Europa Universalis IV First Game To Get History Lessons
Europa Universalis IV, the immersive grand strategy game developed by Paradox Interactive, is taking its educational experience to a new level through a groundbreaking collaboration with popular podcasters. This partnership aims to provide players with in-game history lectures, enhancing their understanding of geography, history, and culture. The first series of history lessons focuses on two highly influential nations: China and Japan, with separate packs available for each country.
Integrating History Lessons into the Game’s Music Player
Paradox Interactive has teamed up with esteemed podcast hosts to create History Lesson Packs, which introduce informative audio tracks into the Europa Universalis IV music playlist. These packs feature recorded lectures by Laszlo Montgomery, the host of the History of China podcast, and Isaac Meyer, the host of the History of Japan podcast. Both podcasters bring their wealth of knowledge and expertise to deliver detailed information about the historical context, concepts, nations, and personalities encountered during gameplay.
An Engaging and Educational Experience
“The History Lessons DLC offers up a quick, nutritious meal for players looking for some relevant and historical context to go along with their strategy gaming experience,” expresses Montgomery. “It was a great pleasure for me to work with the team at Paradox Interactive, sharing our passion to convey the pleasures of world history to mass audiences. The world of EU4 and all the other grand strategy games produced by Paradox are a perfect way to bridge the worlds of gaming and history.”
Ryan Sumo, the Business Owner for Europa Universalis IV at Paradox, sees this collaboration as a significant milestone in expanding the company’s commitment to historical education. Paradox games have long been praised for their educational value, and Sumo believes it is essential to explore avenues that enhance players’ learning experiences without relying solely on text-based information.
A Step Towards Bridging Gaming and Education
“A lot of people say they learn so much from Paradox games. It makes sense, I think, to explore how we can enhance that experience and give players more information about the past in our game without just adding more text,” explains Sumo. “We’re already planning how we can integrate history lectures into other games, not to mention exploring greater cooperation with educational institutions.”
Sumo emphasizes the shared love of history between the developers and players of Paradox games, including himself. The team is excited about providing players with a new and immersive way to experience history within their games, potentially inspiring them to explore different nations they might want to play. Recognizing the power of audio as an immersive medium, Paradox is fortunate to collaborate with podcasters who share their enthusiasm for this project.
Pricing and Availability
The History Lesson packs, each focusing on the rich history of either China or Japan, are available for purchase separately. Players can acquire these packs for the suggested retail price of $4.99/£4.29/€4.99. Paradox Interactive is also actively planning to integrate history lectures into other games, while simultaneously developing lesson plans to assist educators in leveraging their games as valuable educational tools in classrooms.
With the introduction of these innovative history lessons, Paradox Interactive sets a remarkable precedent in the gaming industry by merging entertainment and education to provide players with an enriching and immersive historical experience.
Platforms: macOS, Microsoft Windows, Linux
