Play a Video Game to Learn Art History?

Interesting about the video game. Sounds very cool.
I was an Art History major at the university I attended. "Gardner's Art Through The Ages" was our huge, thick textbook for many of the courses I took. I understand it is in several volumes now to accommodate all the information. It can be bought at a college bookstore or possibly found in your local library. Or if you have a university in your town, you could see it there. Can be ordered from http://www.harcourtcollege.com if you are interested.
I found this book to be one of the best resources for getting an education in Art History. Highly recommend it.
I don't really know how to answer the questions you pose in your last two sentences.
To comment on this sentence you wrote, "I didn't think I was a person that appreciated paintings (I do like sculpture), but looking at it from an historical perspective is making the art a lot more interesting for me."
To me, world history and art are intertwined. You see the influence in art of what was happening in a certain country in a certain time period. The art that you see in museums helps to tell the story, whether it is a painting, sculpture, ancient pottery, tapestries, coins, clothing, armor, or whatever.
At one time in Italy, the Medici family were "the" patrons of art. To do a comprehensive study just of this family, the artists they supported and all the art pieces they are associated with would take months of reading. It's great to get a light, quick history of Italian art, but it's also interesting to dig more in-depth. I do recommend the Gardner's Art Through The Ages books for this purpose.
There are also dozens of excellent books about the Medici family which you might enjoy. Available at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, the usual places. Also look at general books titled "The Art of Italy" or "Italian Art". These will give you a preview of what you will see on your vacation, and the background behind each piece of art. The more you know, the more interesting each piece will be to you when you see it.
Have a great trip to Italy!

Loved my Gardner's 2-volume set when I was in college, still have it.

I have based many visits to specific cities so that I could see a piece of art in person.

The game sounds like fun, I tend to shy away from mixing fact and fiction, though.

Gardner's was the text book for my high school art appreciation class in 1962, a much new version was my textbook for my college art history class in 1987 - 25 years later. I might have to check into getting the most recent version for my home library as I still remember how much I enjoyed it.

I don't mind mixing facts and fiction. A nice story helps to create a tapestry that is easier to remember. Sure, the details, personality and specific motivations in an historical fiction cannot be known but each fiction offers a possibility of how the facts occurred. I just watched "The Agony and Ecstasy" with Charleston Heston. I thought it reflected important "facts" of the 1400-1500's as well as the 1960's.

Thanks for the Art History book references.

My formal education has been in science and math. I am not sure why I didn't understand the importance of historical perspective regarding art and architecture before. Better late than never! : )

Never having taken an art history course in college, my education about art has been somewhat random. It began with a Great Courses survey of art history, followed by an art history lecture series at our local art museum. Once I began to be able to identify Italian paintings as more than just another picture of Jesus and Mary, I struck out for destinations that had works by particular artists I was interested in. Rome, Florence, and Venice were the starting points but travels in support of art destinations has led me to many additional lovely towns in Italy which I might not have visited otherwise.

I've heard about that game but I haven't tried it. I'm a fan of video games serving another purpose other than just relaxing. I'd love to see bigger companies take on ideas with more substance so the "educational" games might have a bit more panache.

I have learned to do what you're doing - spend time reading, learning, appreciating before heading to a place full of priceless art. It can all run together after awhile, so I try to focus on a few key pieces ahead of time. For European art, I've found the Sister Wendy videos helpful - they're a little corny, but I actually learned a lot (sample here). I also recommend reading anything about the Monuments Men, the military folks that rescued art and antiquities in WWII. In Krakow I had the privilege of seeing the rescued painting by daVinci called Lady with an Ermine - and knowing its history and travels made it more meaningful. For Italy, I'd also recommend any of the books by Ross King, such as Brunelleschi's Dome or Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling.

Have fun!

I love Sister Wendy's enthusiasm!

Another fan of Sister Wendy here! I have a DVD of Sister Wendy's Tour Of The Sistine Chapel. Most excellent!

For a broader look, you might consider Europe 101: History & Art for the Traveler on sale here right now.

Also, the BBC series How Art Made the World, if you can find the entire DVD set. This is on my wish list to see myself and share with my daughter-in-law who doesn't understand why art of any kind is important.

In answer to your question, my natural inclination to love the beautiful is enhanced by culture and history, as well as by the personal history of the artist. But from the beginning, I've preferred and have been more affected by the art and architecture I see (important phrase) as simpler than by the more elaborate.

With a few notable exceptions, I tune out visually around 1600 and don't return until the late 19th century. I appreciate the visual works of those nearly 300 years for their quality and as history, but they don't hit me in my heart or gut like anything that came before or after.

I am waiting for my $100 voucher before purchasing the RS Art 101 book.
I have watched 2 episodes of BBC Italy Unpacked on Youtube. It is fun to see the scenery, the food and the art.

What a great idea for a video game. I hope it opens the doors for many who would not have been moved otherwise. Any method for approaching any of the arts is valid. After all, in times of trouble or any commémoration ceremony, what do we turn to but art, music, and poetry or liturature. There’s a reason human is in humanities. As a scientist, perhaps when you are in front of the works you are appreciating due to the game, perhaps you’ll also look at how line, color, balance, perspective, pattern, etc. are employed to create the image and your perception. There’s a lot to attract a scientist.

That sounds like so much fun! I am totally going to look into this "game". I purchased a few books on the Medici's before my last trip, but never got around to reading them..kinda dry.

I remember my first real exposure to art was the Vatican exhibit years ago when it came to San Francisco as well as the Dresden Exhibit tour. But what catches my attention are the clothes, fabrics, and other personal items people actually used. The fabrics and styles are amazing. I can stare at the clothes for hours. I sort of lose interest in the 70s though and won’t admit to wearing the 80s styles.

I made sure to see the Lady and the Unicorn tapestries when I was in Paris.

Speaking of video games, my son plays Assassin's Creed. When he went to Italy for two weeks in September he already knew his way around Florence since the game is so accurately rendered visually! I've played a bit just for fun and it's truly beautiful to look at. It's the only way I know of to stand on the top of the duomo in the middle of the city to enjoy the view!

Assassins Creed 2. Loved that game. it is actually very accurate for Florence and Venice. :)

My high school offered a course "Civilization' by Kenneth Cook. The book is definitely lacking, but BBC created the visuals and he narrated. The focus was history through art and their intertwining. I am definitely a visual person rather than dates and location type, so I was entranced. I will admit I am not driven by why a painting was created, though I know there was religion, politics and patronage involved.
I recently returned from Spain where I saw the Segovian aqueduct first introduced to me via this course, the beauty and longevity of it brought me to tears. I had waited 43 years to see it. Walking the floors of the Prado brought me face to face with so many paintings I learned about at 17 and details from that class jumped to mind while standing there.
When last in Italy, so much seemed familiar because of that course. I believe they are available via Youtube should you be interested.
That video game sounds interesting. I'll check it out to see if similar for other cities. By the way, don't be afraid to just have a visceral reaction to art. Knowing everything before you go may create expectations. Sometimes the unknown can create more satisfying results.