On 4 November 2023, the C²DH teamed up with the Rotondes cultural centre, the gaming convention Game On, and the BTS school of Game Programming and Game Design to explore the intersection between history and play during the Forum Z “GAME TIME”.
How do video games represent the past and bring history to life? How accurately do they portray historical events? How do game designers balance between facts and creative storytelling? Can games be used in the classroom as tools for history education? Can they be used to improve our understanding of historical processes and promote social, political, and cultural activism?
Those questions were in the focus during the event which took place at the Rotondes as part of the Game On convention and consisted of a rich programme of activities spread between the Grande Salle and the Container City:
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Deborah Papiernik, Ubisoft
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The Migrants’ Chronicles 1892 Game: Using History to Raise Awareness about Modern Humanitarian Crises
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Historical board game workshop
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VR tour of the cathedral of Notre-Dame before the tragic accident of April 2019
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Historical video games display
The BLACK BOX THEATRE hosted a round of talks. Industry professionals, designers, scholars, and educators shared their insights exploring the interplay between history and video games. Deborah Papiernik from Ubisoft presented the talk “History and Video Games: How to Engage Different Audiences in the Discovery of our Heritage”, Nick Webber (Birmingham City University | Historical Games Network) reflected on “What is Video Game History? History in, of and around Video Games”, Jeremiah McCall (Cincinnati Country Day School | Gaming the Past) joined online to speak about “Gaming the Past: The Power and Promise of Games in History Classes”. Marie-Paule Jungblut, Johannes Pause (University of Luxembourg) and Emmanuel Guardiola (Cologne Game Lab) concluded this part with the presentation of “The Migrants’ Chronicles 1892 Game: Using History to Raise Awareness about Modern Humanitarian Crises”. At the end of each talk, the audience had the opportunity to ask questions and discuss with our speakers.
A historical board game workshop designed around the Codex Aureus took place in the STUDIOS, organized in collaboration with the BTS school of Game Programming and Game Design.
The Codex Aureus of Echternach, one of the most beautiful manuscripts in the world, is an illuminated eleventh-century gospel written entirely in gold. Its fascinating history through the centuries will be the backbone of the workshop. Working in teams, the participants learned the ropes of game design and created their own unique board game. The groups then pitched their games to the audience, and the best one won a prize.
Additionally, courtesy of Ubisoft, we offered our audience the possibility to go back in time and experience a VR tour of the cathedral of Notre-Dame before the tragic accident of April 2019..
The GRAND SALLE displayed a selection of historical video games that the visitors were able to try. Among the titles: The Oregon Trail, Civilisation, Pentiment, Kingdom Come: Deliverance, Valiant Hearts, This War of Mine, The Guild, Train to Sachsenhausen, Through the Darkest of Times, Discovery Tour: Ancient Greece.