In this unit we will explore:
- the potential of video games for engaging with the past
- challenges and potential problems with gaming as a mode of engagement
Tuesday, April 6
Reading
It’s been a few weeks since we’ve had readings, so don’t forget to annotate with Hypothesis!
- Jeremiah McCall “Playing with the Past: History and Video Games (and Why It Might Matter),” 6(1): 29-48 (2019)
- Trevor Owens, “Games as Historical Scholarship.” Play the Past blog
- Laura Zucconi, Ethan Watrall, Hannah Ueno, and Lisa Rosner, “Pox and the City: Challenges in Writing a Digital History Game” in Nawrotzki, Kristen and Jack Dougherty. Writing History in the Digital Age (2013)
Thursday, April 8
Let’s play!
Below are a few online games dealing with historical topics. Play at least two, and write a 250-word blog post addressing these questions:
- did the experience of “playing the past” add anything to your understanding of the historical topic?
- could you envision improvements that would have enhanced the experience
- what are the advantages of this kind of engagement with the past?
- does the medium of gaming risk trivializing history? why or why not?
- Mission US
- Oregon Trail Deluxe
- Surviving History: The Fever
- When Rivers Were Trails (must be downloaded & installed, but is free)
Blog post should be completed by class time on Thursday, April 8.
