From pixels to pedagogy: using video games for higher education in the humanities

Authors

  • Jessica van Horssen Leeds Beckett University
  • Zoe Moreton Leeds Beckett University
  • Gaspard Pelurson King’s College London

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47408/jldhe.vi28.875

Keywords:

video games, digital pedagogy, interactivity, critical thinking, engagement

Abstract

This paper explores how video games can enhance learning in the higher education Humanities classroom through play and critical discussions. Through the observation of two case studies, it aims to highlight important concepts and considerations and serve as a platform for future research and debate. The first case study utilised Sid Meier’s Civilization IV: Colonization (Firaxis Games, 2008) and involved first-year History students. They were encouraged to take part in critical assessment and discussion by pairing gameplay with lecture content featuring the same moments in history they experienced in the game. This led to the students being able to better challenge historical narratives through holistic reflexive engagement. The second case study used GreedFall (Spiders, 2019) to encourage students to question historical inaccuracies and utopian diversity. Through connecting gameplay to module outcomes, students unconsciously adopted a critical eye which indicates how the game can be used to debate race, Western imagination, and imperialism. We conclude that gaming in the classroom is an engaging way to deliver content and it enables students to develop critical and reflexive thinking within playful spaces. As such, this article focuses on the students studying the humanities and discusses the video game as a medium to identify and analyse ideologies, and gaming as a way of developing reflexive critical thinking and analytic skills.

Author Biographies

Jessica van Horssen, Leeds Beckett University

Jessica van Horssen is a Senior Lecturer in North American History at Leeds Beckett University. Her research and teaching interests blend Digital History with historical crises in environment, society, and culture. She is committed to bringing active learning into the HE classroom through technology.   

Zoe Moreton, Leeds Beckett University

Zoë Moreton is a PhD candidate, lecturer, and research assistant in Media at Leeds Beckett University. Her research interests centre around the use of technology with a focus on how her time as a primary teacher can inform good practice in higher education.

Gaspard Pelurson, King’s College London

Gaspard Pelurson is a Lecturer in Culture, Media and Creative Industries at King’s College London. His research interests are located at the intersection of queer and game studies and his work approaches games as a polysemous medium and a critical platform for societal reflections.

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Published

24-09-2023

How to Cite

van Horssen, J., Moreton, Z. and Pelurson, G. (2023) “From pixels to pedagogy: using video games for higher education in the humanities”, Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education, (28). doi: 10.47408/jldhe.vi28.875.

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Papers