Fallout: New Vegas is a post-apocalyptic action role-playing video game developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Bethesda Softworks. Set in the year 2281, the game takes place in a post-nuclear war world that is dominated by various factions, gangs, and mutated creatures.
While some may view Fallout: New Vegas as just another video game, it can also be used for educational purposes. Here are a few examples of how:
History and Politics
Fallout: New Vegas can be used to teach students about history and politics, specifically regarding the Cold War era and the American Southwest. The game features a variety of factions, each with their own ideologies and agendas, that mirror real-life political groups.
The player is forced to make decisions that will ultimately affect the fate of the Mojave Wasteland and its inhabitants. This can be used to teach students about political systems, decision-making, and the consequences of those decisions.
Ethics and Morality
Fallout: New Vegas can also be used to teach ethics and morality. The game is filled with moral dilemmas, such as deciding whether to side with the faction that has the best intentions for the wasteland or the one that offers the most immediate benefits to the player.
The game also presents various characters with questionable morals, forcing the player to make decisions that may be uncomfortable or controversial. This can be used to teach students about moral reasoning, ethical decision-making, and the consequences of actions.
Survival Skills
Fallout: New Vegas can also be used to teach survival skills. The game features a harsh, post-apocalyptic environment that requires the player to constantly scavenge for food, water, and supplies in order to survive.
The game also features a variety of crafting systems that allow the player to create their own weapons, armor, and other necessities. This can be used to teach students about survival skills, including resource management, problem-solving, and creativity.
Environmental Science
Fallout: New Vegas can be used to teach environmental science by exploring the effects of nuclear war on the environment. The game features a variety of mutated creatures that have adapted to the radioactive environment, as well as locations that have been completely destroyed by the war. This can be used to teach students about the effects of radiation on living organisms, as well as the long-term environmental impacts of nuclear war.
Creative Writing
Fallout: New Vegas can be used to teach creative writing by encouraging students to create their own stories set in the post-apocalyptic world. Students can create their own characters, factions, and environments, and then write their own stories or missions.
By using video games like Fallout: New Vegas as educational tools, home educators can engage students in a fun and interactive way, promoting learning and creativity.
Better to be a warrior in a garden than a gardener in a war,
