But when Broderbund died in the late ‘90s, the “blockbuster” educational game mostly died with it. Others, like Kerbal Space Program, have clear educational uses. They are, and Minecraft has seemed ubiquitous in recent years. Not that games aren’t popular in the classroom. It was the golden age of “edutainment,” the educational video game… and then it all sort of disappeared. Also, the Lighthouse of Alexandria survived a lot longer than I thought, with the last traces of its structure only being demolished in 1480, or just over 500 years ago.
I also learned that camels aren’t actually native to Egypt-apparently they only came over around 500 B.C.E., when the Persians invaded. I dressed up as Cleopatra for a bit and then learned about Egyptian fashion trends. “There is, in front of Egypt, in the sea with many swells, an island called Pharos,” is the line in question.īut it’s been the niche tours I’ve enjoyed most so far. IDG / Hayden DingmanĪ bright golden line leads you from station to station, usually plopping you near an in-world object that’s related to the lesson at hand-looking out over the island of Pharos, for instance, when discussing how Alexander the Great heard about Pharos from Homer’s Odyssey. The “Tutorial” tour, for instance, is titled “Alexandria: Planning of the City,” and consists of eight stations detailing everything from Alexander’s choice of site, the creation of its walls and gate, the advantages of the grid layout for moving military troops, and so on. The new mode scatters 75 “Guided Tours” across the map, themed around aspects of Egyptian history.