New Version of MAKING HISTORY for Education Released
Tuesday, Mar 13, 2007
NEWBURYPORT, Mass., March 13, 2007 - Muzzy Lane Software today releases an all-new version of its award winning built-for-education computer game, "MAKING HISTORY: The Calm & The Storm."
MAKING HISTORY 2.0 is an unparalleled contest of economics, warfare and diplomacy, offering teachers in high schools and colleges a dynamic and proven tool for motivating students to think critically, discuss complex topics and improve their understanding of global conflict.
The new version now includes detailed scenarios of Pearl Harbor, D-Day and the Battle of Britain. A new in-game tutorial makes it easy for students to get right into the flow of the game, and the beefed up Artificial Intelligence now contains behavioral models of more than 80 nations playing out across 800 land and sea regions around the world.
"We're making a serious effort to help teachers address skills-based standards, which are increasingly difficult to cover in a typical lecture and textbook format," says Muzzy Lane vice president Nick deKanter. "In addition, the new version is a breeze to set up and play. The game fits the teacher's class plan, not the other way around."
MAKING HISTORY 2.0 for Education is now available at www.making-history.com/edu. From five-student game packs to full computer lab licenses, there is a configuration that fits any size or type of teaching environment. There is also a full set of updated support materials, designed with the input of teachers who have used the game in their classrooms.
Theory is Now Practice: Teaching with Video Games
After more than a year of feedback from educators using the earlier version of MAKING HISTORY, Muzzy Lane has created a series of improvements that make the game even simpler for students to use, and easier for teachers to integrate into their ongoing curriculum.
"I use MAKING HISTORY in my class to stimulate discussion of current events, not just talk about the past," says Dave McDivitt, a Social Studies teacher at Oak Hill High School in Converse, Ind. "The kids using the game get more involved with me and with each other, write better essays and generally perform better against state-mandated learning goals."
Using World War II as the playing field, MAKING HISTORY puts students in charge of real nations confronting real-world problems. Skills challenged and honed during game play: International relations, industrial and workforce strategy, political acumen, military planning and action, national defense versus domestic programs, and much more.
Unlike other WWII games, players are not forced to choose sides with the Axis or the Allies. Alliances are shaped and shattered based on unique national interests. And each country is precisely modeled with its real-world economic and military strengths, political ideology, diplomatic tendencies, and its level of technical advancement. Within each country the major regions feature accurate terrain, infrastructure, natural resources and industrial capabilities.
MAKING HISTORY 2.0 is a Windows-based PC game that runs in either single or multiplayer mode, and requires standard hardware configurations such as a Pentium III or later processor, 512MB of system RAM, and a 32MB video card.
About Muzzy Lane Software
Muzzy Lane Software was founded in 2002 and is based in Newburyport, Mass. With its first release, "MAKING HISTORY®: The Calm & the Storm," Muzzy Lane takes a fresh new approach to multiplayer computer games, combining a flexible 3-D game engine with high-fidelity content that allows players to engage the turning points in history as if they were there. www.muzzylane.com
MAKING HISTORY 2.0 is an unparalleled contest of economics, warfare and diplomacy, offering teachers in high schools and colleges a dynamic and proven tool for motivating students to think critically, discuss complex topics and improve their understanding of global conflict.
The new version now includes detailed scenarios of Pearl Harbor, D-Day and the Battle of Britain. A new in-game tutorial makes it easy for students to get right into the flow of the game, and the beefed up Artificial Intelligence now contains behavioral models of more than 80 nations playing out across 800 land and sea regions around the world.
"We're making a serious effort to help teachers address skills-based standards, which are increasingly difficult to cover in a typical lecture and textbook format," says Muzzy Lane vice president Nick deKanter. "In addition, the new version is a breeze to set up and play. The game fits the teacher's class plan, not the other way around."
MAKING HISTORY 2.0 for Education is now available at www.making-history.com/edu. From five-student game packs to full computer lab licenses, there is a configuration that fits any size or type of teaching environment. There is also a full set of updated support materials, designed with the input of teachers who have used the game in their classrooms.
Theory is Now Practice: Teaching with Video Games
After more than a year of feedback from educators using the earlier version of MAKING HISTORY, Muzzy Lane has created a series of improvements that make the game even simpler for students to use, and easier for teachers to integrate into their ongoing curriculum.
"I use MAKING HISTORY in my class to stimulate discussion of current events, not just talk about the past," says Dave McDivitt, a Social Studies teacher at Oak Hill High School in Converse, Ind. "The kids using the game get more involved with me and with each other, write better essays and generally perform better against state-mandated learning goals."
Using World War II as the playing field, MAKING HISTORY puts students in charge of real nations confronting real-world problems. Skills challenged and honed during game play: International relations, industrial and workforce strategy, political acumen, military planning and action, national defense versus domestic programs, and much more.
Unlike other WWII games, players are not forced to choose sides with the Axis or the Allies. Alliances are shaped and shattered based on unique national interests. And each country is precisely modeled with its real-world economic and military strengths, political ideology, diplomatic tendencies, and its level of technical advancement. Within each country the major regions feature accurate terrain, infrastructure, natural resources and industrial capabilities.
MAKING HISTORY 2.0 is a Windows-based PC game that runs in either single or multiplayer mode, and requires standard hardware configurations such as a Pentium III or later processor, 512MB of system RAM, and a 32MB video card.
About Muzzy Lane Software
Muzzy Lane Software was founded in 2002 and is based in Newburyport, Mass. With its first release, "MAKING HISTORY®: The Calm & the Storm," Muzzy Lane takes a fresh new approach to multiplayer computer games, combining a flexible 3-D game engine with high-fidelity content that allows players to engage the turning points in history as if they were there. www.muzzylane.com