Workshop on History and Games

The relationship between play and learning seems very clear to us; both in humans and other animals. One common understanding of the evolutionary basis and purpose of play is that it provides young organisms the impetus to develop and rehearse life-relevant skills. The relationship between games and formal education has perhaps seemed less clear however, although enlightened educators from ancient times have pursued and preserved the link. The “Socratic Methods” of teaching through questioning, for example, can be understood as playful engagement with speculation, while intellectual devices such as “For the sake of argument let us suppose …” are essentially playful approaches to the stimulation of reflection. The face validity of “Let’s pretend …” scenarios in language learning is high, as are various forms of role play in professional domains of education such as law, business and medicine. The word “simulation” as opposed to “game” may often be used however, to render the activity more acceptable to teachers and students alike. In order to make best use of games in educational practice it is important for us to think clearly about just what it is that games do. This is often seen simply in terms of the application of extrinsic motivation to promote learner engagement with the subject content, and from there learning is assumed to proceed by mechanisms of assimilation and accommodation that we believe we understand. In fact games become much more powerful as environments for learning when we see them as rich opportunities for socially motivated and experiential identity formation. Games emphasise for us that learning is a process of “becoming”.
slides

This talk will discuss how games and game technology can be used to impact the study of History. The talk will focus on the creation of “Loos: The Fallen Fourth” as both an Interactive Documentary and a Board Game and how they help visualise and analyse the impact that World War One on the City of Dundee. The Interactive Documentary examines that impact through the lens of the 4th Black Watch at the Battle of Loos whereas the Board Game takes a more holistic approach to the wider impact of the war on Dundee.
slides
For more details follow this link.

This talk will focus on a recent co-design research project that directly involved scientific experts in the development of four educational games. These games encompassed a diverse range of topics: British shark species, the impacts of microplastics on the aquatic environment, the factors that impact upon cell mutation, and principles of quantum mechanics. The talk will be followed by demos of games and gameplay videos during the lunch break.

This session will start with an initial game play segment, to get familiar with the game mechanics of a range of existing games. The main part will then be a serious mod (and game design) session to explore the educational potential of these games in a pedagogical context.
slides

The aim of this discussion session is to identify opportunities for using games (in all variations) as a teaching tool in a range of areas, with a focus on history. We also plan to identify the main steps needed to achieve impact in this area, the key challenges in delivering the envisioned programme, as well as the key stakeholders that need to be involved in the process.
slides
Questions for the Discussion Session