Remember SimCity? Me too. I loved it. I adored it. I learned about both urban planning AND how to defend myself against giant monsters that suddenly appear from space. (hint: put a lot of fire and police around the alien)

So you can imagine my excitement when I heard that Electronic Arts is developing SimCityEDU. It’s an online (duh) educational game based on the original. But rather than having the educational aspect be secondary, it’s front and center. Here’s a few ways:

• SimCityEDU will fit into the U.S. Common Core Standards
• The game will allow teachers to create lessons and projects within the game.
• Students will learn about urban planning, sociology, earth science, and basically everything you’d expect from a game where you build your own city / environment.

Details are still scarce at this point but the screenshot above via The Verge should whet your appetite like it did mine. It’s expected to launch on March 5th. See you in (virtual) line!

**Want an early look? You can sign up for the beta of SimCityEDU on this page.**