The game is now available for free on the Polish government's website and is aimed to be used during ethics or social studies lessons.
On June 27, the Polish Ministry of Education and Science included 11 Bit Studios' anti-war indie game This War of Mine in the official reading list for schools in Poland.
The game is now available on the Polish government's website and comes along with the educational brochure, lesson plan based on This War of Mine, and basic instructions on how to start it. The download is intended only for students and educators in Poland and is aimed to be used during ethics or social studies lessons.
"This War of Mine is the first supplementary reading in the form of a video game in the history of Polish education," the website reads. "The game was based on an analysis of a number of armed conflicts from the past few decades. Events such as the Warsaw Uprising, the Assault of Grozny, or the war in Syria were analyzed especially from the point of view of the fate of civilians."
The website provides the description of the game as well as its educational uses including a lesson plan that presents a variety of questions and assignments relating to both the events of This War of Mine and the conclusions that students should draw from lessons on the game. The website also reads that the game is recommended to be taught alongside Tadeusz Borowski's short story collection This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen.
The survival simulator from the Polish studio became the first game to be added to the official reading list for schools in Poland. According to a post on the country's government website, some other titles may also be included in the future, although the website doesn't specify which ones.
It's worth noting that the Polish authorities first announced plans to add the game to the education program back in 2020. As reported by GamesIndustry.biz, the decision followed a 2019 campaign to get the game added to the Polish curriculum. However, until now it wasn't clear how players will be able to access it.
You can learn more about the initiative to add This War of Mine to the Polish curriculum here. Please note that the website is in Polish. Also, don't forget to join our new Reddit page, our new Telegram channel, follow us on Instagram and Twitter, where we are sharing breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.