The Polish government has added 11 bit's This War of Mine to an academic reading list.

The news was revealed by Poland's game trade body Spidor, who pointed out that the country is the first to list a video game as an educational resource.

This War of Mine will be available free of charge and will be used to teach sociology, ethics, philosophy and history, starting with the 2020/21 academic year.

The title launched back in 2014 and has sold 4.5m copies, as of April 2019.

“For the first time in history, a video game has been included on the recommended reading list for schools. We are pleased that the Ministry of Education and Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki support and recognize the role of the video games sector in culture, creativity, innovation and even education," Spidor head Dr Dominika Urbanska-Galanciak said.

"This is a great example of how video games can support education by telling stories and raising important ethical issues.”

The CEO of European games trade body ISFE Simon Little added: “It is extremely exciting to see a European government recognise the value of video games to education in this way. Video games are an intrinsic part of 21st century society and bring enormous benefits especially when used appropriately in a school setting where they are proven to increase student engagement and learning outcomes, develop team-building, problem-solving and mental agility.”