Prise de crédit pour l'histoire: pourquoi l'Université d'Arizona veut que les étudiants jouent à l'âge des empires IV pendant la classe

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• Current and future University of Arizona and Arizona Online students can earn credit toward their college degrees by playing Age of Empires IV.
• We talked with those involved in the creation of this unique opportunity for Universe of Arizona students.
• Age of Empires IV is available to play today with PC Game Pass and for purchase on the Windows Store and Steam.

Earning college credit for playing video games sounds like the stuff dreams are made of. Luckily for students attending the Universe of Arizona, this dream is turning into a reality thanks to a unique partnership between the university and Age of Empires IV.

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• Age of Empires IV

Starting this semester, current and future University of Arizona and Arizona Online students can earn credit toward their college degrees when they interact with special educational content while playing Age of Empires IV.

To learn more about this partnership, we had a chance to talk with Associate Professor of Medieval History Paul Milliman, Executive Director of Corporate Initiatives and Business Development Kara Aquilano Forney, Associate Professor of Roman History and Department Head Alison Futrell, and Franchise Narrative Director for Age of Empires at World’s Edge Studio (Xbox) Noble Smith about this unique opportunity for Universe of Arizona students, what inspired them to create this program, and how Age of Empires IV can help affirm the accurate portrayal of history.

What inspired you to create this program at the University of Arizona?

Paul Milliman – When Kara asked me whether I would like to help create this program, I was teaching the History Department’s senior capstone course. One of the best students in the class was someone I had never worked with before, so I asked him how he had learned so much about medieval history. He said he was inspired to learn more about medieval history by playing games like Age of Empires II.

In recent years, so many of the best students I’ve worked with are gamers. They are researching historical events while they are playing these historical events in games, so I wanted to meet these gamer-historians where they are meeting history and show them some of the wonderful places they can go online to do their own historical research. As Age of Empires IV says, I wanted to teach them how to make history their story.

Alison Futrell – I was very excited when Kara approached us about this opportunity. My teaching and research for years has turned to how the past has been interpreted in film and television; students have also been alerting me to intriguing innovations in video games. One of them focused on a couple of examples for his final project and I was captivated by the narrative twists and layers of meaning that he explored. These were very distinctive, very creative approaches to the past! I’m enthusiastic about bringing in additional historical resources to enrich this kind of exploration.

Can you share some history (no pun intended) on how this partnership between Microsoft/Xbox, Age of Empires IV, and the University of Arizona came about?

Kara Aquilano Forney – The idea for the partnership came about more than two years ago when I connected with Will McCahill, business lead at Microsoft’s World’s Edge game studio. Will reached out to brainstorm about expanding the learning opportunities in Age of Empires IV and we talked about providing players a place to go once they finished their AoE experience. We had many “What if?” conversations — What if we enhanced the user experience with added learning content? What if we extended that learning beyond the game, what does that look like? The UArizona powerhouse history department quickly jumped on board, and the rest (pun intended) is History.

Were there other examples (games for college credit, etc.) you drew from to create this program at your university?

Paul Milliman – I am not aware of anything like this anywhere else. I teach history with games. I teach courses about historical games. I even have students create games in my courses as a more engaging way of presenting their historical research. I think this playful way of approaching historical research was very useful for this project.

Alison Futrell – I teach spectacle and performance (and film) and encourage students to move away from their desks, bring their other skills into the expanded classroom. This builds on those habits, certainly. A colleague across campus built a course around creating history tabletop games, focusing on how ancient economic decisions shape other experiences and choices, which I thought was very exciting.

What was it about Age of Empires IV specifically that drew you to the idea of creating college credit for playing through the game’s campaign?

Paul Milliman - J'étais intrigué par le script, en particulier les vidéos "Mains sur l'histoire". Mon style d'enseignement est très pratique. Je suis un guide à vos côtés, pas une sauge sur une scène. Je concevons un cours spécial juste pour les historiens des joueurs qui souhaitent continuer à apprendre en s'appuyant sur leurs expériences dans le jeu. Ils vont en savoir plus sur les campagnes qu'ils ont combattues en faisant leurs propres recherches historiques et en créant leurs vidéos «mains sur l'histoire».

Alison Futrel L - Les documentaires courts aux côtés du jeu enrichi étaient fantastiques! Yay archéologie! En tant qu'ancien archéologiste, j'ai vraiment apprécié la profondeur et la tangibilité que ces présentations apportées à la dynamique "Vous y êtes" qualité de Aoe IV. De nombreuses façons de comprendre ce qui se passe! Avec le cours spécial, nous ajoutons différents types de défis pour améliorer ce que les joueurs ont déjà expérimenté.

_ Existe-t-il des campagnes ou des niveaux que vous êtes excité pour que les étudiants expérimentent dans le cadre de ce programme de votre université? _

Paul Milliman - Je pense que les quatre campagnes sont excellentes. Ils me font penser à quelles campagnes que vous pourriez présenter pour les autres cives dans le jeu. En outre, j'ai vraiment aimé la vidéo promotionnelle qui est sortie en avril dernier dans lequel les éléphants indiens déchaînaient dans les rues de Medieval London et des Junks chinois naviguaient la Tamise. Au Moyen Âge, l'Europe n'était pas le centre du monde, alors placer la plus tard le colonialisme dans son contexte historique approprié à travers l'histoire contrefactuelle, comme celle-ci, c'est une façon vraiment engagée d'amener les étudiants à penser aux relations historiques de l'Europe avec le monde entier.

Alison Futrell - Je pense que les quatre campagnes abordent des points de tournage importants dans un contexte vraiment large, ce qui est génial. Comme Paul a noté, la créativité dans la promotion, la collision des cultures mondiales, était très amusante, mais nous pousse également à penser largement et comparativement et à considérer quels outils peuvent ajouter de la substance à ce type de spéculation.

Noble Smith - Nous sommes ravis que les étudiants de l'Université d'Arizona pourront plonger dans la riche histoire des campagnes d'Empires Iv_. Divers personnages historiques comme l'héroïne française Jeanne d'Arc et l'empereur Mongol Gengis sont mis à la vie grâce à des personnages 3D modélisés qui parlent dans leurs langues indigènes respectives. Comme il s'agit d'un jeu de stratégie en temps réel, le joueur contrôle toutes leurs unités - des héros mentionnés ci-dessus (avec leurs capacités particulières uniques) jusqu'au bout des armes de base. Les batailles clés, considérées à partir d'une vue aérienne 3/4, sont expérimentées de manière viscérale et passionnante qui leur permet de se sentir aussi pertinentes que le jour où ils ont été combattus il y a des siècles.

_ Sensez que ce cours aide à affirmer la représentation précise de l'histoire, célébrer la période médiévale élevée à l'âge de la renaissance tardive, cet âge d'empires IV s'efforce d'atteindre? _

Paul Milliman - Je crois. Lorsque j'ai écrit les histoires illuminées et l'évaluation, j'ai vraiment essayé de tout attacher au jeu. Je tiens à prendre les gens d'excitation à jouer au jeu et à canaliser cette excitation à faire des recherches historiques sur des sujets qui les entourent. Je veux qu'ils découvrent le frisson de la découverte, qui peut être aussi passionnant comme une victoire de campagne.

Alison Futrell - Absolument! L'authenticité et l'exploration riche / profonde est ce que nous sommes après. L'histoire est compliquée, avec de nombreuses couches d'expérience à la sonde. Le cours que nous avons conçu offre une gamme de voies pour commencer à faire ce problème.

Noble Smith - Commençant par la bataille de Hastings en 1066 et se termine par le siège de Kazan en 1552, les quatre campagnes à Aoe IV couvrent très certainement l'ère balancée de la haute période médiévale jusqu'à la fin de la Renaissance. The evolution of armor, weapons, architecture, language, and accompanying music were all thoroughly researched and guided by subject matter experts from around the world.

Ainsi, par exemple, dans le Grand ARC des quatre campagnes, le joueur doit assister à des unités militaires avançant de l'armure de courrier et des épées (la campagne Normands) à des armes à plaques sophistiquées et à des armes à poudre à canon (campagne de guerre de cent ans). Even the languages spoken by the units in AoE IV evolve from their High Medieval versions to the Late Renaissance forms.

What future programs at your university, or others, you’d like to see to help recognize gaming as a source of education (when applicable)?

Paul Milliman – This is already happening in the history profession. There are many publications and conferences on this topic and many people who teach with games. Also, last year The American Historical Review, the leading academic history journal in the US, began reviewing historical computer games as a recognition of how important gaming is in informing people’s views of history.

Alison Futrell – This is a hot topic in History right now, with many people working on different pedagogical approaches that engage a range of student experiences and skill-building and, importantly, creativity. Games as a topic and as an inspiration are having an impact and are popping up in scholarly conferences as well.

Do you hope this experience will give your students a greater appreciation of cultures other than their own? What else do you hope they take away from this experience?

Paul Milliman – I do. As a historian of the global Middle Ages rather than just medieval Europe, I appreciate that half of the campaigns are not in western Europe. I hope this experience inspires these gamer-historians to learn more about the medieval world by visiting (virtually or in person) both the museums and libraries that contain the primary sources with which medieval history is written and the places which are depicted in the game. I also hope people will try their own “Hands on History.” Because of Age of Empires IV, I’ve broadened by own experiential learning. I started learning archery a few months ago, and soon I will take lessons on falconry and historical fencing. So, Age of Empires IV can inspire people of all ages and historical skill levels!

Alison Futrell – Of course! History offers people the chance to appreciate new outlooks through exploring the old, as it were, to see the human experience through the eyes of those who’ve gone before, to gain new insights, to broaden their understanding. I always hope that students will have the chance to dive a bit deeper into something that speaks specifically to them. I think that’s a particular strength in the way this class is structured.

Noble Smith – We hope that students who play AoE IV will develop a profound love of history. Maybe they will be inspired to tour a famous site represented in one of the missions (like the Hastings Battlefield in the United Kingdom) or visit the Guédelon castle project in France (shown in one of the game’s accompanying “Hands on History” films — Building a Castle) or perhaps study a new language. Maybe we’ll motivate someone to write a book about the Mongolian Yam messenger system or learn how to craft plate armor using traditional tools. We might even get some people who want to join our Age of Empires team… and keep on making history come to life for years to come!

Thanks to Paul, Kara, Alison, and Noble for taking the time today to share with us this amazing opportunity for University of Arizona students. You can learn more about this program here on AgeofEmpires.com. Age of Empires IV is available to play today with PC Game Pass and for purchase on Windows Store and Steam. Keep it tuned here to Xbox Wire for all the latest Arizona about your favorite Xbox and Windows PC games.

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One of the most beloved real-time strategy games returns to glory with Age of Empires IV, putting you at the center of epic historical battles that shaped the world. Featuring both familiar and innovative new ways to expand your empire in vast landscapes with stunning 4K visual fidelity, Age of Empires IV brings an evolved real-time strategy game to a new generation. Return to History – The past is prologue as you are immersed in a rich historical setting of 8 diverse civilizations across the world from the English to the Chinese to the Delhi Sultanate in your quest for victory. Build cities, manage resources, and lead your troops to battle on land and at sea in 4 distinct campaigns with 35 missions that span across 500 years of history from the Dark Ages up to the Renaissance. Choose Your Path to Greatness with Historical Figures – Live the adventures of Joan of Arc in her quest to defeat the English, or command mighty Mongol troops as Genghis Khan in his conquest across Asia. The choice is yours – and every decision you make will determine the outcome of history. Customize Your Game with Mods – Available in Early 2022, play how you want with user generated content tools for custom games. Challenge the World- Jump online to compete, cooperate or spectate with up to 7 of your friends in PVP and PVE multiplayer modes. An Age for All Players – Age of Empires IV is an inviting experience for new players with a tutorial system that teaches the essence of real-time strategy and a Campaign Story Mode designed for first time players to help achieve easy setup and success, yet is challenging enough for veteran players with new game mechanics, evolved strategies, and combat techniques.