Schell Games is releasing HistoryMaker VR on Steam just in time for the new school year that’ll let players embody a range of historical figures.
The software allows students to import scripts and record videos embodied as historical figures such as Benjamin Franklin, Harriet Tubman, Tecumseh, George Washington Carver, Abigail Adams, and others.
HistoryMaker VR is directed at middle school students and meant to enable them to deliver speeches in VR embodied as one of eight characters from United States history. Stages can be customized with various backgrounds and props and videos can be exported and then edited for review by teachers or classmates.
HistoryMaker VR is available now on Steam for $9.99 (there’s also a temporary discount as of this writing) with compatibility mentioned for the Oculus Rift and Rift S, but it is also pitched as being free for educators with complementary desktop software for managing a classroom and helping students.
Check out the trailer below and find more information about HistoryMaker VR here.
Schell Games is the studio behind popular VR titles including I Expect You To Die and Until You Fall, as well as a range of other experiences both inside VR and out. HistoryMaker VR looks very similar to Mindshow (which was pulled from Steam in recent months) and the more recently launched FlipSide Studio. The educational focus of HistoryMaker, though, combined with the fun that can come with play acting may make for a potent combination and comes just in time as U.S. schools grapple with the prospect of the 2020-2021 school year being impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. With millions of kids singing history-inspired songs from Hamilton after its recent release on Disney+, and The Under Presents: The Tempest showing the power of acting in VR, we’re curious to see what kids and schools do with the software when it is released.
This article was originally published on July 14, 2020, and republished on August 13, 2020, to mark HistoryMaker VR’s launch on Steam.
