Games in History Education Project

About the Project

The Games in History Education Project aims to create games that can be used in a variety of classes, modes, and contexts to provide new ways for students to learn about historical events and concepts while increasing student engagement.  The Project will create both new games and transfer existing boardgames into computer-based games for ease of access and play.  Each game will be accompanied by materials that could be used by an instructor to extend and support student learning when playing the game.  GHEP will be aimed at high school and undergraduate students although it could also be useful for junior high school and homeschool students.

Call For Collaboration: If you have a historical game or game idea that you think could be useful for students in a web-based format, please contact me.  I would like to begin moving away from producing games primairly focused on war and military history, and explore economic, policial, and social topics.  In particular, I would like to create a library of micro/mini-games that can be learned very quickly and played in less than 10 or 15 minutes. (See Battle Card: Market Garden below as an exmaple)

Now Available: 

• Battle Card: Market Garden, 1944 (microgame)
• Levée en Masse: The Wars of the French Revolution, 1789-1802
• Constantinople: A History of the Byzantine Empire, 330-1453
• Israeli Independence: The First Arab-Israeli War, 1948-49

In Development:

• Hero of Weehawken: The Arron Burr Conspiracy, 1805-1807 (playtest available)
• We Must Tell the Emperor: The Great Pacific War, 1941-45 (demo available)

Final Editing:

• State of War, America and the World 1935-1941

Copyright permission acquired and in development:

• Churchill: The Big Three Struggle for Peace
• First Team Vietnam: The Air Cavalry in Action

Possible Future Games in Various States of Production:

Cuban Missile Crisis
Silent Victory: U.S. Submarines in the Pacific, 1941-45

Why web-based and not an app or computer program?  While there are limits imposed by using essentially a Javascript/HTML-based approach, it does mean that the program is almost universally accessible and will run on virtually any computer, table, or phone.  It also means that there is no installation process, and students and other users can have access from nearly anywhere in the world and no is any updating necessary.  Saved games can be saved locally and easily loaded to continue a game.

Disclaimers: Feather River College and its employees are not responsible for the content of copyrighted games which may cover difficult or distressing topics such as war or violent conflict.  Copyright-holders retain all rights under the law.  Any games provided by the GHEP are free to use and no charges of any fees or costs of any kind are permitted to be charged for their use.

April 2023:

• We Must Tell the Emperor proposal and demo available
• Update for Hero of Weekhawken playtest version
• Request for Collaborators posted