Historisch Denken Lernen:Einige theoretische Herausforderungen beim Spielen der Kreuzzüge,Learning to Think Historically:Some Theoretical Challenges when Playing the Crusades
The basis of the informal and formal educational potential of games is an understanding of historical learning as not only the acquisition of information about the past but also of how this knowledge is (co-)constructed from modern perspectives and also as a means of developing synthetic and analytic operations of historical thinking. In this respect, the playing of historical games enables the co-construction of conceptions, beliefs, and convictions about ‘the past’ and its relevance is not so different from other cultural forms and media addressing history. The chapter explains computer games which feature the history of the crusades as a medium of historical culture. Ultimately, the vast range of approaches, perspectives, and genres through which games present the crusades can provide potent support for many elements of teaching. The crusades provide a particularly useful case study for the use of historical games for educational purposes.