HS English classes bringing video games into classroom

By Ian Dinkins

University School of Nashville High School English teacher Michael Hansen's new curriculum has been turning heads beyond Edgehill. The curriculum, which uses narrative video games as primary texts in English classes, was recently featured in the National Association of Independent Schools' Education Innovations at Independent Schools Around the World brochure. 

The NAIS feature celebrates his approach not only for its creativity but also for its rigor.

It stems from a growing initiative Hansen leads at USN: exploring how video games can be taught as literature and used to enhance traditional English classes.


"I've always had an interest in video games," Hansen said. "I stopped playing them when I 'grew up' and went to college. It's only through conversations with students that I realized what I was missing."

In recent years, Hansen noticed how modern video games have evolved into complex story-driven works that were rich with symbolism, character development, and narrative ambiguity.

"Games today are more complex and varied than they were two decades ago," Hansen said. "Many are driven by the same kinds of narrative techniques we analyze in novels and films. I realized that, although we're accustomed to thinking of games as distractions, they can also supplement and support classroom learning, if handled right."

Hansen's course has students read video games the way they might read "The Great Gatsby" or "Macbeth" and pay attention to theme, tone, point of view, and even the player's role in shaping narrative meaning. 

The curriculum has already begun to expand past Hansen's classroom.

In one upcoming lesson, HS English Teacher Andrew Gilbert plans to use Hansen's module on "What Remains of Edith Finch" in his senior seminar "Secrets and Lies." Fellow HS English Teacher Phil Bandy will also use the new curriculum, introducing the video game "Inside" in a speculative fiction unit for English students. 

One key benefit of Hansen's approach is that it invites students to become co-creators in the classroom.

"They're more knowledgeable and talented at games than I am," Hansen said. "But that puts them in a position to lead. My job is to choose games of sufficient narrative complexity and to make sure we anchor those games in core English skills like analytic writing, discussion, and interpretation."

In Hansen's class, even traditional essays take on new forms. Students create what Hansen calls "play journals," recording their gameplay as they narrate analyses of story, imagery, and player experience. These multimedia projects are shared on literarygames.org, showcasing how digital literacy and literary analysis can merge seamlessly. 

For students like Mario Tedeschi ’26, the experience has been transformative.

"It was just like learning through any other medium, like books or movies, except it was one that I really enjoy," Mario said. "The depth of analysis and class work we did on the games consistently surprised me." 

Mario thought that playing the games firsthand and not just watching playthroughs was essential. 

"If we had experienced the games in any other way, we wouldn't have had half the discussions we did," he said. "The variety of experiences games offer provides an excellent avenue for discussions and debates."

His biggest takeaway? That video games can be just as intellectually rich as novels or films.

"On a surface level, one might see it as just 'the class where you get to play video games,'" Mario said. "But the depth of analysis we did changed how I think about stories in every medium."

Hansen's work is part of a growing field recognizing that students' everyday interactions with technology are also opportunities for learning.

"Video games are a medium students are already steeped in and enthusiastic about," Hansen said. "If we can meet them where they are, and invite them to think critically about what they love, that's a win for both literacy and engagement."

By bridging literary analysis with interactive storytelling, High School English classes at USN are redefining what it means to read a text and ensuring that great stories can come not only from the page but also from the screen.