As games develop, I think this is a cool way to get students interested in topics. To live and feel the stories, instead of simply read them. While I do enjoy a good book, I'll never remember that encounter that one character had with that demon, but I totally remember my first fight with a Controller in STALKER. It puts some things in perspective, about how one experiences things, of how things can cling to you, no matter how much you have left them behind. You can leave the Zone, but the Zone will never leave you.
I never preferred History much, I mean, it was easy, but that's all about it was. When I started playing games like Total War and Crusader Kings, I wanted to know much more about the topics, and now I am a historical hotspot of information (mainly on western European history).