Gearing up for the upcoming school year, Schell Games today announced its virtual reality content creation tool, Histo­ry­Maker VR, is headed to Steam on August 13.

Aimed at middle school students, Histo­ry­Maker VR delivers an immersive expe­ri­ence that allows learners to embody historical figures, instead of just reading about them, to encourage retention and active learning. Students can select a character, upload a script, and record themselves delivering speeches in virtual reality as eight diverse characters from U.S. history, including founding father Benjamin Franklin and Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. Learners will be able to customize the stage with different backgrounds and props to create a singular experience that is uniquely theirs. Once the student is finished recording, the videos can be exported and edited for teachers and classmates to review. For educators, Histo­ry­Maker VR comes with a desktop comple­ment for classroom setup, manage­ment, and student assistance. This standards-aligned tool can be seamlessly integrated into a curriculum, with addi­tional classroom guides and recom­mended activ­i­ties available to assist with this task.

“We wanted to create something that not only allows students to learn, but, more impor­tantly, expe­ri­ence the words on the page. So often, reading about people and events from the past feels hollow, because it’s difficult to relate,” said Jesse Schell, CEO of Schell Games. ​“With Histo­ry­Maker VR, we hope to fill that void and make history learning inter­ac­tive and engaging.”

The tool, which is playable on the Oculus Rift/​Rift S, will be available to educators at no cost and retail for $9.99 USD on Steam for history and VR enthu­si­asts, in an effort to bring this experience to a wide range of people at an afford­able price point.

For more information on Histo­ry­Maker VR, please visit the website. A press kit is available, too.