Ellerie Knowles

Brad Anderson puts his all into making Age of Empires engaging, whether it’s juniors or freshmen participating.

The jump from middle school to high school is a rigorous leap for students.

Harder classes, a larger school, and a lot of pressure to make these four years count.

Starting last year, however, the freshman class has had one fall activity that gives them a respite from the newfound stress of the average high school day: the Age of Empires game, which freshman Yasin Avdic describes as a much-needed break as freshmen adjust to their more strenuous schedules.

“[Age of Empires has helped me adjust to high school] a little bit,” Yasin said. “It kind of feels like middle school, honestly. I think it’s refreshing to have something that’s not super crazy, work-wise. [A typical day] is to go outside; we get maybe 20-ish minutes to do work. At the start, [AP World History teacher Brad Anderson] will say, ‘Okay, you can get this done today.’ And then, it’s—for those 20 minutes—work on getting everything done.” 

Age of Empires is a game played at the start of each school year in Advanced Placement (AP) World History at FHC. Students learn, hands-on, how to build an empire, work together, build shields, avoid the plague, and learn a bit of Latin or Greek, all culminating in the final battle—which, this year, will take place on Friday, Sept. 26, during sixth hour. 

For years and years, AP World History has been a class taken primarily by juniors. Beginning last year, however, freshmen are now encouraged to take the course, shifting the order of students’ required social studies classes.

The class itself doesn’t change because of the students taking it, but Anderson has made minor tweaks, such as to Age of Empires, in order for things to function as smoothly as possible.

“I’ve gotten rid of a couple of the tasks that were a little bit more tedious because it seems like it’s a lot for them to digest,” Anderson said. “So, I’ve kind of simplified it, but also I think it’s really important that these students have some fun when they get into high school. They’re able to get to know a lot of the kids; they don’t know each other as freshmen. They don’t know each other’s names, there are a lot of groups and cliques, and so this obviously allows them time to get to know each other and have fun while they’re outside.”

Additionally, Anderson has noted a shift in how the students respond to the game. All throughout high school, different social events and experiences all build on one another, with the main objective being a bonded, unified class by the time students get to senior year.

Juniors are discernibly much further along in this bonding process than freshmen are. Age of Empires is a game that requires teamwork, some social skills, and certainly suspension of disbelief, which can be easier to accomplish with the juniors who have been going through high school together up to that point.

“Juniors would jump in with more leadership right away and a little bit more organization,” Anderson said. “They’d have some tactics, and they’d also seen it before, maybe older brothers and sisters, and so they kind of knew, ‘Okay, here’s what we need to do.’ Freshmen, it depends. It’s been a little chaotic at times. There are great surprises where they do utilize some of the history, and they figure out, ‘Okay, what government works best? How should we structure our empire?’ And so they’ve been pleasantly surprising, but also they need to be guided more [than the juniors did].”

Although the freshmen haven’t had two years under their belt, they’ve still been successful at creating their empires using historical examples and, of course, teamwork. By undergoing Age of Empires earlier in their high school careers, freshmen have had a chance to use the game as an initial bonding experience, making memories while running through the woods, collaborating while trying to accomplish various tasks.

“I think [Age of Empires has helped me get acquainted with my classmates],” Yasin said. “Absolutely, because you have to manage everything and figure out stuff. You know, it’s a team effort.” 

One challenge presented this year was the unusually early timing of homecoming, overlapping with the game. Yasin noted that with the various assemblies and fun, they had less in-class time. Still, AP World History students have been making the most of this exciting game.

Freshman Mason Velie has appreciated the uniqueness of Age of Empires, as it is not a regular academic activity. Students get to build, literally and figuratively, their empire.

“I think [Age of Empires] has been going well,” Mason said. “It’s a little bit difficult sometimes, but I enjoy it, I would say. I enjoy all the role-playing, and it’s like you were actually back in the Age of Empires, and you build stuff, and I enjoy that.” 

The game is notoriously immersive, as students are given limited resources, must adapt to their surroundings, and must cover all of the bases of designing their empire. Like Anderson said, guidance is still needed, especially for the freshmen who have not heard about the game as much beforehand.

Age of Empires is a break from the normalcy of note-taking and slideshows, but there are still tasks to be completed, due dates, and objectives involved. A typical day during this project entails plenty of outside time, when students are in their empires, but also ensures students are on top of the numerous tasks.

“You get a start in the classroom like a normal day,” Mason said. “Mr. Anderson talks to you for a minute about what the day will entail, and anything that is due. Then, pretty early on in the hour, we just go outside, and we can do whatever we want. We all have tasks that we’re completing, like a mural, or the Wonder of the World thing we’re supposed to build. And then, you might have a war or something with the enemy team, or you might be talking with them, but you could do anything you wanted within common sense.”

The sense of freedom that Age of Empires grants is another aspect that most of the school day does not grant students. There are assignments within Age of Empires to complete, but the layout of the game still allows for student-led decisions to be made about what part of empire-building is being accomplished each day.

Age of Empires is one of FHC’s best longstanding traditions. Although it is no longer a junior-year tradition, it is carried on by Anderson, the ever-lasting war between the Green and Gray teams, and the hands-on learning that the game provides.

“It’s been going well,” Anderson said. “Freshmen are definitely enthusiastic. I’ve had to tighten things up a little bit to make sure they get all of the tasks done and don’t wait until the very end. We’re finishing up on Friday with the final battle, sixth hour, out on the field. They’ll be doing battle training on Wednesday and Thursday. Their final tasks are due Wednesday, and we’re having a lot of fun. They’re growing as a group.”