Course Description

History in board and computer games – on selected examples explores the ways in which history is represented, interpreted, simplified and transformed in modern games and popular culture. The course examines tabletop role-playing games, miniature wargaming and computer games as forms of engagement with the past.

Students will analyse examples ranging from Dungeons & Dragons and miniature wargaming to Sid Meier’s Civilization, Kingdom Come: Deliverance, The Witcher, Total War, Assassin’s Creed and Bolt Action. Particular attention will be paid to the representation of the Middle Ages, warfare, social hierarchy, political structures, religion, material culture, historical authenticity and alternative history.

Rather than treating games merely as entertainment, the course approaches them as cultural products that construct particular visions of the past. Students will learn to distinguish historical reconstruction from historical fiction, identify simplifications and anachronisms, and critically assess the educational potential and limitations of games as tools for learning about history.

The course is designed primarily as an asynchronous and self-paced online course. It combines short video lectures, presentations, reading materials, case studies, quizzes and analytical tasks.