Description
This paper aims to provide insights into the benefits and challenges of using videogames as a tool for teaching and learning politics and international relations. Technologically enhanced learning and innovative teaching practices are increasingly advocated by higher education bodies to ensure that students graduate with a wide range of twenty-first century skills. While there is an increasing amount of research into the use of popular culture and digital games as education tools, little has been conducted into the use of commercial videogames as pedagogical tools for teaching politics and IR. Several commercially available videogames present not only relevant themes, such as migration, conflict, and protest, but also present players with moral dilemmas, offer different perspectives, and encourage empathy. This paper reflects on my experience facilitating undergraduate teaching sessions using videogames, during which the gameplay, interactions between students and group discussions were observed and post-session surveys analysed. The insights into the student experience, as well as the practicalities of delivering sessions that incorporate videogames, contribute to conversations on the use of novel mediums, popular culture, and pedagogical methods.
