If there is one game series that defined my childhood, it
would be Super Mario.
If there is two game series that
defined my childhood, however, the other would be Sims. We had SimCity for the
SNES and SimTown on the computer, and of course I played The Sims 1, 2, and 3.
One of my favorite Sims games though was the terribly underrated SimCity
Societies.
SimCity Societies allowed you to
build a metropolitan region from the ground up. As creator, you were
responsible for ensuring your city had enough housing and workplaces for the
residents, transportation and infrastructure, law enforcement, and everything
else upon which society depends. What you built changed the nature of your society.
Add a Propaganda Ministry and it would tilt the scale toward an authoritarian
regime. Dive bars help keep hardworking Sims happy.
The focus
was on the values the society held. Depending on what you built, your region
could move on a spectrum toward productivity, prosperity, creativity,
spirituality, authority, or knowledge. This game lends itself well to the civics
classroom. I would use SimCity Societies to as an enrichment activity for my
students to explore the functions of government and the attitudes of societies.
The students could then reflect on how they built their society and report to
the class.
There’s
also the possibility of a more in depth look at government and urban planning
through other SimCity games. I have not gotten the chance to play the new
SimCity, but the gameplay could help illustrate complex issues in how
government responds to the needs of its citizens. The game incorporates features
from pollution and transportation to healthcare and energy resources. This
could be a fun way of demonstrating what government does.
I never thought of this! I think this is a great idea! The students would definitely be able to learn about how big cities work, the problems they encounter, and the government aspect of it too. I don't think anything would compare to them making their own cities and being the one in charge. Especially if the each had their own way of doing things. One could be a democracy or something and have a dictatorship of some kind. If thats even possible, I'm not sure. I think this is fantastic idea!
ReplyDeleteI used to love Sims! I can't remember which one I had but I could make really elaborate houses using those cheat codes to get more money! I briefly entertained the idea of becoming an architect because of the game. I really like the idea you raise about students being able to build their own society and looking into the functions of government in that way. I think this would be a great learning tool, and students could see their cities in action, what works and what doesn't! It's amazing how a game can now realistically emulate something in real life like a fully functioning government. I think it takes the idea of simulations to a whole new level besides being assigned roles in class.
ReplyDeleteLove the Joni Mitchell reference. And the idea of incorporating urban planning and political attitudes is awesome. It would be fascinating to see what students do to respond to the needs of its Simizenry (see what I did there?) and understand the implications of those responses. It might turn into some frightening Lord of the Flies-esque hellscape. Does SimCity Societies make use of politics? And if so, how? Thanks for introducing me to this!
ReplyDeleteHah! Thanks! I wouldn't mind a hellscape as long as they read Lord of the Flies too. The Simizenry might care though.
DeleteSocieties doesn't engage directly with politics, but I think it could still be a cool addition to base education dealing with political theory or comparative government.
What is this "Super Mario" of which you speak?
ReplyDelete