2K donates Canada-specific Civ III mod to students

100,000 high schoolers north of the border to receive 2K's turn-based strategy game bundled with first episode of HistoriCanada: The New World.

Young gamers desperately trying to score a new console by convincing their parents of the benefits of gaming now have a third point to make besides improved hand-eye coordination and problem-solving skills: Games can provide a better knowledge of Canadian history. 2K has announced that it will donate 100,000 copies of Civilization III and its educational mod HistoriCanada: The New World to high school students.

Developed by Toronto, Ontario-based media firm Bitcasters, HistoriCanada simulates scenarios from Canada's past, allowing gamers to take control of one of its European or aboriginal cultures to relive history, or change it in the process. In addition to the core gameplay (which builds off of Civilization's social, economic, and military simulations), HistoriCanada also includes artwork, text, and short video clips on a wealth of topics as a result of cooperation with The Canadian Encyclopedia and Historica Minutes.

A Bitcasters representative told GameSpot that sponsor and distribution details are still being finalized, but 20,000 copies will be sent directly to high schools by Canada's National History Society, where teachers will be able to use it in extra-credit assignments and otherwise experiment with the game in the classroom. The remaining 80,000 copies of the game will distributed directly to 12- to 18-year-old students through mail or retail outlets, likely by an as yet undetermined sponsor.

The disc will include the first episode of the game, which covers the settlement of Europeans in Canada from 1525 to 1763. A pair of downloadable sequels will be made available for free in the coming months, and will cover the nation's history through the turn of the 20th century. HistoriCanada will also include Civilization III: Conquests and a demo of Civilization IV.

For gamers who already have a copy of Civilization III, the first episode of the game is already available on the HistoriCanada Web site.

45 Comments

  • chrisdojo

    Posted Jun 4, 2007 8:55 am PT

    meh. civ III is over.

  • OmeGaBeserk

    Posted Jun 3, 2007 5:11 pm PT

    "We didn't enter the war because, in case you don't remember, we had just gotten out of a little economic problem we like to call "The Depression." Probably not a good idea to go to war when half your citizens don't have enough money for one meal a day." If you really think about it, everyone was in a depression, but also look at the brightside of the war coming out of the depression. More jobs become availible and the wheels of economy start to turn again. that is how the Nazi's used the later half of the 1930's to their advantage. No matter what way you look at Hitler He really was quite brilliant. I do not support his ideas, And he haad no reason for killing millions or truly starting the war, But in truth he did what most world leaders can only aspire to become, he united the entire country and prepaired hem for war, and had the support of his people. Also Hitler didnt intend on beginning the war until 1945, because by that point they would have had a greater navy and stronger weapons and would have likely won the war. Now I am not a neo-Nazi, i just finished Grade 12 social studies and we just went over this topic, I believe that if we had realized what hitler would end up doing we would have acted sooner, and perhaps saved many millions of lives. It was the War that pulled everyone out of the depression, and that is the point I am trying to convey, because when supplies are needed, people are needed to help the flow, and in truth all we needed was a jump start for our nations.

  • enoslives7

    Posted Jun 3, 2007 1:33 pm PT

    who cares about the 51st state ???

  • munniec

    Posted Jun 3, 2007 10:17 am PT

    "Don't forget Canada entered WWII a couple of years before the US did. Wow, talk about a delay to figure out the Nazis were actually bad for the world. You'd wish you see that kind of hesitation invading these days..."

    "We didn't enter the war because, in case you don't remember, we had just gotten out of a little economic problem we like to call "The Depression." Probably not a good idea to go to war when half your citizens don't have enough money for one meal a day."

    So was the rest of the world. Canada also joined the First World War long before the US did.

  • KanefromCanada

    Posted Jun 3, 2007 1:00 am PT

    well played chainblast well played .... I had the chance to go down and live in america for a time. I met some ppl in a casino in nevada that were very interested to learn about canada. They told me the don't learn anything about canada in school, nor do they get any of our new's on T.V. So it's not hard to comprehend why they don't know anything about our history or soverignty

  • stinger503

    Posted Jun 2, 2007 9:43 pm PT

    "We didn't enter the war because, in case you don't remember, we had just gotten out of a little economic problem we like to call "The Depression." Probably not a good idea to go to war when half your citizens don't have enough money for one meal a day."

    Mate, the whole world was affected by the depression, not just the U.S.

  • dewmandew7

    Posted Jun 2, 2007 8:19 pm PT

    "Don't forget Canada entered WWII a couple of years before the US did. Wow, talk about a delay to figure out the Nazis were actually bad for the world. You'd wish you see that kind of hesitation invading these days..."

    We didn't enter the war because, in case you don't remember, we had just gotten out of a little economic problem we like to call "The Depression." Probably not a good idea to go to war when half your citizens don't have enough money for one meal a day.

  • ObiKKa

    Posted Jun 2, 2007 6:08 pm PT

    "Young gamers desperately trying to score a new console by convincing their parents of the benefits of gaming now have a third point to make besides improved hand-eye coordination and problem-solving skills:..."

    Dude, that was the worst erroneous editing I have ever seen in Gamespot! The Civilizations games have been PC only, so console gamers couldn't learn a thing or two about the Canadian history & such with these games on the consoles, eh?

  • anamnawshad

    Posted Jun 2, 2007 3:46 am PT

    Good move!

  • Fallout_red

    Posted Jun 2, 2007 2:36 am PT

    Thats a nice move. Definitly a nice one but it would have been much better if they had chosen Civ 4.

  • Pete5506

    Posted Jun 1, 2007 9:53 pm PT

    different

  • Mar044

    Posted Jun 1, 2007 8:05 pm PT

    we have been in the following conflicts, latest to past afghanistan (war ongoing)
    Hati (peace keeping)
    Bosnia (peace keeping
    Kosovo
    Dessart Storm (JTF-2 Only)
    Korea
    WW2 (1939)
    WW1 ,1812

  • Chainblast

    Posted Jun 1, 2007 4:32 pm PT

    "lol has canada ever been in a war?

    Yeah Canada is in one right now, dragged into it because the US needed a hand while they ran off to invade another country. But we're friends, and it's not fair to the people of the United States to abandon them because of a political and military catastrophe.

    "Actually, technically, the British army did that---long before Canada became independent. "

    Just like American history reaches back prior to independence so does Canada's. Technically Canada was under British rule until the BNA Act of 1867, which declared Canada a sovereign nation. It's still our history. The people involved were still part of the foundation of Canada. If you want to think otherwise we're all still either British or French.

  • cowseven

    Posted Jun 1, 2007 4:11 pm PT

    Yes, but is canadian bacon really canadian ham?

  • petejams

    Posted Jun 1, 2007 4:11 pm PT

    Don't forget Canada entered WWII a couple of years before the US did. Wow, talk about a delay to figure out the Nazis were actually bad for the world. You'd wish you see that kind of hesitation invading these days...

  • kidleemoe

    Posted Jun 1, 2007 4:10 pm PT

    To add to Perigrin...
    Not too mention that Intrepid (William Stevenson), a Canadian World War 2 spy is the primary inspiration for James Bond.

  • maxxorz

    Posted Jun 1, 2007 4:10 pm PT

    Perigrin: I couldn't have said it better myself

    I'm glad that there are some of us here who appreciate our great country

  • Perigrin

    Posted Jun 1, 2007 3:46 pm PT

    There have been many battles in Canadian History. As a military historian I have felt for a long time that the significant contributions by Canadians on the battlefield have been ignored (especially by our American cousins). Canadian forces have participated in the Boer War, World War One where at 2nd Ypes the first gas attack was conducted, Canadian troops held the line after French colonial forces fled the battlefield, the Somme where Canadian forces made solid gains and learned a significant amount about offensive operations, Vimy Ridge where the Canadian capture the most heavily fortified position on the Western Front (the French and British had lost 160k men trying to take that position the Canadians took in two days), Hill 70 where the 10th Battalion (I believe an Alberta battalion) in one night of fighting earned over 70 medals while fending off massive German counterattacks, Paschendale where the Canadians were the ones to finally take the ridge and the village(the village was utterly destroyed, not even the roads remained), and then the 100 Days in 1918 where the 4 Divisions of the Canadian corps engaged over 40 German divisions and soundly defeated them (The US had about 10 times the number of troops on the ground at the time and the Canadians did more damage to the German military than the entire US army). In the air 3 of the top 10 Allied aces were Canadian). In the 2nd World War, Canadian forces comprised about 1/4 of Bomber Command, Canadian forces played pivital roles in the Italian campaign. On D-Day Canadian forces advanced further than any other forces (despite the heavy fighting on Juno Beach), Canadian forces also opened up all the ports (earning the nickname water rats as they had to keep crossing rivers), Took the Scheldt Estuary opening up the port of Antwerp and Liberated Holland. In the Korean war Canadian forces twice held their positions against major Chinese attacks despite the forces on their flanks being driven back, causing entire offensives to crumble. The PPCLI earned a commendation from the US President for their actions during one of those attacks.

  • omgimonfire13

    Posted Jun 1, 2007 3:42 pm PT

    Canada eh?

  • KamaKase

    Posted Jun 1, 2007 2:38 pm PT

    Civ is stupidly addictive....I don't understand it.

  • DrCLos

    Posted Jun 1, 2007 2:30 pm PT

    I wish games like Civ III got more press in the mainstream to show what games are capable of besides blood and gore. The Civilization series has always had such complexity and intelligence behind it. It also doesn't hurt that it is highly addictive to play.

  • DoctorFu

    Posted Jun 1, 2007 2:02 pm PT

    Canada is all about the knowledge. Very nice.

  • onemic

    Posted Jun 1, 2007 1:59 pm PT

    the war of 1812 where the US tried to take over canada, but failed.

  • Phazevariance

    Posted Jun 1, 2007 1:49 pm PT

    Was that the war that the white house was burned down by Canadians?

  • brad_d

    Posted Jun 1, 2007 1:43 pm PT

    War of 1812, long forgotten by most. Except when every American sings the Star Spangled Banner...basically the song is about how you tried to hose Canada. And you wonder why we're sometimes nervous about the States....

  • Melvist

    Posted Jun 1, 2007 1:38 pm PT

    'Hell yeah.. we burned down your white house in about 1814'

    Actually, technically, the British army did that---long before Canada became independent.

  • Frags-o-Plenty

    Posted Jun 1, 2007 1:37 pm PT

    "There were battles in Canadian history?"

    Take a listen to the song "The War of 1812" by the Arrogant Worms.

    On second thought, just find the lyrics; they aren't exactly the best vocalists.

  • patmacfad

    Posted Jun 1, 2007 1:36 pm PT

    I like hearing about the war of 1812. Especially the part where the white house got burned down by the Canadians.

  • GhostyMcboo

    Posted Jun 1, 2007 1:36 pm PT

    "Hell yeah.. we burned down your white house in about 1814"

    I was there!

  • EqualPlatinum

    Posted Jun 1, 2007 1:31 pm PT

    Woot! I've always had to mod the Americans in Civ 3/4 to play as Canada.

  • mhder

    Posted Jun 1, 2007 1:24 pm PT

    We don't hear too much about canadians in the battle field most likely because they don't bomb friendlies and assault local citizens.

  • runbmp

    Posted Jun 1, 2007 1:23 pm PT

    "bored88

    There were battles in Canadian history?"

    Hell yeah.. we burned down your white house in about 1814

  • RaiKageRyu

    Posted Jun 1, 2007 1:22 pm PT

    Hoorah, Canada FTW!

  • 7_armageddon_7

    Posted Jun 1, 2007 1:12 pm PT

    "bored88

    There were battles in Canadian history?"

    What do you mean by that? Many Canadians participated and died in the First and Second World Wars. The Canadian Armed Forces are presently in Afghanistan... Besides, the Battle for the Plains of Abraham fought in the 1700s was a major turning point in Canadian history not to mention the war of 1812 when Americans tried to take over Canada...

  • RandPC

    Posted Jun 1, 2007 1:07 pm PT

    Bored88: Indeed, a surprising number of them actually. As unlikely as it seems in the present the White House itself was actually burned down in 1814 by York (Otherwise known in modern times as Toronto).

  • vanhalendlrband

    Posted Jun 1, 2007 12:47 pm PT

    now if we could only get 2k to "donate" a lot (and i mean A LOT) less glitch's in its games coughNHL2k7cough

  • waleywu_basic

    Posted Jun 1, 2007 12:38 pm PT

    how long will it take for them to arrest some kid under "making terroristic threats"? after the poor kid made a map base on his/her school?

    THOMPSON + retarded polices FTW!

  • wingchunstudent

    Posted Jun 1, 2007 12:36 pm PT

    Ed-u-ca-tion-al? Not familar with that word. Not familar with the word Ca-na-da either. Oh well, back to playing video games.

  • wis3boi

    Posted Jun 1, 2007 12:36 pm PT

    hehe that's pretty cool. IMO, I swear I learned more about WW2 from Call of Duty and related games than my history teacher told us

  • rainmanstile

    Posted Jun 1, 2007 12:30 pm PT

    lets ask jack thompson what his opinon is on this for american kids is.

  • Will_Kill_U

    Posted Jun 1, 2007 12:21 pm PT

    oya, i'm canadian, and in high-school, but why the hell would we use a computer history program, my history teacher has got to be good at something....

  • westsidejedi360

    Posted Jun 1, 2007 12:19 pm PT

    this makes canadian history very slightly more interesting!(syke!). The thing i dont like is that although these educational games suck, they get the most attention from the media cause they're "educational"(i think they're trying to teach kids that games suck)

  • bored88 posted Jun 1, 2007 12:15 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    bored88

    Posted Jun 1, 2007 12:15 pm PT (hide)

    There were battles in Canadian history?

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