I was never gonna do that to begin with. Not for lack of wanting, mind you, but for a simple lack of time. Empire took a lot of concentration and brainpower, and though not a sin, it was a little time-consuming for a college student juggling six other projects. However, this doesn't disparage the game, or the course; just a simple case of wrong place, wrong time.
But enough about the negatives, let's focus on the positives! Out of all the games we played, there were absolutely none that compared to the sheer joy and positivity of Tropico. This one was a lot of fun, from start to finish, and it was easily to most enjoyable game in the course. Like I've said before, getting to play God on my own little island of slaves--- I mean, loyal and valued citizens, was absolutely wonderful and supremely hilarious. As important as it is to present history as it is, with its serious and grave events and their consequences, it is also equally important not to lose sight of the fact that as brilliant and wonderful as the human race is, we are also exceptionally stupid creatures. Two Italian cities once fought a war over a bucket, the Florida Keys routinely do battle with the US Coast Guard by throwing stale bread and conch fritters at them, and the United States and Great Britain almost went to war a third time over the killing of a pig in Canada. The history books are filled with death, genocide, disease, and destruction, but hidden away from the pages are delightfully stupid stories such as these, and I truly, truly appreciate Tropico for reminding us that no matter how smart you think you are, there is nothing denying the fact that we're all idiots.
And finally, the piece de resistance was of course the ability to create my own dream game alongside my peers. I'm no stranger to creative writing, it's one of my favorite hobbies, but getting to do it for school, on a subject that I care about, with almost total creative freedom was really a breath of fresh air. Rather than the contrived, rushed mess I feared it would be, "Heat of the Cold War" took on a life of its own, like all stories do, and I'm legitimately proud of the work that Leah, Lily, and Katlyn did together. Bonnie and Chuck were both excellent protagonists and good characters, I good a few good laughs in with Sadstro and Einrich von Evilstein, and overall, it was the best project work I've had in a long time. Usually, group work is like pulling teeth for me, but this was really well structured and thought of, and I had a lot of fun with it, and I think my group did too.
In conclusion, though the course did have its flaws, it was honestly one of the most enjoyable experiences I've had thus far in college, and I'm sure I'll remember it for a long while afterwards. Though it seems unlikely, I really do hope they let you teach it again, because this course is just waiting to help students discover a fascination in history, marketing, videogame design, or education that will change their lives forever. Thank you for a truly wonderful experience, and I look forward to taking one of your classes again in the future!
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