The Assassins Creed games can be an excellent and immersive learning tools to look at a multitude of different eras and regions throughout history. The games are entertaining and well designed so that playing the games rarely becomes repetitive or boring, however the stories themselves are sometimes not the most accurate, or don’t always include the most nuanced and detailed facts. Another important aspect to keep in mind when examining the Assassins Creed series of games, is the two different eras of the games, the older era (about the first 10 years) and the newer era. The newer era only includes three games thus far: Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla, which offer a much more “hack and slash” style of play compared to the older games, however both eras have their own important addictions to how the Assassins Creed series could be used in a classroom. For this post the Assassins Creed games are going to be looked at the first 10 years of their creation and the last five or so.
Before going any further, it should be noted that the entirety of the Assassins Creed storyline is based on the idea that humans was essentially created in a lab to be slaves for a race of beings called the Isu, however as I personally don’t believe this to be historically accurate these portions of the games will not be included in this post.
The series stared with the character Altair, an Italian man who lives during the time of the Crusade. I’ve never played this game however obviously it is much beloved. From what I’ve watched on YouTube however historical accuracy doesn’t seem to be the main point of the game, at least not compared to the following games. As a learning tool the game may not be the best option simply because it seems to establish more backstory about the universe which Assassins Creed takes place in and uses the third crusade simply as a backdrop to introduce the feud between the Templars and the Assassins. The games that came after the first however can offer great historical experience. As Ezio, the player can explore Renaissance Italy in a more immersive way than video games had previously allowed. However historical immersion in my opinion comes best in games three through five. In three the player can experience the earliest days of the United States and can interact with NPCs to learn about the motives of some the people who joined early militias during the Revolution. The fourth game may have the best historical immersion as the player walks around revolutionary France and can experience the classism which lead to the revolution on an almost firsthand basis, experiencing the slums and hardships of the underworld when fighting the Rat King or exploring Versailles. In this era of Assassins Creed games, the only game that can hold a candle to the historical accuracy of the fourth game is the fifth. Sailing into Nassau in the golden age of piracy and exploring the many islands which make up modern day Central America can show players the complexity of ruling over such a land from a British or French perspective, or the ease at which crime could be carried out from a pirate’s perspective. Furthermore, the technological limitations that game (painstakingly and frustratingly) imposes on the players transportation and combat even further add to the immersion.
The second era of the games which include Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla. All three games offer a unique historical experience that helps to push the argument that the Assassins Creed series is a learning tool. The first of the three to be released, Origins, is set in ancient Egypt and chronologically is the first game that takes place within the Universe. Although the physical play style of the game is different, the historical immersion is expanded by adding a sense of scale to history. In almost all of the other games the character is a European male which mostly interacts with other European’s males. One addition that is added by Origins is the introduction of both a North African Protagonist, as well as the option to choose either a male or female character. This adds a level inclusion to a classroom that the previous games had not offered. The second game of the newer era of Assassins Creed games, Odyssey, adds another level of learning to the game.
The introduction of the battlefield mechanic to the game, which offers the player to take an active role in the Peloponnesian Wars, deciding who wins particularly import battles throughout history, as well as being able to see simulated ancient battle. Additionally, the Polis style of governing that was employed by the Ancient Greeks is well represented and explained in the game. I haven’t played the newest game Valhalla so my opinion on the game somewhat limited. Overall, in the right setting and with the right guidance the game makes for an excellent learning tool.
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