From the summary: Of course, this begs an important question: Are educational videogames a good idea?
That question is neither important nor interesting. Of course educational video games are a good idea, to the extent that they serve the stated goal of education (and to the extent that "education" refers to something worthwhile like training self-sustaining, productive, and independent people who are simultaneously compassionate and want to better others as well as themselves).
A question which is important is whether video games which train kids to be "leaders" in the hierarchical sense is a good idea. The western world dearly loves hierarchy and order-following, but history and a little critical thought quickly demonstrate that hierarchical control structures are ineffective at meeting people's needs and improving the lives of the many. They're highly effective at meeting the needs and improving the lives of the people at the top, though.
The problem I foresee with this game is that it will probably treat "the people" as mindless animals who do as they're told -- who don't have their own hopes, dreams, goals or passions which are out of line with those of "the leader" -- which is not how reality is, nor is it how reality should be. It trains children with the mindset that the world naturally divides into two categories: Me (the agent of control, with goals and desires), and Everyone Else (pawns to be manipulated into furthering My goals and desires). This worldview won't be promoted loudly by the game, nor will it be highlighted. It'll just be assumed context. But will kids be able to identify and reject that harmful worldview?
Well, I think the game can teach a lot about history, the advantages of collaboration, exchanging knowledge and goods and services, political systems, the importance of research, education and development.
That wars cost ressources and can have negative impacts on the development of societies slowing down positive development.
That achievements of a culture are not static but dynamic and a culture can fall down in development and significance if the positive standards of that culture are not maintained and developed further.
So in my opinion children can learn a lot of important aspects from playing the CIV games.
Oh, I agree completely. I loved playing the Civ games back in the day, and I learned a lot from it. But the best way to sell a lie is to wrap it in the truth, and the best way to poison a mind is to dilute the poison in good information.
Well, I'm sure as hell playing it. But obviously it has rules not dissimilar to chess, and completely dissimilar to real life in the details, though it is intended to abstract broad patterns of human interaction over large swaths of time. It's hard not to abstract.
I've long dreamed of my full simulation "the game" in which you have really good AIs using human-like motivation to frustrate "leaders"... but the truth is... the more realistic the game is... the more anarchic... the less the player is in the center of the universe. The center of theirs, perhaps... but not the center of so many peoples' universes.
Thankfully, this is what differentiates fiction from reality. :)