Abstract

This paper investigates university students’ perceptions of how playing historical videogames has affected their understanding of the past. We were especially interested in how participants thought about space and place in historical computer games and how their playing of such games affected their broader engagement with history. We administered an online survey to students at two UK higher education institutions. The survey adopted a user-centred approach that provided a multiview of students’ perceptions of their experiences of historical videogaming. Rather than focusing on the historical “accuracy” of games, we adopted a more processual understanding of games and their users, focusing analysis on how active engagement in gameplay affects perceptions of historical time and sense of place. In particular, we sought to understand respondents’ views on the relative importance of perceived accuracy and sense of authenticity in historical videogames, especially insofar as they relate to gamers’ attempts to construct their own stories by playing in the past.