Learning Ethics From Telltale Games’ The Walking Dead
One of the reasons why people love Telltale Games’ The Walking Dead series is due to how characters deal with the moral quandaries they have at the expense of survival. Choice is a key gameplay mechanic, one that forces the player under a strict time limit to make up their mind and deal with the consequences.
A Norwegian school saw it the same way. In fact, according to The Foreigner, said school has decided to use the game to teach students the principles of choice in a class that reportedly touches on Utilitarianism, Kant’s Categorical Imperative and Aristotle’s Virtue Ethics. The game is said to be a better teaching mechanic due to the interactivity of the medium, and that the class’ voted-upon choices will drive their narrative.
It’s a very progressive way of providing education to those nearing the end of pre-college schooling. Those who dismiss the idea of playing videos games as a legitimate source of knowledge must know that The Walking Dead has an excellent way of having the player think. Whether you’re in control of several characters in ‘400 Days,’ or as a young girl fighting for survival by herself as Clementine, having impressionable minds learn empathy and problem solving in a fun way makes learning the material more memorable.
School systems in North America; take notice. School should not be about checking off pre-determined boxes for barely-retained knowledge about facts, but about how to learn and adapt the mind as a human being. Video games are capable of bridging the gap.
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