Lua—If History Headspace was a real podcast series, I would totally add it to my playlist. I’m glad that you tried out the approach of interviewing someone; I think this adds so much more to the “conversation” of a podcast. Glen did a wonderful job (thank you Glen for being a participant in our digital history shenanigans)! The periodic background music brought this episode to life for the listener as well!
It was especially interesting to hear an outsider’s perspective on The Oregon Trail and the issues of that game, as well as the potential of other games like When Rivers Were Trails that center Indigenous narratives. It’s nice to know that for people who are #gamers (lol) these are important issues circulating amongst the gaming community. Hearing Glen’s thoughts about how When Rivers Were Trails can serve as an educational resource reminded me of our conversation in class about how history/culture is “recreated” through videogame narratives. As players, we are participating in the worlds, landscapes, and storylines of historical actors, and so it is hard to separate the “educational” side from the “entertainment” value. It’s equally important that we critically engage with these narratives because they are a form of public history.
Thanks for such a lively and fun conversation about these games, and I hope you enjoyed the process of recording and producing this podcast episode! Hopefully this sparks your interest in all of the diverse ways of “doing” digital history!
Lua—If History Headspace was a real podcast series, I would totally add it to my playlist. I’m glad that you tried out the approach of interviewing someone; I think this adds so much more to the “conversation” of a podcast. Glen did a wonderful job (thank you Glen for being a participant in our digital history shenanigans)! The periodic background music brought this episode to life for the listener as well!
It was especially interesting to hear an outsider’s perspective on The Oregon Trail and the issues of that game, as well as the potential of other games like When Rivers Were Trails that center Indigenous narratives. It’s nice to know that for people who are #gamers (lol) these are important issues circulating amongst the gaming community. Hearing Glen’s thoughts about how When Rivers Were Trails can serve as an educational resource reminded me of our conversation in class about how history/culture is “recreated” through videogame narratives. As players, we are participating in the worlds, landscapes, and storylines of historical actors, and so it is hard to separate the “educational” side from the “entertainment” value. It’s equally important that we critically engage with these narratives because they are a form of public history.
Thanks for such a lively and fun conversation about these games, and I hope you enjoyed the process of recording and producing this podcast episode! Hopefully this sparks your interest in all of the diverse ways of “doing” digital history!