‘Experience the Second World War like never before!’ Game paratextuality between transnational branding and informal learning

Pieter J.B.J. Van Den Heede

doi:10.1080/02103702.2020.1771964

‘Experience the Second World War like never before!’ Game paratextuality between transnational branding and informal learning

Pieter J.B.J. Van Den Heede^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Department of History

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

44 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

In contemporary historical culture, digital entertainment games about the Second World War have become a prominent format for cultural expression. By allowing players to actively engage with the history of the Second World War, this body of commercial digital entertainment games can significantly co-configure how this war is understood, especially in light of the blurring distinction between formal and informal historical learning. This article presents an interpretative content analysis of the marketing ‘paratexts’ of a corpus of digital entertainment games about the Second World War that are shared through online game stores and online game community platforms. This is done to provide insight into how digital entertainment games and their online community platforms can function as sites for informal historical learning, both in relation to the history of the Second World War and the central goals of formal history education.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	606-651
Number of pages	46
Journal	Journal for the Study of Education and Development
Volume	43
Issue number	3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1080/02103702.2020.1771964
Publication status	Published - 31 Jul 2020

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The research reported here has received funding from the Erasmus University Rotterdam under the Research Excellence Initiative programme ‘War! Popular Culture and European Heritage of Major Armed Conflicts’. I would like to thank Prof. Kees Ribbens, Prof. Jeroen Jansz and Prof. Maria Grever in particular for their active support while carrying out the research. I would also like to thank my other colleagues in the project, Prof. Stijn Reijnders, Prof. Francisca de Jong, Dr. Susan Hogervorst, Dr. Robbert-Jan Adriaansen, Siri Driessen, Laurie Slegtenhorst and Lise Zurné, for their valuable feedback. Finally, I very much would like to thank Lars de Wildt, Emil Hammar, Astrid Erll and Eva Kingsepp for their additional feedback and support. / La investigación aquí reportada recibió financiación de Erasmus University Rotterdam a través del Research Excellence Initiative programme (programa de iniciativa a la excelencia investigadora) titulado ‘War! Popular Culture and European Heritage of Major Armed Conflicts’ (¡Guerra! La cultura popular y el patrimonio europeo de los grandes conflictos armados). Deseo expresar mi agradecimiento al profesor Kees Ribbens, el profesor Jeroen Jansz y la profesora Maria Grever en particular por su apoyo activo durante esta investigación. También deseo agradecer a mis otros compañeros de proyecto, el profesor Stijn Reijnders, la profesora Francisca de Jong, la doctora Susan Hogervorst, el doctor Robbert-Jan Adriaansen, Siri Driessen, Laurie Slegtenhorst y Lise Zurné, por su valiosa retroalimentación. Por último, quiero agradecer a Lars de Wildt, Emil Hammar, Astrid Erll y Eva Kingsepp por su retroalimentación y apoyo adicional.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Research programs

ESHCC HIS

Access to Document

10.1080/02103702.2020.1771964Licence: CC BY-NC-ND

Repub_129325_O-A.pdfFinal published version, 11.4 MBLicence: CC BY-NC-ND

http://hdl.handle.net/1765/129325

Cite this

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title = "{\textquoteleft}Experience the Second World War like never before!{\textquoteright} Game paratextuality between transnational branding and informal learning",

abstract = "In contemporary historical culture, digital entertainment games about the Second World War have become a prominent format for cultural expression. By allowing players to actively engage with the history of the Second World War, this body of commercial digital entertainment games can significantly co-configure how this war is understood, especially in light of the blurring distinction between formal and informal historical learning. This article presents an interpretative content analysis of the marketing {\textquoteleft}paratexts{\textquoteright} of a corpus of digital entertainment games about the Second World War that are shared through online game stores and online game community platforms. This is done to provide insight into how digital entertainment games and their online community platforms can function as sites for informal historical learning, both in relation to the history of the Second World War and the central goals of formal history education.",

author = "{Van Den Heede}, {Pieter J.B.J.}",

note = "Funding Information: The research reported here has received funding from the Erasmus University Rotterdam under the Research Excellence Initiative programme {\textquoteleft}War! Popular Culture and European Heritage of Major Armed Conflicts{\textquoteright}. I would like to thank Prof. Kees Ribbens, Prof. Jeroen Jansz and Prof. Maria Grever in particular for their active support while carrying out the research. I would also like to thank my other colleagues in the project, Prof. Stijn Reijnders, Prof. Francisca de Jong, Dr. Susan Hogervorst, Dr. Robbert-Jan Adriaansen, Siri Driessen, Laurie Slegtenhorst and Lise Zurn{\'e}, for their valuable feedback. Finally, I very much would like to thank Lars de Wildt, Emil Hammar, Astrid Erll and Eva Kingsepp for their additional feedback and support. / La investigaci{\'o}n aqu{\'i} reportada recibi{\'o} financiaci{\'o}n de Erasmus University Rotterdam a trav{\'e}s del Research Excellence Initiative programme (programa de iniciativa a la excelencia investigadora) titulado {\textquoteleft}War! Popular Culture and European Heritage of Major Armed Conflicts{\textquoteright} (¡Guerra! La cultura popular y el patrimonio europeo de los grandes conflictos armados). Deseo expresar mi agradecimiento al profesor Kees Ribbens, el profesor Jeroen Jansz y la profesora Maria Grever en particular por su apoyo activo durante esta investigaci{\'o}n. Tambi{\'e}n deseo agradecer a mis otros compa{\~n}eros de proyecto, el profesor Stijn Reijnders, la profesora Francisca de Jong, la doctora Susan Hogervorst, el doctor Robbert-Jan Adriaansen, Siri Driessen, Laurie Slegtenhorst y Lise Zurn{\'e}, por su valiosa retroalimentaci{\'o}n. Por {\'u}ltimo, quiero agradecer a Lars de Wildt, Emil Hammar, Astrid Erll y Eva Kingsepp por su retroalimentaci{\'o}n y apoyo adicional. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2020 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.",

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doi = "10.1080/02103702.2020.1771964",

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‘Experience the Second World War like never before!’ Game paratextuality between transnational branding and informal learning

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Research programs

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Videojuegos y Aprendizaje Informal de Historia: Possibilidades y Limitaciones

Immediacy / Hypermediacy

Game Depictions of the Past: World War II in Digital Games

Engaging with WWII and the Holocaust via Gaming: Analytical Perspectives on Design and Reception

Cite this

‘Experience the Second World War like never before!’ Game paratextuality between transnational branding and informal learning

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Research programs

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Research output

Videojuegos y Aprendizaje Informal de Historia: Possibilidades y Limitaciones

Immediacy / Hypermediacy

Activities

Game Depictions of the Past: World War II in Digital Games

Engaging with WWII and the Holocaust via Gaming: Analytical Perspectives on Design and Reception

Cite this