Work

History, Heritage, and Memory in Video Games: Approaching the Past in Svoboda 1945: Liberation and Train to Sachsenhausen

Year: 2022

Type: article

Abstract: This article explores authenticity, immersion, and heritage in two historical video games, Svoboda 1945: Liberation and Train to Sachsenhausen. The two games use different strategies when inviting understanding, emotional attachment, and immersive experiences of past events. We draw upon a critical, self-reflective analysis of the design process and a comparison of both games. Our aim is to expand further the toolset for historical game analysis and critique by developing the terms inter-medial authenticity and procedural heritage to enable investigations of games as both representations and simulations of historical events. We show that both these aspects can contribute to the roles games can play as conveyors of historical memory and heritage.

Source: Games and Culture

DOI: 10.1177/15554120221115402

Authors: Vít Šisler, Holger Pötzsch, Tereza Hannemann, Jaroslav Cuhra, Jaroslav Pinkas

Institutions: Charles University, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Contemporary History, Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes

Language: English

Topic: Digital Games and Media

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: Univerzita Karlova v Praze, European Regional Development Fund

Awards: G4371494545, G5899918905