Building Detroit History Game Launches
The Detroit Historical Society has launched “Building Detroit,” an online game, in the same vein as Oregon Trail and is available for FREE!
Designed for second through fifth-graders, the game will teach Detroit history and economics through role-playing scenarios. It is part of the Past>Forward campaign, an effort that will bring about new and expanded exhibits, technology upgrades and educational offerings to the Detroit Historical Museum, Dossin Great Lakes Museum and the Detroit Historical Society Collection.
Based upon the Frontiers to Factories core exhibit located at the Detroit Historical Museum, Building Detroit is an educational game that reinforces skills like economics, geography, history and mathematics. In it, players travel through Detroit’s history during the 1750s, 1790s, 1820s, 1860s and the 1890s. Teachers will find a full curriculum guide online to complement the game, coming later this fall.
Players begin each of the five gaming levels with a given career. They can decide whom to marry and whether to change occupations, based on the career choices of that time period. Historical facts and economic factors will impact decisions and may deplete or increase savings.
The game is sure to become a valuable supplement to any Michigan history curriculum. Visit the Detroit Historical Society website for more information.