We have enhanced a commercial computer game, Civilization 5, for game-based learning in our teaching of the general education foundation course as an outside class activity. We believe that playing game is an entertaining, engaging and effective way of learning about any complex and open-ended issues. We also think it is better for educators to focus on the design of the learning materials by simply adopting and enhancing an existing commercially available game.

The game itself is a popular award-winning commercial game that allows player to develop a civilization in a simulated world. The civilization will have to compete with other AI players to build cities, get hold of resources, develop science, religion, and commerce, and build up an army for defending or attacking. It allows the players to innovate their own strategy to win and enjoy the game.

We enhanced the game by making a scenario that mimic real historical setting and edited the technology tree that can be more closely related to the content that we teach. Playing this ‘mod’ allows students to reflect upon, among many interesting issues, a core question in our course, “why ancient Chinese science cannot develop into modern science, with its seemingly leading position initially?” The game offers an external assessment into this question, and act as a compliment to the course readings which explore mainly into the internal causes of scientific development.

We would like to demonstrate the game itself, how we enhanced the game, and how we use it for the teaching in our general education foundation course.