Postgraduate Course: Gamifying Historical Narratives (fusion on-site) (EFIE11092)
Course Outline
| School | Edinburgh Futures Institute |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
| Summary | This course explores how games narrate history and how history can be narrated through games, from tabletop to digital ones (such as video games, role-playing games, wargames, boardgames etc.), by mixing theory and practice. It discusses and playtests conceptual frameworks and different genres of games, but also includes a creative game design output, which students will be able to share and distribute through the platforms of the University of Edinburgh History and Games Lab. Because of that holistic approach, this course is valuable as an introduction to the topic and to game design, but also to those with experience in game design who wish to refine the theoretical side and to engage with historical narratives. |
| Course description |
The course aims to provide theoretical and practical tools to connect historical narratives and games, and to produce creative outputs from that, by introducing students to the challenges of engaging with history through games.
The course starts with a pre-intensive section comprising a 1-hour online introductory meeting, as well as preliminary readings and videos relevant to the course. They will prepare the ground for the course by highlighting the often-unexpected complexity of defining what a game is, and how games have engaged with historical narratives. This also serves to introduce students to the debates on the limitations and opportunities of the various formats, their nature, practices and uses (including motivations and interpretations).
The first part of the intensive period focuses in depth on different genres of games and their specific characteristics in sessions that comprise the participation of scholars and practicing game designers. This will take the form of three two-hour seminars, each devoted to a different genre.
The second part of the intensive period moves to practice, with a series of playtests of existing games, which allow comparing this experience with the theory discussed in the first part of the course. Once again, playtests cover different genres, as suggested by scholars and game designers of the course.
The outputs of the course reflect its dual nature. They comprise a collaborative game design project, which is developed during the post intensive section of the course. Assessment will be based on an essay in which the students will reflect on their participation in the game design project, and how it related to the theoretical and practical discussions of the pre-intensive and intensive periods.
Students will be able to showcase, share or distribute their game design outputs through the activities and online platform (including online stores) of the University of Edinburgh History and Games Lab.
The University History and Games Lab also offers a series of complementary relevant activities in which students on this course can take part, including seminars, podcast, playtests, and participation in game jams and game conventions, in collaboration with companies and game designers.
Edinburgh Futures Institute (EFI) - On-Site Fusion Course Delivery Information:
The Edinburgh Futures Institute will teach this course in a way that enables online and on-campus students to study together. This approach (our 'fusion' teaching model) offers students flexible and inclusive ways to study, and the ability to choose whether to be on-campus or online at the level of the individual course. It also opens up ways for diverse groups of students to study together regardless of geographical location. To enable this, the course will use technologies to record and live-stream student and staff participation during their teaching and learning activities.
Students should be aware that:
- Classrooms used in this course will have additional technology in place: students might not be able to sit in areas away from microphones or outside the field of view of all cameras.
- Unless the lecturer or tutor indicates otherwise you should assume the session is being recorded.
As part of your course, you will need access to a personal computing device. Unless otherwise stated activities will be web browser based and as a minimum we recommend a device with a physical keyboard and screen that can access the internet.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate competence in core skills including independent research, planning and writing, group collaboration and oral presentation.
- Critically analyse and put into dialogue scholarship dealing with the topics of history and historical narratives, games and historical games studies.
- Show knowledge of the theory and practice of historical games design in different game media, including video games, boardgames and roleplaying games.
- Apply existing and acquired skills to produce a gaming output in a selected game medium.
- Reflect critically upon the process of creating a game design output based on a historical narrative.
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Reading List
Indicative Reading List:
Chapman, A. Foka and J. Westin, 'What is historical games studies?', Rethinking History: the Journal of Theory and Practice, 21 (2017), 358-71 (e-journal)
J. de Groot, Consuming History (Abington, 2009), Introduction: history and popular culture, 1-14 (e-book)
J. Juul, 'The game, the player, and the world: looking for a heart of gameness', in M. Copier and J. Raessens (eds.), Level up: digital games research conference proceedings (Utrecht, 2003), 30-45 (available here: http://www.jesperjuul.net/text/gameplayerworld/)
D. Spring, 'Gaming history: computer and video games as historical scholarship', Rethinking History: the Journal of Theory and Practice, 19 (2015), 207-21 (e-journal)
T. J. Copplestone, 'But that's not accurate: the differing perceptions of accuracy in cultural-heritage videogames between creators, consumers and critics', Rethinking History: the Journal of Theory and Practice, 21 (2017), 415-38 (e-journal)
J. Begy, 'Board games and the construction of cultural memory', Games and culture, 12 (2017), 718-38 (e-journal)
M. W. Kapell and A. B. R. Elliott, 'Introduction: to build a past that will 'stand the test of time' - Discovering historical facts, assembling historical narratives', in M. W. Kapell and A. B. R. Elliott, Playing with the past: digital games and the simulation of history (New York, 2013), 1-30 (e-book)
A. J. Salvati and J. M. Bullinger, 'Selective authenticity and the playable past', in M. W. Kapell and A. B. R. Elliott, Playing with the past: digital games and the simulation of history (New York, 2013), 153-68 (e-book) |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
The course develops graduate skills in research, enquiry and communication (SCQF 1 and 4), in creative practice (SCQF 2), and the attributes of intellectual autonomy and personal effectiveness in collaborative working (SCQF 3 and 5). |
| Keywords | History,Game,Narrative |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Gianluca Raccagni
Tel:
Email: gianluca.raccagni@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Zoe Hogg
Tel:
Email: Zoe.Hogg@ed.ac.uk |
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