Project Status: In Progress

Project Goal: Book Publications

Funded by:

German Research Foundation (DFG) as part of the Collaborative Research Center 1472 " Transformations of the popular"

History is popularized in modern leisure culture not least through digital games: Conceptions of history in general—and of historical figures, places, events, or eras in particular—are taken up, translated, modified, and staged in both simple and complex video game worlds, and are received by an increasingly diverse player base. The project examines both the transformation of history in popular digital games and the transformation of these games through the representation of popular history. The production of digital games for a global market, in particular, allows us to draw conclusions about historical constructions that their producers consider accessible worldwide and that often appeal to players of all educational backgrounds. This gives rise to the two hypotheses that will be tested in the project: first, that of “historical mainstreaming,” which is driven by the most popular digital games and, at the same time, alters the development of these games by promoting corresponding narratives; and second, the hypothesis of a “historical diversification” of popular history, which would result from players’ engagement with the interactive medium—an engagement shaped more by local, regional, or national cultural influences.

With its steadily growing popularity, the digital game has joined the ranks of popular history offerings that have been driving a sustained history boom in the entertainment sector for decades and, as an integral part of popular culture, are having a lasting impact on the understanding of history. Digital games draw on images and ideas that have been popular since the 19th century, but—due to their medium-specific characteristics, above all interactivity—they enable new ways of engaging with familiar historical narratives. At the same time, the already heterogeneous perceptions of history within user cultures are becoming even more differentiated, while developers tend to aim for the greatest common denominator. In this way, digital games in particular create a space of resonance between local appropriation and a globally marketed interpretation of history—a space that is significant for addressing the question of the popularization of history and its transformation. Using historiographical methods, the project examines the tension between the “historical mainstreaming” of history and its “historical diversification” through digital games.

The digital game is both an agent and an object of the transformation of popular culture. As a dynamic medium, it is also capable of drawing upon and processing popular ideas from many fields, including popularizations of history. This contributes to a shift in the conception of popular history and increases its acceptance among segments of the population that have already embraced digital games as a popular medium. To increase acceptance among broader segments of the population, development studios are already attempting, in some cases, to position their games as part of a society’s culture of remembrance. If successful, they establish themselves as mediators of historical knowledge alongside educational, museum, or academic contexts. This gives rise to diverse conflicts among more heterogeneous—and often asymmetrical—groups of actors over the interpretive authority of history and decisions regarding the inherently selective popularization of history. Thus, the medium of entertainment is encroaching on areas that were previously reserved for popular historical narratives, which were more strongly oriented toward academic knowledge: First-order popularization—in the sense of the dissemination of consolidated knowledge by experts—is increasingly giving way to second-order popularization, in which laypeople themselves determine what knowledge should be disseminated, guided primarily by measurable audience engagement. This has significant consequences for institutions such as schools, libraries, museums, and non-fiction publishers, which traditionally see themselves as custodians of scientifically verified historical knowledge.

What makes digital games unique is their interactivity. Within the constraints of the technical specifications, this interactivity allows players to engage with the medium and the history it contains in a significantly more self-determined way. Through this form of independent action, the range of possible ways to engage with history expands significantly once again, which in turn further diversifies the possibilities for engaging with history. It is not only software companies and the experts they sometimes bring in who are capable of presenting historical knowledge, but potentially all players, who can play out their very own story and—in the age of social media—share it with others. The high/low distinction of traditional popularization strategies can thus hardly be maintained unchanged.

In order to address the central question of whether a “historical mainstream” is emerging or whether “historical diversification” is taking shape, the project is divided into three closely interlinked areas of research. The first of these areas examines the popularity of history in digital games based on sales and usage figures and charts for the German market since the turn of the millennium, thereby defining which games are to be considered popular within the project. In a case study on order and violence, the relationship between popularized conceptions of political order and strategies of military violence is examined through the visualization of historical state contexts. The second area of the project analyzes the popular history presented in game content and its reception by players, based on statements published by the players themselves and the resulting discussions in publicly accessible communities. Finally, the third area of the project uses an oral history study to examine, on an exemplary basis, the history actually received by players through their use of digital games.