Games & Early Modern History | Games and Early Modern History

Seminar at the University of Oldenburg in the winter semester of 2022

Bachelor’s | Master’s | Teacher Training | Master's degree programme in Museums and Exhibitions

Lecturer: Dr Lucas Haasis

Description: Games shape our understanding of history. Games shape our view of the past. Games are popular with young and old alike. But games at university and in schools? For the most part, they’re nowhere to be seen. This is a shortcoming and, ultimately, no longer in keeping with the times, because games are highly relevant to everyday life, enable new forms of teaching, and foster skills and critical engagement with history and its teaching. That is why digital and analogue games are at the centre of this seminar.

This term, we will focus on games set in the Early Modern period and examine this era from the perspective of games and game development. What games – digital and analogue – are available on the Early Modern period? Which themes are driving the market’s growth? Which themes are popular, and which are excluded? On which themes should games be developed in future? What historical narratives do games reproduce? How do they shape our culture of remembrance regarding the Renaissance, the Reformation, the French Revolution or the American War of Independence? How do games address topics such as colonialism, slavery or European expansion? What needs to change in games and in our approach to them?

We will be discussing these issues with international experts from the fields of history, history education, public history, game studies and the international games industry. In addition, in January we are organising a practical workshop and game jam in collaboration with Creative Gaming and UOL media technology, where participants can bring their own ideas to life and discuss them. The final assessment will consist of a game analysis, a teaching project or a game pitch as examples of inquiry-based learning, which will ultimately be presented at a public poster session at the university.

The seminar offers both insights into current research on digital and analogue games and the Early Modern period, as well as practical components. In terms of content, the course is best taken in conjunction with the lecture on the Introduction to the Early Modern Period. The seminar takes the form of a combination of face-to-face sessions at the university on Fridays and one-hour online sessions, usually held the evening before. These online sessions consist of short presentations by international guests and Q&A sessions on various topics. Further highlights of the course include co-operation with teachers and pupils from the Artland-Gymnasium in Quakenbrück, the IGS Flötenteich in Oldenburg and the Goethe-Gymnasium in Hanover. No prior knowledge or practical experience is required to take part in the seminar. However, an interest in the subject and a clear willingness to participate actively are essential.