Enseñanza-aprendizaje de la historia y el arte durante el periodo revolucionario francés a través del videojuego Assasin’s CreedUnity

Abstract

Multiple benefits are derived from the use of video games in the classroom, favoring the teaching-learning process (Mérida, Angulo, Jurado, and Díaz, 2011). Video games aim for player immersion to achieve the best experience, and this often requires designers to sacrifice accuracy in favor of enjoyment (Chapman, 2016), leading to modifications that, as highlighted by Macías (2013), simplify events and even contribute to the creation of stereotypes. To assess the usefulness of a video game in the Social Sciences classroom, it is necessary to demonstrate the narrative’s accuracy (events, characters, contexts...). Proper selection, following its study, will allow for an appropriate approach to the use of video games in the classroom (Martín-Antón, Valdés-González, and Jimeno, 2021). Our work has involved a detailed analysis of the video game Assassin’s Creed: Unity (hereinafter, ACU) — a game set in pre and post-revolutionary Paris (1768-1808) — which belongs to a series that has been deemed suitable for classroom use in different episodes (Téllez and Iturriaga, 2014). We have explored significant settings (Versailles, The Louvre, Pantheon of the Illustrious, Hospital of the Invalids...) observing events, characters, monuments, works of art, belongings, clothing, and even weapons. Contrasting all of this with relevant sources, it is concluded that ACU does not display significant errors or anachronisms in its narrative and can be considered useful for classroom use, following the teacher’s selection of relevant extracts while respecting the PEGI rating with which it has been categorized