Summary
In what sounds like a dream come true forFire Emblementhusiasts, an American university is hosting a student-taught course dedicated entirely to analyzing the lore and game design intricacies of theFire Emblemfranchise. With the use of gaming in education becoming more and more common in recent years, perhaps this class centered around Nintendo’s acclaimed strategy RPG series could signal the advent of more entertaining extracurricular courses throughout universities in the future.
The incorporation of video games into educational studies and curriculum is, by no means, a new concept. In the past, schools have utilized games likeMinecraft: Education Editionto teach students STEM skills in a more approachable manner. Efforts like these have been so successful, in fact, that the U.S. Department of Education even approved funding to teach coding and computer science withMinecraftin more middle schools. Some colleges, meanwhile, have been offering other gaming-related courses, like one that utilizesThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomto teach mechanical engineeringto students. One recent video game-based class, however, is taking things to another level.
As spotted by Twitter user lucky_lunatrick, the Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is offering a new"Fire EmblemDesign and Analysis" class that is set to be hosted later this year. The course summary of this class states that it will help “students gain a deeper understanding of the game design, mechanics, and writing of theFire Emblemseries.” This will be accomplished by analyzing major elements in thebeloved Nintendo franchise, such as “unit and character design. . . common unit archetypes and tropes. . . and the lore and storyline of variousFire Emblemgames,” among other things. Though the summary for the course does state that prior exposure to the series is necessary for all attendees, “detailed game knowledge” isn’t required, as that will be taught in class.
What makes this course even more wild is the fact that grades will be determined using a specialFire Emblemrating system. The scores that each student receives from completing quizzes and projects will be converted to EXP. For every 100 EXP a student gets, they’ll level up, just like inFire Emblem. The percentage of their final grade will be the total of “Nino’s stats -7, divided by 100.” For the uninitiated, Nino is a playableunit fromFire Emblem: The Blazing Blade. This reference to something as specific as her in-game stats shows just how in-depth thisFireEmblemcourse truly is.
This Fire Emblem Course Seems Like a Dream Come True For Fans of the Franchise
Overall, this class seems to have everything thatdedicatedFire Emblemfanscould possibly ask for. Having courses where gamers can play their favorite video games as part of their weekly homework routines seems like something many could only dream of. Maybe one day, if thisFire Emblemclass takes off, students might be able to enroll in other gaming-related courses down the line.
Fire Emblem
Developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo, Fire Emblem is a prolific fantasy tactical strategy game franchise covering a multitude of systems. Fire Emblem features deeply strategic battles, nuanced characters, and intricate narratives for players to enjoy.
