Andreas Wieser is a master’s student at the University of Innsbruck and a student assistant at the Institute for Subject Didactics. His research focuses on subject didactics in the field of history and civic education and their intersections with game studies. He is particularly interested in the reception of video games by consumers and the associated influence on their historical culture and historical identity.
Playing Civilistis at War. But what about the Players?
FROG 2024 – Talk
When talking about an apocalyptic scenario, one is most likely talking about a future event. But it is something a lot of people are experiencing right now in areas of conflict and war such as Ukraine and Gaza. For the rest of us in a peaceful Europe it is difficult to fathom such catastrophic experiences. Different Serious Games try to depict similar scenarios of destruction, failing laws and missing solidarity, so players can understand the misery coming with war and conflict. This War of Mine tries to highlight the civilian perspective and the struggles of surviving in a besieged city facing lack of food, medicine and heating materials.
From a teaching perspective, the question arises as to whether players are independently encouraged to reflect on existing pre-concepts on various topics such as power, room for manoeuvre, distribution and norms through playful consumption of an apocalyptic scenario. By analysing more than 2000 Steam reviews and four interviews with players who had never played the game before, quantitative and qualitative statements could be made about the four concepts mentioned above: Most of the times the players feel powerless. They only noticeable feeling of power consists of information about the situation in general and about others. This form of power subsequently also enables room for manoeuvre and facilitates related decisions. The lack of resources, in turn, forces people to make unpleasant decisions calling their own standards into question. It can therefore be concluded that the existing pre-concepts of power, room for manoeuvre, distribution and norms are reshaped through the consumption of This War of Mine.
This presentation is based on the results of the masters’ thesis of the author.
6
