Teaching Civil Rights History Through Gaming: Challenges And Opportunities
0Using interactive games to explore complex historical content presents unique challenges as well as opportunities. This is particularly true when exploring potentially sensitive topics like the civil rights movement, as educators seek new ways to engage students amidst an evolving political and educational climate. In this showcase, a game designer, historian, youth development expert, and educator share their processes, challenges, and lessons learned in developing an interactive role-playing game that puts young people in the role of a fictional Black teenager in 1960s Mississippi, as they experience the Jim Crow South and join other young people in organizing for change. They also discuss best practices for supporting teachers and students in using tools like this in the classroom.