Replaying history: engaging urban underserved students in learning world history through computer simulation games

A growing number of educators are exploring digital games for engaging students in learning experiences, but relatively little is known about how games engage players, how learning occurs through gameplay, or what interactions occur when complex games are brought into school culture. This case study examines what happens when Civilization III was brought into an urban school for underserved students. Engagement in gameplay was a complex process of appropriation and resistance, recruiting students' identities and intentions. Learning occurred through recursive cycles of failure and revising strategies, which led to frustration, engagement and learning. Students developed familiarity with game concepts and deeper understandings of relationships among history, geography, economics, and politics.