Poland’s government will add the computer game This War Of Mine to the official reading list for children in schools, the prime minister has announced during a visit to the developer of the game, Warsaw-based 11 bit studios.
“Poland will be the first country in the world that puts its own computer game into the education ministry’s reading list,” said Mateusz Morawiecki, quoted by Polsat News. “Young people use games to imagine certain situations [in a way] no worse than reading books.”
“By incorporating games into the education system, we will expand our imagination and bring something new to the culture,” continued the prime minister, who noted that the game would be on the optional part of the reading list.
“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,” said Grzegorz Miechowski, CEO of 11 bit studios.
“I’m proud to say 11 bit studios’ work can add to the development of education and culture in our country,” added Miechowski. “This can be a breakthrough moment for all artists creating games all around the world.”
This War Of Mine was released in 2014 to widespread acclaim. Unlike most war-themed games, it focuses on the experience of civilians rather than those doing the fighting.
“In contrast to most computer games – shooting, chasing, fast cars, more shooting – in this game there is a lot of reflection, situations in which we put ourselves [in the position] of a person who has to survive war,” said Morawiecki, noting that the game draws on the Siege of Sarajevo as well as the Warsaw Uprising.
The prime minister admitted that it had been his children who told him about the game. “It creates space for an interesting analysis of events,” he continued. “It shows young people how to follow good paths in life.”
The prime minister noted that computer games have become part of the canon of Polish culture. The country has a thriving games industry, with The Witcher series of games – based on the books by Andrzej Sapkowski and developed by Polish studio CD Projekt Red – becoming a global hit.
Their success spawned a Netflix series based on Sapkowski’s books, which in turn catapulted Sapkowski to the top of Amazon’s bestsellers list. CD Projekt itself recently became the most valuable listed firm on the Warsaw stock exchange and the most valuable video games firm in Europe, overtaking France’s Ubisoft.
“Games are a work of culture, natural and attractive for the young generation,” said Grzegorz Miechowski, CEO of 11 bit studios, adding:
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
“This is an excellent creative industry that makes Poland famous around the word,” said Morawiecki during today’s visit. “The gaming industry is growing across the whole world…[and] Poles are becoming creators of the new economic reality.”
“Games are not only a window onto the computer screen, they can be a Polish window for the world,” continued the prime minister. “Through them, we show how Poles can be creative. This is the modern face of Poland.”
Main image credit: This War of Mine/11 bit studios
Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications, including Foreign Policy, POLITICO Europe, EUobserver and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.
