Lives in Transit: serious gaming in the classroom
Referat im Panel Digitale Projekte im Studium – eine Bereicherung?
Lives in Transit is an interactive, text-based game aimed at BA and MA students in History and related disciplines. Its goal is to make players aware of the contingencies of historical research--both the limitations imposed on our academic work by time constraints, a lack of money, and obstructive colleagues or institutions, but also the new pathways opened by serendipity and the kindness of strangers. The game further asks that players reflect on the very nature of research, be that analogue, digital, or a combination of the two. Our talk will introduce key aspects of the game, both as a teaching and as a writing experience, and invite further discussion on the topic of historical storytelling in a digitized world.