The Atlantic: Kids are learning history from video games now

UC expert in the classics gives a nod to video gaming as a way to about learn history

Anything that can call attention to periods or histories that most people wouldn’t otherwise come across does a very real service, UC’s Marion Kruse says in an article in The Atlantic.

The article focuses on the rise in popularity of video gaming, specifically games such as Europa Universalis which is by Paradox Interactive, a Swedish company.

Kruse, a professor of classics and expert in the Roman Empire, was among a small group of esteemed historians the reporter asked to opine on whether history via video game would do a disservice to history, and to the player.  

The article is a good read on the history of gaming, which dates to the 19th century, and modern application on topics traditionally taught in the classroom.

Games, Kruse says, “are antithetical to apathy,” and games like Europa Universalis can get the player to start caring about the past, even if it’s in a relatively superficial way.  

Read the entire article 

Featured image at top courtesy of Unsplash/Henderiksen.  

Impact Lives Here

The University of Cincinnati is leading public urban universities into a new era of innovation and impact. Our faculty, staff and students are saving lives, changing outcomes and bending the future in our city's direction. Next Lives Here

Related Stories

1

UC expands partnership with Thales for AI research

April 22, 2026

The University of Cincinnati’s interdisciplinary research facility Digital Futures welcomed its first industrial partner, Thales, at the beginning of Research + Innovation week. Thales is a global aerospace, defense and digital technology firm. Headquartered in France, it employs 83,000 people in dozens of countries, according to the Business Courier.

2

Record-setting UC track and field star sprints toward the future

April 22, 2026

University of Cincinnati student‑athlete Juliette Laracuente‑Huebner is graduating in three years with a 4.0 GPA, UC track and field records and All‑America honors, while pursuing a Doctor of Audiology and training for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.