Play is an important activity for people of all ages. And since it essentially delivers learning regardless of genre, its content may be enriched with whatever knowledge the designer manages to accommodate while still keeping the product as a game, which requires rules and a rewards system. Whether we sharpen our arithmetic skills by playing checkers or boost our distributive attention by playing a modern shooter game, all games develop some skill at some level, aside from the knowledge about the game itself. But what if the knowledge about the game itself was something so much needed by today’s society but poorly, if at all, addressed in schools? Games are learning engines which develop skill oriented within a context ensured by narrative and involve the player emotionally by offering the possibility to impact the outcome of the narrative, which intrinsically motivates the player to continue and see the results of his/her actions, therefore learn, unfold the content as he/she progresses – just as we learn what happened to a character in a novel or motion picture, develop bounds with, attitudes towards, and are motivated to keep reading or watching. OBJECTIVES We propose the following objectives to be accomplished through this project: • 300 adults to gain basic knowledge of European values, history and culture during 18 months of the project; • 30 adult learning agents/structures to introduce an e-learning GAME as a learning tool for European history and values during 18 months of the project; • To promote European values among 1000 persons during 30 months of the project; CONTEXT While most disciplines can be taught through textbooks and lectures, educating values has proven an important, yet particularly difficult segment of teaching which is poorly addressed in most areas of learning. This is particularly why educating values must be done differently and they are sediment in time, considering implicit learning and learning experience. Fortunately, today’s technology opens up possibilities which were never available before: educating through simulation, which transfers the very individual into an environment where experimentation and acquiring of information comes deeply connected to whatever the aim of the educator is, most often even without the knowledge of the learner. Our aim is to develop an immersive simulated environment commonly known as video/digital game, in which the learner travels through Europe’s history, from its mythological beginnings to the present, actively participating in key events throughout the history and mythology that shaped today’s Europe. This approach ensures the implicit acquirement of values in addition to learning Europe’s history and mythology, culture and civilization. We started from: • Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (2016) • Treaty on European Union (Consolidated version 2016) Our game will connect some of the key values of European Union with these eras: - Ancient Greece; - The Roman Empire; - Dark ages; - The Viking Age; - Renaissance; A_) PEACE as a key value of European Union will be pursued through the centuries, implicitly and meaningfully suggesting its benefits to the player through core game mechanics. Wise, diplomatic and dialogue-oriented approaches will always benefit the player whenever faced with decisions. This is achieved by creating offensive or annoying contexts which will tempt the player to act out – which will always turn out to be worse than pursuing peace. B_) MORE EUROPEAN VALUES and HERITAGE Below, we will give some examples of relevant connections which will be underlined within the game: Ancient Greece: democracy as a principle, fundamental western philosophy, mythology, the Olympic Games, mathematics, archetypal stories etc.; The Roman Empire: legislative system, religious, sexual orientation, geographic and cultural diversity, state government systems, architecture, etc.; Dark Ages: Magna Carta (incipient forms of liberty, popular democracy, justice, freedom of the individual against arbitrary authority), universities, printing press, chivalry etc.; The Viking Age: gender equality, exploration, innovation, trade etc.; Renaissance: tolerance, pluralism, arts, science, cultural expression, diplomacy etc.; TARGET GROUPS considered for this project: 1_) ADULTS • Staff members of organisations working with adults, in different educational activities: libraries, museums, educational centres, local administrations, information & counselling offices or structures; • Parents; • Seniors – adults from various centres for the elderly; • Migrants; • Staff members of various companies; • Young adults and adults in danger of becoming politically radicalized. Cross-sectors target groups: 2_) YOUTH WORKERS 3_) YOUNG PEOPLE, 13-30, directly involved from our local partners, school campaigns etc. 4_) ADULT SCHOOL STAFF/REPRESENTATIVES - teachers & lectors (history, humanities etc.)
History is not a dusty piece on a cold shelf, it is evidence of a vibrant humanity, with its all too familiar waltz of good and evil. During the project we overfulfilled our objectives, achieving the following: • 350 persons gaining basic knowledge of European values, history and culture during the project; • 46 partnerships realised with structures interested in using the game as a learning tool for European culture, history and values; • European values promoted among over 1500 persons; LEARNING EXPERIENCE AND ASSESSMENTS We created a system with an initial and final assessment in which 20 questions are generated randomly from a set of 250 questions covering all the ages presented in the game. In this way, players and educators can see the progress comparing the results before and after playing the game. In the game, we gradually introduce concepts while exploring; knowledge is gained through embedded actions and integrated with other information one possesses already, enriching both the new knowledge acquired and the reorganisation of already acquired knowledge through a learning experience, microlearning being another key approach as the game lets players save their progress to continue later.
While preparing this project, its initiators realized that there were very few nonformal or even formal learning activities regarding Europe as a living, complex organism, while addressing European values, history, and culture together. We found out that such matters remain poorly addressed at best, if at all. While most subjects can be taught through textbooks and lectures, educating values has proven an important, yet particularly difficult segment of teaching which is poorly addressed in most areas of learning. This is particularly why educating values must be done differently: through implicit learning and exposure to learning experiences, since they require time and iteration to develop. Fortunately, today’s technology opens unprecedented possibilities: educating through simulation, which transfers the very individual into a safe environment where experimentation and acquiring of information come deeply connected to whatever the aim of the educator is, most often even without the learner’s knowledge. Games can be both fun and instructional, one can learn about Europe’s cultural heritage while still having fun. It is a great alternative, especially for those who would not otherwise learn about it at all.