I am not much of a gamer. When I was in high school my best friend’s five-year-old sister would always beat me when we played any video game. Since I never practiced much, my hand-eye coordination is not that great. I am not the best gaming shooter, golfer, or navigator. So this exercise was new terrain for me.
I enjoyed reading about the concepts, theory, and debates regarding video games. I had never thought about many of the issues, such as the perspective of the player vs. non-player character or the emotions that the player feels as he or she engages with the game. Does the player relate to their character and feel love, anger, fear? Are they sad when they realize it is only a game, or do they get an amazing sense of satisfaction? How are films and gaming related, including editing or segues between scenes?
In terms of historical usefulness, games provide great possibilities. Some games require players to use clues to solve puzzles, just as historians use evidence to “solve” questions. Characters display agency and make choices, just as historical actors had to make daily choices. I liked Salen and Zimmerman’s description of a “game as a space of possible action that players activate, manipulate, explore, and transform.” Historians do the same thing as they assemble and analyze evidence. Games can either lead players through a crafted narrative to experience a specific historical situation, or players can construct their own narrative through their choices. Both options can provide valuable insights and educational entertainment.
I was a bit disappointed in many of the “historical games” I found online. I certainly didn’t explore the entire offerings of historical online gaming, but I found many simple games. Yet even these games might be useful in the classroom. For example, “Fling the Teacher” (http://www.schoolhistory.co.uk/games/fling/) could be a fun way for students to test their knowledge of British history, but it is not very interactive and there are no characters. It is basically an online quiz. I went in search of a good old fashioned game of
Oregon Trail, and instead found a nice map (http://www.historyglobe.com/ot/otmap1.htm). I could not find a copy of the game that did not require many extra downloads.
The History Globe website offered another more interactive game—the Jamestown Online Adventure (http://www.historyglobe.com/jamestown/). Students have the option to choose the landing location for the ship, the type of shelter to build, the settlers’ attitudes toward the Powhatan Indians, who is responsible for working, and the types of crops to grow. Although this is not an earth-shattering game, I believe younger students would have fun using this as an extracurricular activity. They can see how each choice impacts the next, and why the priority for a certain type of shelter could have both positive and negative effects.
Again, I know I didn’t explore the biggest and best historical games the internet has to offer (primarily because my computer was having trouble with some of the downloads). But I do think games have tremendous pedagogical possibilities, as well as the ability to reach a wider audience. I must admit that I spent most of my time playing Midway 1943, a classic 1980s game (http://www.1980-games.com/us/old-games/java-games/1943-arcade.php). Not great for history or pedagogical use, but still a good time!
