Economics in Age of Empires II: Bringing Games into the Classroom

Abstract

Games have become ubiquitous in our lives. Sometimes we play them without even realizing it. Likewise, economics is everywhere and its matters are so pervasive that sometimes we fail to recognize them. Combining games and economics should help us understand both better and should provide economics instructors with a virtually infinite set of tools that they can use to effectively engage their students. This article shows that many elements from the strategy video game Age of Empires II can be used to exemplify topics from microeconomics and macroeconomics. We also provide sample questions to illustrate the transition from textbookbased to game-based testing.