História em jogo: do joystick à sala de aula

Abstract

In the study of history, everything can serve as an object of study, from ancient constructions and objects to current discourses and behaviors, which contribute to an understanding not only of past societies, but how our own society understands and represents those that preceded it. Electronic games can also be included in the category of historical artifacts such as a Greek vase from the 5th century BC and for the same reasons: it is the result of a society that had a given technology at the time of the production of this artifact and that was inserted within a context social, political and economic. Based on this proposition, our research presents a part of the history of video games, from their emergence to the point where they consolidated in the entertainment market, then discusses and analyzes specific historical narratives found in some commercial games that can be used in teaching History, and finally, it brings a general reflection about the potential of these games. With regard to the specific objectives, we intend to make the student (i) realize how a distant past is presented and represented by people from a much later time and that the selection of facts and characters cannot change the past, but it can re-signify it from other perspectives; (ii) relate concepts developed in the classroom with situations found in the game; (iii) place fun as a captivating element in the teaching-learning process of subjects present in the syllabus.