Games That Taught You Skills, History, etc

besttechadvisor on 14/11/2024 - 09:45
Last edited 15/11/2024 - 11:56

I haven't been much of a gamer since playing MW2 in highschool over a decade ago. While it was fun, I remember realising I had spent hours sitting in front of a screen and felt like it was lost time.

I've just bought a laptop good enough for dinner gaming, and I foresee being stuck indoors a lot in my near future, so I'm looking for some PC games that will teach me something.

I've got Assetto Corsa in my library from the recent sale and will need to buy a wheel. I will also be downloading Mechanic Sim and Flight Sim. I remember playing Age of Mythology as a kid and learning a lot about Greek and Norse mythology that way.

I'm looking for anything along that spectrum: Games that teach you real-world skills (eg flying, driving, mechanics) or simply educate you on topics in a fun way (eg mythology, history, etc).

I'm open to an all suggestions, they don't need to be practical skills/knowledge that I expect to use (I doubt I'll be flying a plane or start a career in mythology). The games don't need to be focused on teaching, but I do want to walk away from the game feeling like I got something out of it beyond the time spent playing.

Thanks for any positive feedback :)

EDIT: I'm well aware that you can learn better from books, documentaries, real-world practice, etc. Thanks.

Gaming Video Game

Comments

    • johnno07 on 14/11/2024 - 22:53

      Scrolled down to make sure this had been mentioned.
      PSA: Just get the first game and try to ignore that the sequel exists.

      • Tejas57 on 15/11/2024 - 11:05
        +1

        what sequal? lol

        ive got 1500 hours in kerbal and still don't feel like ive mastered it

  • tikei on 14/11/2024 - 13:09

    Uncharted waters for geography and history on what speciality goods the cities produce (as you will be trading)

  • Dollar General on 14/11/2024 - 13:11
    +3

    Strip poker. I quickly learned how to play well

    • Maxi Pad on 15/11/2024 - 08:51
      +2

      It's so embarrassing when mum comes in and you are naked in front of the computer screen and she assumes you just alt-tabbed into Solitaire.

      • Chandler on 15/11/2024 - 17:01

        She obviously hasn't seen my 69 of Clubs ;)

  • Ratzos on 14/11/2024 - 13:16
    +6

    RuneScape taught me loads.
    Trading
    Iron + coal makes steel
    And so much more

    • ozbargainer88 on 14/11/2024 - 15:07
      +1

      Free armor trimming
      U can trust me with ur adamant

    • pieoz on 14/11/2024 - 20:03
      +4

      taught me the real harsh world. getting scammed, scamming others, flipping goods, time management etc.

      • Prosp24 on 15/11/2024 - 08:08

        +1 to this
        Modern games are far too linear with too much handholding. Runescape was barebones, it was harsh and you looked like a newbie if you didnt know what u were doing

        Learnt so much, essentially to get out of the 'rat race' that existed in that game.

    • djones145 on 14/11/2024 - 21:57

      i learnt cheating from it lol, click bots hehehe

      and selling party hats for $$$

    • ATangk on 15/11/2024 - 15:14
      +1

      Copper + Tin = Bronze. Didn't get the ratios right, thought it was 1:1 but its closer to 5% tin.

      But for real, this is a good answer.

  • asCMSas on 14/11/2024 - 13:19
    +2

    If you like ancient history, there is a great mod for total war MW2 called https://www.europabarbarorum.com/EB1/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europa_Barbarorum

    • besttechadvisor on 15/11/2024 - 15:46
      +1

      Awesome, I'm pretty sure I've seen this game used on YouTube to explain historical battles. I'll definitely give this a look. Thanks!

  • Cluster on 14/11/2024 - 13:38
    +1

    Strip Poker on the Amiga. Great motivator to learn how to play!

    • BoltThrower on 14/11/2024 - 13:53
      +1

      Some learned poker, others learned cracking/disk sector editing.

  • Cheap Gamer on 14/11/2024 - 14:09
    +1

    Sierra City Builders (Caesar, Pharaoh, Zeus, Emperor). I used to think an aquaduck quacks.

    Microsoft Flight Simulator. When they scream, "Can anyone fly a plane?", I'll be like "YO!".

  • Jamiea on 14/11/2024 - 14:44
    +1

    Copper+tin = bronze
    Iron+coal = steel
    Iykyk

    • Chandler on 15/11/2024 - 17:02
      +1

      Factorio, yeah? :P

  • mousie on 14/11/2024 - 15:19
    +2

    Monkey Island - Fencing

    • mapax on 14/11/2024 - 16:11

      You're no match for my brains, you poor fool.

  • I like GoodDeals on 14/11/2024 - 16:11
    +1

    Red Dead Redemption 2 - Amazing game.. Gives an insight into how America was in the 1899.

    You can get a feel of American History in the late 1890's and the Things that were prevelant in that age. Some tid bits and fun facts are sprinkled all over the game. Few things which we use today can be dated back to that era.

    American locations such as New Orleans, Mexico, Florida, Yosemite, Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park are featured in the game and you can get a feel of these places.

    Downside is You need to spend a lot of time on that game to explore the vast open world. Probably would take a Year to reach 100% completion…. YMMV

    Cheers

  • Kegsta on 14/11/2024 - 16:48
    +4

    The Total War series taught me the geography of Europe. They need to make an african one so I can learn that continant!

    • Maxi Pad on 15/11/2024 - 08:52
      +1

      Total war gives a good feeling of learning history…. Even if you are not.

  • rawm on 14/11/2024 - 17:22

    Nintendo NES - Double Dribble, NBA game = Taught me the USA National Anthem
    Ninendo NES - North vs South = Taught me a lot about the American Civil War

  • tessel on 14/11/2024 - 18:30

    Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe and Civilisation, OG civilisation.

  • stedmaster on 14/11/2024 - 18:43

    Playing games actually does a lot for your mind and the way you think. RTS games, games with economies, or even fast-paced shooters all help improve how you handle high-pressure situations and make quick decisions, it also sharpens your problem-solving skills.

    I've met a few adults my age who didn't grow up playing games and now want to give it a try. But often they say its like doing an exam and they feel mentally drained afterwards, they don't have that level of curiosity or intrigue anymore. It's more like a work out for them.

    Thereā€™s a certain mental dexterity and acuity you can gain, almost like a mental sport, just like chess or other board games. I actually stopped playing for a few years, and I noticed it started affecting my work and day to day. Itā€™s like a specific mental sharpness I can only maintain if Iā€™m also playing games, obviously there are other outlets, but ultimately I think play is crucial to life long learning and maintaining that neural malleability that can be used in other areas.

    So I wouldn't feel disappointed just because you don't think you've specifically learned anything from games.

    One things for sure when I'm older I'll be a grandpa gamer

  • S Baldrick on 14/11/2024 - 19:05
    +1

    Gran Turismo 2's driving manual taught me the theory about vehicle dynamics, racing lines etc.

    Assetto Corsa with an FFB wheel made me competitive against mates with more wheeltime in (rental) go-karts.

    FPS games and racing Sims have sharped my response times, and made me more observant of my surroundings (fellow Sim-racers will have shared PTSD of Monza T1)

  • Some Human on 14/11/2024 - 19:13
    -2

    One time my car started sliding, so I used my forza and mariokart skills to stay on the road.

    Also with animal crossing gamecube, the more you visit your grumpy post office employees, the happier they seem when you go there.

    • johnno07 on 14/11/2024 - 22:54

      mariokart skills to stay on the road.

      I too use boost to correct oversteer in real life.

  • Maglia Nera on 14/11/2024 - 19:15
    +2

    Leisure Suit Larry - life skills ….

    • Some Human on 14/11/2024 - 21:09
      +1

      Wear a condom or die.

  • psdillon on 14/11/2024 - 19:23

    Here's a video of something learnt in Mario Kart working in RL: https://youtu.be/sOY9p5gFa5Q?si=Aez_LqaBEX-iK6Hw&t=43

    And Elon Musk says games are good for you. Of course what is good for 1 extremely successful, intelligent and conscientious person is good for everyone, no? :D

    I imagine you could learn flight theory from aviation sims, which is a big part of getting a pilot's license.

  • SuperMid on 14/11/2024 - 20:52

    Op you under house arrest?

  • Embaloo on 14/11/2024 - 21:08
    +1

    DX-ball - pong-style gameplay with angle, momentum and velocity prediction skill-forming that I believe helped me get an engineering degree?

  • DontNeedThis on 14/11/2024 - 21:45
    +1

    The first God of War series teaches you a lot about characters and creatures in greek mythology. And they're the most kickass games of all tine.

  • Breno785au on 14/11/2024 - 22:00
    +5

    Kingdom Come Deliverance for medival history. Such a great game. So immersive.

    • Andrew0415 on 15/11/2024 - 09:06

      Sad I had to scroll so far down to see this. This is the game OP if you want immersive history (it even has an easy to access appendix of names, places and dates). You do need to install a couple of mods to make it less annoying but it's a game rich in detail.

      • besttechadvisor on 15/11/2024 - 15:52

        @Breno785au @Andrew0415 thanks for the recommendation. I did some Googling on it and it's been added to my wishlist. Thanks again!

        • Breno785au on 15/11/2024 - 21:19
          +1

          All good mate. The sequel is coming out in Feb and is a direct continuation of the story so be best to make sure to play this first.

  • pogichinoy on 14/11/2024 - 22:49
    +1

    Daytona USA

  • miwahni on 14/11/2024 - 23:31
    +2

    Frogger taught me to cross the road.

  • R4 on 15/11/2024 - 00:58
    +2

    I've recently passed my recreational pilot's licence and I can tell you that commercial flight simulators like MS Flight Simulator and X-Plane are next to useless when it comes to learning to fly. You just cannot get the feel for the controls and throttle when sitting at a desk. You don't get the effects and sensations of wind, turbulence, thermals, the noise and smells, the views at altitude. It is good for learning procedures and checklists though but you can learn those sitting on your sofa.

    • serpserpserp on 15/11/2024 - 07:58

      Oh really? Here I thought after playing Daytona USA I would be able to drive and win NASCAR races with ease…

      • Grunntt on 15/11/2024 - 10:19

        Look up "Jann Mardenborough" for someone that gaming did help in real life. (or just watch the movie Gran Turismo - tells his story pretty well)

      • R4 on 16/11/2024 - 16:32
        -1

        A ridiculous reply in the context of this thread.

        Bizarre.

    • Breno785au on 16/11/2024 - 11:21
      +2

      Well if I'm ever passenger in a 172 and the pilot dies I'd have SOME idea how to get it on the ground lol

  • pebblewave on 15/11/2024 - 06:32
    +1

    It was a game called ā€˜schoolā€™. It wasnā€™t much fun

  • serpserpserp on 15/11/2024 - 06:46
    +1

    JoJo Siwa: Worldwide party taught me so many life skills I use today. A really underrated game.

  • Leiothrix on 15/11/2024 - 07:58

    Fate Grand Order.

    It teaches history.

    Sort of.

  • Almost there on 15/11/2024 - 08:10
    +1

    I play FPS games - CoD, Battlefield, CP77… they taught me nothing. That said, they all met expectations, as I never intended to learn anything there, it's a pure entertainment.

    On the other hand… chess. Absolute master game, changed the way I think and look at problems, gave me new, broader, systemic perspective, significantly developed and improved my holistic/strategic thinking. I learnt how to play chess relatively late in my life, though, perhaps that's why the impact was so significant.

    • besttechadvisor on 15/11/2024 - 15:54

      I've actually been playing a game of chess with my brother-in-law most days for a couple weeks. He hasn't won a single game, lol.

  • kraigg on 15/11/2024 - 08:30
    +5

    Playing Sid Meier's Pirates as a kid. I referenced the physical map of the Caribbean islands that came with the game so often, that it is now seared into my brain. If anyone asked me about the location of any islands or cities in the Caribbean, I still know them off by heart.

    • besttechadvisor on 15/11/2024 - 08:32

      Awesome, that's the kind of thing I'm talking about.

  • Fizzydrink on 15/11/2024 - 09:03

    Guitar Hero, now i'm the worlds no 1 guitarist

    • f23lda on 16/11/2024 - 00:21

      I refuse to believe Corey Feldman is an ozbargainer. You're probably some lesser guy like buckethead

  • Bidet Mate on 15/11/2024 - 09:10
    +5

    Hey so like most, AOE1/2/M let a mark on me and as an adult I still go around the world looking at castles, that said, my attention span has changed and the history in them feels clunky and outdated now.

    I can't speak as someone that played through the whole thing as I just haven't had time, but I played a couple hours of AOE4 back when it had a free trial and I was shocked how well the history was integrated into it. Eg they would have a live action documentary style explanation of an event, eg "this is the bridge where it happened, the fight worked its way up that hill" and would tell you how the commanders acted at the time, then the view would pan out and drone shot would become game angle and suddenly you're mid-battle playing through what you've just learnt! I was very impressed. I will definitely subject my future kids to this.

    Some faster answers:
    * Runescape taught me to type fast and identify scams
    * Battlezone 1 (1998) taught me to multitask
    * C&C generals taught me combined arms strategy (it unironically helped me in the army).
    * CS:GO taught me that even if you grind to the top ranks in the world there's still hackers (still salty about this tbh).
    * Far Cry 3/4 gave me a weird travel bug and now I keep exploring strange countries for vacations.
    * Rust taught me that it's better to ignore FOMO and just get a real life.
    * Fortnite taught me that dopamine is an abusable drug and basically ended my time playing games for a few years now.

    • besttechadvisor on 15/11/2024 - 15:57

      I can't speak as someone that played through the whole thing as I just haven't had time, but I played a couple hours of AOE4 back when it had a free trial and I was shocked how well the history was integrated into it. Eg they would have a live action documentary style explanation of an event, eg "this is the bridge where it happened, the fight worked its way up that hill" and would tell you how the commanders acted at the time, then the view would pan out and drone shot would become game angle and suddenly you're mid-battle playing through what you've just learnt! I was very impressed. I will definitely subject my future kids to this.

      That's awesome, I'll take a look.

      Some faster answers:
      * Runescape taught me to type fast and identify scams
      * Battlezone 1 (1998) taught me to multitask
      * C&C generals taught me combined arms strategy (it unironically helped me in the army).
      * CS:GO taught me that even if you grind to the top ranks in the world there's still hackers (still salty about this tbh).
      * Far Cry 3/4 gave me a weird travel bug and now I keep exploring strange countries for vacations.
      * Rust taught me that it's better to ignore FOMO and just get a real life.
      * Fortnite taught me that dopamine is an abusable drug and basically ended my time playing games for a few years now.

      Haha, those seem like the reasons I've mostly avoided gaming. I'm definitely not interested in getting into Fortnite.

    • Chandler on 15/11/2024 - 17:13

      Are you me? So many commonalities, although never got into CS:GO or Far Cry.

      And I was a big RTS player. Dune 2, Warcraft, C&C, AoE(1-3), Dark Reign, Total Annihilation, Homeworld, Starcraft, Tiberian Sun, Generals, Tiberium Wars, Supreme Commander… Have dabbled with quite a few more after this point, but nowhere near the amount being an adult with a family, and none feel to have reached the same peaks as some of those titles (whether that's true, due to nostalgia or due to not putting the time in… šŸ¤·ā€ā™‚ļø). I also have some I have yet to dabble with, namely Homeworld 3 and Dune: Spice Wars.

      • Cave Fire on 15/11/2024 - 21:56

        … Missed homeworld 3 releasing, Initial trailers looked good.

  • casho on 15/11/2024 - 09:52
    +3

    Civilisation teaches you a lot about the city names, culture, leaders names, weapons etc

    • besttechadvisor on 15/11/2024 - 15:54
      +1

      Yeah, I love those little facts!

  • RockmanRock on 15/11/2024 - 10:08

    Valiant Hearts: The Great War

    • besttechadvisor on 15/11/2024 - 13:48

      Cool, there's a free (with Netflix?) Android version that I'll try out first. Thanks!

      • RockmanRock on 15/11/2024 - 14:50

        It's good, and sad too

  • pharkurnell on 15/11/2024 - 10:08

    Nibbles in Dos.

  • afah0447 on 15/11/2024 - 10:09

    Sid Meier's 'Civilisation'.

    So many things going on.

  • MrThing on 15/11/2024 - 10:26

    Age of Empires 2…….the history is solid with some slight creators fluff

  • nobro25 on 15/11/2024 - 10:32

    Age of Empires
    Roller Coaster Tycoon

  • someone else on 15/11/2024 - 10:39

    AoE, Assassin's Creed, Mario is Missing (SNES, rented by mistake, but actually enjoyed)

  • Nerfy on 15/11/2024 - 11:06

    I looked over a few decades of gaming history and the only one which looks like it might have taught any real world skills is Minecraft with redstone, which is somewhat analogous to logic circuits in computer hardware, but even then most people aren't directly working with logic circuits when doing anything with technology.

    • besttechadvisor on 15/11/2024 - 13:45

      Yeah, I won't be working directly with planes, but I do enjoy learning the basic theory behind different things :P I'll take a look at Minecraft sometime. I saw they had some sort of educational thing but I assumed it's for kids?

      • Nerfy on 15/11/2024 - 19:59

        Yeah just get the regular version, ideally the Java edition if it's compatible with your device.

  • Navanod66 on 15/11/2024 - 11:29
    +1

    The Civilization series. So much history in there if you read the wiki while you play.

    Black Myth Wukong which may get you interested in reading up Chinese mythology.

    Battlefield series. Introduction to weapons, vehicles and basic driving and flying helicopters and planes.

    The Long Dark. Survival in a cold, wilderness environment. Not 100% true to life, but wouldn't be any fun if it is. No one wants to manage bladder and bowel stats right? šŸ˜‚

    • besttechadvisor on 15/11/2024 - 13:43

      Thanks, I'll look into all of these.

  • Jules_d1 on 15/11/2024 - 11:43

    The card game Magic: The Gathering (MTG) as I grew up taught me a lot cognitive thinking skills and broadened my vocabulary.

  • Taro Milk Tea on 15/11/2024 - 12:08

    GTA V, Yakuza series..

  • capslock janitor on 15/11/2024 - 12:12

    dumb ways to die — taught me

  • YoursTruly on 15/11/2024 - 12:58

    Super Mario NES:
    taught me that mushrooms are ā€˜good for you.ā€™ (Take that as you will)ā€¦.also princess peach was/ is/ has been avoiding/ not interested in Mario all along (another castleā€¦.yer right lolā€¦.and sheā€™s always with bowser most of the time)

    Super Mario Wonder:
    that Nintendo were smoking psychedelics whilst conceptualising the game.

    Sonic the Hedgehog:
    taught me that Hedgehogs actually exists and run super fastā€¦just not blueā€¦.(and fat moustached men can be super mean)

    MGS 2;
    ā€œkept you waiting, huh?ā€
    and that repeating sentences or words is another way of making one sound smarter/ stupid/ clueless at the same time.

    (ā€”a poking fun postā€”)

  • Jaspa7 on 15/11/2024 - 13:08

    many strategy games - warcraft, starcraft etc.
    initially just trails then later worked out how to ahem obtain them cheaply through grey methods (another lifelong habit/skill)
    runescape for patience/grind - understanding how wealth enables the creation of more wealth exponentially
    sandbox games like minecraft, gary's mod etc. for coding.
    factorio meant to be good as well for how to set up systems etc.

  • iridiumstem on 15/11/2024 - 14:08

    I like things like powder toy just because it lets me play in its simulated sandbox and create something (brain and cognitive abilities are like muscles, more you use the stronger it gets, cognitve reserve is a term that ive seen thrown around). Probabaly should get factorio.

    I was thinking neurodiversity and neuro affirmative practice around some games (i.e., dnd is good for skills building around socialisation when done with a clincian with a purpose) and perhaps fine motor skills, but I'm not sure how much that applies here.

  • Alley Cat on 15/11/2024 - 14:14

    Uncharted Waters (Daikoukai Jidai) — learned all about Black Jack j/k Geography

  • Viper18 on 15/11/2024 - 14:17
    +1

    Any decent Real Time Strategy (RTS) or First Person Shooter (FPS) can learn you decent teamwork in multiplayer.
    Decent RTS games will teach you about economy, war battle tactics.

    Age of Empires (AoE) (RTS) - All of them have single player campaigns that play through different parts of history. AoE 2 and 4 are my favourites.
    Good multiplayer and some creators fluff.

    Company of Heroes (CoH) (RTS) - The single player campaign allows you to play through the D-Day landings of WW2 and through France, with creators
    fluff. CoH 2 looks at WW2 with a focus on the russians and with a creators fluff.

    Farming/Truck/Car Simulator - Learn how to through sim.

    Counter-Strike (CS)/Battlefield/Call of Duty (CoD) (FPS) - Learn about teamwork, guns and tactics to complete objectives.

    • Chandler on 15/11/2024 - 17:17

      +1 for Company of Heroes! Definitely worth the play if you're interested in WW2 and like strategy games.

  • Lastchancetosee on 15/11/2024 - 14:22

    Oncle Ernest French-Canadian games were brilliant. My children lived them, and there was a lot if scientific information embedded.

  • lew380 on 15/11/2024 - 15:52
    +2

    War thunder. I'm an encyclodepia for airplanes and tanks, I know their names, acronyms, armament, armour penetration, armour thickness, weak points, crew positions, loadouts, combat tactics, strengths, weaknesses and nations that historically used them, as well as various tidbits or historical data.

    For example, you spot a tiger at 1km exposing his right flank, your in a 75mm sherman. Charge? Retreat? Take the shot? Where? Throw smoke and disengage? Sneak up for a closer shot? How close? Bet your average Joe can't answer this!

  • hughes on 15/11/2024 - 18:46
    +1

    Any game, to an extent, will help you develop problem solving skills. I'd like to think I'm a better programmer because of all the games I've played even if it isn't true :)

    Recently finished bioshock infinite. The storyline (and the discussion about the ending) can be mind blowing if you've never encountered similar ones before.
    I find the entertainment aspect more valuable than any educational or practical aspect of games.
    Although, the spark of imagination you get from the stories has tremendous value too and stays with you for a long time.

  • melancholykeith on 15/11/2024 - 19:09

    Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego - Geography and History
    Wolfenstein 3d - History and how to deal with a dictator
    Rise of Nations - History, Geography and World Building

  • jaimex2 on 15/11/2024 - 19:42

    Civ2

  • Slinky0111 on 15/11/2024 - 20:12

    Dopewars taught me a lot back in the day

  • Cave Fire on 15/11/2024 - 22:06

    Alpha protocol if you are into spy stuff. Has heaps of dialogue options, similar to Mass effect. Very detailed. If you goof on a mission, difficulty increases the next time etc. For instance, I decided to test silenced gun out on a stealth mission. The silencer worked, but a patrol found the bullets later, raising an alarm and failing the mission.

  • OzzyOzbourne on 15/11/2024 - 23:47

    Msfs… I can now land any plane anywhere šŸ¤£

  • f23lda on 16/11/2024 - 00:23

    Rocksmith
    Clone hero with edrums

  • oswade on 16/11/2024 - 00:28

    Museum Madness was amazing for me as a kid!

  • Leem87 on 16/11/2024 - 00:51

    for me, learning chinese history through dynasty warriors 5. Its actually relatively accurate for a historic storyline.

  • mrvaluepack on 16/11/2024 - 08:33

    Starcraft, warcraft and other RTS games like C&C series. I reached diamond rank in battle.net ladder.

    Vastly improved hand eye coordination, accuracy, awareness and multi tasking. Creativity of strategies and maths.

    CS 1.6, quake and dota, LoL.

    Improved teamwork and understanding of game mechanics.

  • echelon6 on 16/11/2024 - 09:05

    Age 2 DE

  • TheMindsetTraveller on 16/11/2024 - 10:33

    Leisure suit Larry - the dream is to live like Larry.

    Jones in the Fast Lane - the reality is you have to live like Jones.

    Any car game - couldn't drive in a game meant I was never going to be a Formula 1 driver.

  • tomleonhart on 16/11/2024 - 12:38

    Microsoft simulator with Fslabs 320. Literally taught me how to do my job.

  • carboncider on 16/11/2024 - 12:53

    Civilization - for a bit of history and familiarity with many natural and man-made wonders of the world :)

    Civ 6 is the latest with 7 coming out in Feb 2025.

    To see if you like it, you can get a Civ 6 Steam key for the base game today for ~$8 from GMG. Or the Anthology (with all DLCs) for ~$25 from GMG.

    There are also cheaper options on Epic store if you don't need to have it on Steam.

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