Players young and old will know only too well the feeling of being dangerously behind on schoolworkafter losing themselvesin the wonderful world of video games. Many late nights have been lost to deeply captivating quests and intense multiplayer skirmishes.
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Luckily, there are many virtual schools in video games that can make us all feel a bit less guilty when ignoring our real-life homework. Video game schools come in all shapes and sizes, ranging from the mystifyingly magical, the narrative-rich, or sometimes even the downright violent. There are many educational institutions that have spanned every era of games, but these are just a cut above the rest.
10San Romero High - Lollipop Chainsaw
In one of the wackiest andweirdest video games ever made, you take the reins of a popular cheerleader who finds herself in the middle of a zombie outbreak at her high school. During the worst 18th birthday ever, Juliet Starling uses her proclivity for zombie slaying to her advantage.
You begin the game by meeting your soon-to-be-undead boyfriend outside the school, before it all hits the fan in a very violent fashion. Before you know it, you’ll be painting the school’s hallways red with zombie blood with a huge mechanical chainsaw, all while carrying your deceased lover’s head around your waist as a way to remember the good times.
9Guild Of Heroes - Fable
The Guild of Heroes isFable’sancient breeding ground of some of the most prolific and accomplished saviours of the people of Albion. It acts as the base of operations for all the heroes and heroines who are destined for greatness.
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This institution features a load of luxurious quarters and amenities that will make all that hero training a lot easier to swallow. There’s a grand dining area, individual sleeping quarters, state-of-the-art training facilities, a grand library for all your cramming needs, and the ancient Chamber of Fate - a place to celebrate your graduation and for beating the odds to become an adorned hero of Albion.
8Blackwell Academy - Life Is Strange
Life Is Strangeadded its own twist to video game storytelling byallowing your choices to impact the narrativesignificantly. In the game’s critically acclaimed five episodes, you will experience the coming-of-age tale of Max Caulfield as she navigates her newfound time-altering powers.
Much of the game takes place in Blackwell Academy - Arcadia Bay’s prestigious senior high school that specialises in art and photography. As a young art student with big dreams, Max will engage in the more typical aspects of high school life and the drama that comes with it. She soon finds herself immersed in the curious disappearance of one of the school’s promising young students and embarks upon a journey to reveal the town’s dark secrets.
7Seiryo High - Lost Judgment
Lost Judgment’sYakuza-adjacent blend of narrative-driven action adventure, beat-em-up combat, and a cerebral detective story come together to form a thrilling and enjoyable sequel. You once again reprise the role of a lawyer-turned-private detective who is hired to investigate an incident of bullying at Seiryo High School.
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Many of the missions that take place in the prestigious prep school are part of the “School Stories” series of quests, where you’ll be exploring the campus to uncover the truth. In true “Yakuza-like” fashion, you can participate in various side activities, including joining a prolific dance club, taking part in some intense boxing training, and pitting robots against each other on a Tetris-esque grid in the competitive Robotics Club.
6Hogwarts - Lego Harry Potter Collection
The legendary Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is arguably the most revered and recognisable school in all fantasy fiction. There have been many video game recreations of Hogwarts, but one of the best is its depiction in the Lego Harry Potter Collection.
As is typical with most Lego games, the collection is rife with humour and in-jokes only true fans of the series will appreciate. The school itself acts as the game’s hub world and is one of the few adaptations of Hogwarts that allows you to explore its winding secret passageways and moving staircases freely.
5College Of Winterhold - Skyrim
Unlike most university experiences, you won’t find any late-night frat parties or beer pong tournaments inSkyrim’sCollege of Winterhold - it’s a place for serious study. The college is where any self-respecting mage will go to hone their craft and become powerful masters of the magical arts.
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Exploring the school and taking part in many of its branching quests will grant you a bunch of rewards and cool spells to try out. You can take class field trips, build relationships with your newfound classmates, and purchase powerful master spells from the school’s well-travelled professors. Well worth the crippling debt in student loans.
4Academy Of Raya Lucaria - Elden Ring
The Academy of Raya Lucaria isanother prolific magic schoolfor the very best sorcerers in The Lands Between, but as is with most ofElden Ring’slocations, the college’s best days are behind it. By the time the Tarnished arrives at the academy’s magical gates atop a towering cliff, they will find it in ruins - a shell of its former glory.
After a hell of a lot of in-fighting and a grand battle involving powerful demigods, it’s safe to say this school of sorcery is a little worse for wear. As you explore its massive halls and enchanting hallways you will experience echoes of the school’s glory days - as well as a few leftover nasties to contend with along the way.
3Garreg Mach Monastery - Fire Emblem: Three Houses
The Garreg Mach Monastery serves as the central location inFire Emblem: Three Houses. As the main training grounds for the continent’s three warring nations, it’s where you’ll be spending most of your time in between the game’s fantastictactical turn-based battles.
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As a new professor, you’ll be roaming around the Monastery’s vast halls, winding corridors, and open grounds in an attempt to strengthen your relationships with the students and staff. You can choose to run seminars that will improve your student’s skill sets as well as organise bonding activities that will make you work better together out in the field. It’s a joy to get closer to the many lovable and unique characters of Garreg Mach, which makes the game’s permadeath mode hit even harder.
2Shujin Academy - Persona 5
ThePersonaseries has always included a cast of memorable teenage high school students who have the power to battle psychological demons using “Personas” - physical manifestations of a person’s subconscious.Persona 5sees the new student in town, Joker, form a new band of superpowered student vigilantes to thwart any malicious intent from the heart of adults.
You’ll spend a lot of time in Shujin Academy, attending classes, taking tests, and generally trying to make ends meet as a slightly less-than-typical teenage high school student.Like a lot of life sims, it’s important to attempt to build and maintain relationships with your peers, as it will feed into the handy “Social Link” system from previous games. Doing so will unlock more options in combat and net you some nifty bonuses.
1Bullworth Academy - Bully
Bully is one of Rockstar’s most beloved IPs that ismore than deserving of a sequel. You play as an unruly teenage rebel, Jimmy Hopkins, as he navigates high school life at the preppy Bullworth Academy. The boarding school is the backdrop for the game’s open world, and there’s a lot of mischiefs you may get up to on its grounds.
You’ll spend your time rising up the ranks of various stereotypical cliques and can take part in all sorts of classes that will give you a variety of gameplay perks to try out in the open world. It’s kind of like a GTA game, except replace the flashy sports cars with a skateboard and the Uzis with a spud gun. Can we at least have a remake sometime soon, Rockstar?
