NationStates Jolt Archive


NationStates for Educators

The Ogiek
10-06-2008, 04:47
I am interested in hearing from other educators who have used NationStates for their classes. I teach advanced placement European history and have set up an educator's region for my students this fall, but I am first trying to get the hang of this before then.

I am particularly interested in hearing from teachers who have developed educationally valid uses for the "game."
Sole Raggio
11-06-2008, 02:19
The game is quite lacking in aspects such as actual economics and politics. This game is the ideal choice for elementary classes but lacks a challenge for upper middle school and high school. There is this one game called SimCountry (not made by Maxis, name barely got past copyright) that is a very sophisticated simulator. I would only recommend it, however, if you were teaching in a private school because not only is the company that owns it impersonal, there is also a fairly steep monthly fee to play. If you do join, however, there would be features such as diplomacy, the world market (surplus and demand), and war. Some of the players, however, are quite quirky and will attack other nations regardless of the political situation. Be sure to chose a good world for your students.

Regardless of this alternate suggestion, NationStates 2 will also come-out eventually so you will want some experience with NS1. It is supposed to have much more features than now but you will have to wait for any announcements. Also be aware there are other nation sim games out there, despite their inferiority to NationStates. One of these that I would recommend, however, is Ars-Regendi. This game is fairly new and comes from Germany. Due to this it has translation errors and many planned features. I'd look at it and try it out, also.

All the games listed are browser games that require an online connection. If you want, I can also post URLs for each of these. Otherwise, a Google Search should be sufficient.
The Most Glorious Hack
11-06-2008, 06:13
Actually, quite a few educators make use of NationStates for various aspects, including the WA. However, I'm not sure how many are active on the forums, which makes it less likely for you to get a reply.