Playing with history in World of Tanks

Negotiated readings, historical realism and cultural memory

Datos Bibliográficos

ID21690028
AutoresNatalie Jonckheere (0000-0001-6924-0860, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA, autor de correspondencia), Christopher J Persaud (0000-0003-0015-5152, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA), Calvin Liu (0000-0003-0141-4726, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA), Dmitri Williams (0000-0001-7995-4429, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA)
Año2023
Volumen29
Número3
Páginas641-657
Fecha de publicación2023-06-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaConvergence The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1354-8565 • E-ISSN: 1748-7382
EditorialSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/13548565221130891
OpenAlexW4298126951
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas2
Referencias citadas27

This study focuses on United States-based players of World of Tanks, a historical battle arena game that features many playable tanks based on their actual historical origins, mostly from the World War II and postwar eras. Through a partnership with the game’s developer Wargaming.net, we conducted interviews with 20 players of World of Tanks who indicated that they are interested in history generally or military history specifically. Our findings indicate that playing World of Tanks is one dimension of a broader spectrum of interacting with history as a kind of leisure activity. Players put history in service of their own interests and recreational enjoyment, while acknowledging that historical accuracy is a moving target that must be balanced with elements that shape gameplay structure, competitive potential, and player agency. This study contributes to scholarship on the experiences and motivations of people who play historical games, situates interest in historical games within a broader array of history-related leisure, offers insights for historical game developers interested in players’ cultural and social context, and notes the limitations of games to teach about the past

Aesthetics · Art · Battle · Historical Thinking · Political science · Public relations · Realism · Recreation · Scholarship · Social science · Sociology · Visual arts · World War II · Digital Games and Media · Educational Games and Gamification · History · Law · Museums and Cultural Heritage