You know what’s wrong with society today? You might cite perpetual economic recession or fecklessness, but it’s neither of those (I’ll level with you: I don’t know what that last one is). It’s that there simply aren’t nearly enough good excuses to talk about tanks. That’s why Wargaming.net have poured £80,000 into a new education centre at Europe’s biggest tank museum in Bovington, England.
The grant has funded the refurbishment of a previously unused room at the museum as a “contemporary, state-of-the-art class room”. The education centre features an AV system, 20 high-spec, touchscreen PCs and seating for up to 60 students, which sounds like the perfect setup for a World of Tanks LAN-ish party. It’ll form part of the Tank Museum’s Education service, which works to develop links with schools and teachers in the UK and elsewhere.
Wargaming CEO Victor Kislyi will unveil a plaque in the centre’s honour at the museum’s Tankfest 2013, held the weekend beginning June 29.
“World of Tanks has generated huge interest in the history of armoured warfare amongst young people online,” said Kislyi. “And with this room we can take this enthusiasm into the classroom to give a new generation of children a better appreciation of their national heritage.”
The centre will allow students to hear presentations and handle tanky objects, with the aim of illuminating the role of armoured vehicles and their operators have played in British history. It will also host regular lectures and talks for adults.
“The Wargaming.net Education Centre is such a first class facility, that it will make The Tank Museum’s Education Service much more attractive to schools in the region and further afield,” said Richard Smith, the Tank Museum’s director. “We estimate that we will double the number of school visits within the next five years.”
The fact that Wargaming are sinking their cash into a community effort like this won’t be a surprise to anybody who followed their expedition to Burma, or who read our Paul’s chat with CEO Victor Kislyi on the subject at the Imperial War Museum.
Sample quote: “Why? Why are these young ladies not exposed to the beauty of tracked vehicles?”