An “Alternative to the Pen”? Perspectives for the Design of Historiographical Videogames

Bibliographic Data

ID19005803
AuthorsJulien A Bazile (0000-0001-7084-0388, Université de Sherbrooke, corresponding author)
Year2022
Volume17
Issue6
Pages855-870
Publication date2022-08-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueGames and Culture (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1555-4120 • E-ISSN: 1555-4139
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/15554120221115393
OpenAlexW4289337210
LanguageEN
Citations received7
References cited24

This article presents how the tools of videogame design can be used to convey historical arguments, and to what extent historians could benefit from creating such videogames. We begin by positioning our argument within the literature on the writing of history, linking it to formal and writing issues, which leads us to delve into various definitions of what “videogames for history” could be, and what operational frameworks could be derived from those definitions. We then confront some key principles of design to a selection of actual videogame projects to discuss the possibility of “historiographical game design” to be considered as “an alternative to the pen” (Chapman, 2013, p. 329) for historians. Our goal is to identify general principles in the design of historiographical videogames, to provide an improved and refined definition of these games from a design perspective and to formulate general guidelines to inform further explorations through research-creation projects

Epistemology · Historiography · Political science · Sociology · Artificial Intelligence in Games · Computer Science · Digital Games and Media · Educational Games and Gamification · Law · Philosophy · Artificial Intelligence

Tools

Open DOIOpen Access