This War of Mine, a 2D adventure game that explores the hardships civilians face whilst living in a town besieged by war, is being nationally recognized in Poland as an educational tool. As a result, it's being added to the recommended 'reading list' for students aged 18 and older due to its cultural significance.
This comes after developer 11 bit Studios spent months working alongside Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki to integrate This War of Mine into the nation's educational curriculum. Beginning in the 2020/2021 school year, students will have access to the game free-of-charge.
11 bit studios CEO Grzegorz Miechowski issued a statement addressing the milestone, which sees This War of Mine among the first games to be nationally recognized as a recommend read for students:
"Games are a work of culture. Modern ones, natural and attractive for the young generation. Games speak a language instinctively understandable by them - the language of interaction. Using this language, games can talk about everything - emotions, truth, the fight between good and evil, humanity, suffering. They are similar to literature in that regard, however, they use the aforementioned language of interaction. Of course, games are already being used in education for teaching maths, chemistry, and developing cognitive abilities, but I don’t think we've ever encountered a game being officially included in the educational system on a national level as a school reading. I’m proud to say 11 bit studios’ work can add to the development of education and culture in our country. This can be a breakthrough moment for all artists creating games all around the world."
When This War of Mine released back in 2014, it was applauded by fans and critics for authentically depicting the impact of war on a civilian populace. Rather than assuming the role of a battle-hardened soldier, This War of Mine is played from the perspective of a group of civilians simply trying to survive. With resources scarce and danger ever-present, players would often be faced with difficult choices as to who would live or die.
A definitive version of the game, called This War of Mine: Final Cut, was later released that includes all previous DLC and expansions, as well as some never-before-seen content.
