Beyond the animus
Historical Video Games as Historiographical Machines
Author: Pizzuti, Giuseppe Date: 09/02/2026
PhD Proposal
INDEX
01. Gamification
05. Impact on students
09. Development
02. G. and History
10. Conclusions
06. Framework
03. The Post-Truth Era
11. List of playable eras
07. Ethics
04. The Question
12. Bibliography
08. Inclusivity
01. Gamification
What do we mean by Gamification
With "Gamification", we mean the application of game-design elements and game principles in non-game contexts to improve user engagement and learning. Nowadays, games in education are mainly used as assessment tools, such as Booklet and Kahoot!
- Video games are still shackled by negative stereotypes
- The market is worth £1.4 billions
- 48% of video games users are females
- The number of historical video games have increased in the last 15 years
02. Gamification and history
Many scholars have written about the link between Gamification and History. McCall has published a book about the use of historical video games in Secondary School, advocating that video games can be used to learn facts, events and dates. A similar work has been published by Ubisoft and a number of western scholars, who worked together to discuss about Assassin's Creed in education.
Read more
03. The issue: The Post-Truth Era
According to McIntyre, in this Post-Truth Era (ideological supremacy overriding factual evidence), students are increasingly vulnerable to "fake history" and digital misinformation. How can students learn if these historiographical machines only represent a constructed, mediated and selected history?
Read more
04. The question
Specific
To what extent can immersive historical video games serve as historiographical tools to develop secondary students' digital literacy and critical historical thinking within a "post-truth" educational landscape?
As a practitioner and researcher, my aims are:
- Deconstruct the Digital Ontology
- Evaluate Student Epistemology
- Analyse the "Tension of Representation"
- Develop a Pedagogical Framework
History is not what happened, but what survives of what happened. Adam Chapman
We must move away from viewing games as mere 'fact-carriers' and instead treat them as historiographical machines—sites where history is not just played, but constructed.
05.The impact on Ks3 students
Develop critical historical thinking
Work with authentic sources
Create transferable skills
This research utilises a Comparative Action Research model within a British secondary school environment, focusing on two Year 9 classes (KS3).
06.framework
Class 1 (Control) will receive a traditional curriculum focused on primary source analysis through booklets, textbooks, and teacher-led lectures.
Class 2 (Experimental) will utilise video games such as Assassin’s Creed Syndicate as a "historiographical machine”. The teacher will "slim" the gameplay into purposeful, 15-minute sessions. Students will engage in "metagaming" – the practice of playing with a specific analytical goal, such as identifying the "Great Man" bias in the game’s portrayal of Queen Victoria versus the primary source accounts of writers such as Henry Mayhew.
07.Ethics
Field work
For "Main Game" footage, the researcher will provide "skimmed" and edited recordings, ensuring that students are never exposed to inappropriate violence or language.
Full adherence to BERA (British Educational Research Association) guidelines will be maintained, with informed consent/assent from school leadership, parents, and students.
Ethical Considerations and PEGI Ratings
A significant hurdle in this research is the PEGI 18 rating of the Assassin’s Creed series. To navigate this ethically:
The research will use the "Discovery Tour" mode, which is educational, combat-free, and carries a much lower age rating (PEGI 12).
08. Inclusivity
09.Development
The researcher and the Practitioner
Interactivity
I recognize that as an 'insider'—a practitioner-researcher—I have a dual identity. To maintain rigor, I will employ Reflexivity. This means keeping a detailed researcher’s journal to document my own biases and instructional decisions. Furthermore, I will use Data Triangulation.
Tests
Journal
Uniforming to BERA and PEGi
Reflexivity
10.Conclusions: The three pillars
Pillar 1: Theoretical Impact
Redefining video games as Digital Ontologies and "Historiographical Machines."
Bridging the gap between Game Studies and History Education. Pillar 2: Social & Ethical Impact
Protecting students from Online Harms and "post-truth" manipulation.
Building Digital Citizenship for a £140bn entertainment culture. Pillar 3: Pedagogical Impact (The Teacher-Researcher). Creating a scalable framework for inclusive, multimodal learning.
Empowering marginalized learners through visual and spatial literacy.
12. List of playable eras
Victorian England
Feudal Japan
World War I
Italian Renaissance
Viking Age
Crusades
American Revolution
American Wild West
Cleopatra's Egypt
French Revolution
Medieval Europe
Greek Poleis
12. Bibliography
Ashinoff, B. K. (2014). The potential of video games as a pedagogical tool. Frontiers in Psychology. Champion, E., & Hiriart, J. (2023). Assassin's Creed in the Classroom: History's Playground or a Stab in the Dark? De Gruyter.
Chapman, A. (2016). Digital Games as History: How Videogames Represent the Past and Offer Access to Historical Practice. Routledge.
McCall, J. (2023). Gaming the Past: Using Video Games to Teach Secondary History. 2nd Edition. Routledge. McIntyre, L. (2018). Post-Truth. MIT Press.
Picard, L. (2005). Victorian London: The Tale of a City, 1840-1870. St. Martin’s Press. Pivec, M. (2007). Play and learn: potentials of game-based learning. British Journal of Educational Technology. University of Salford (2023). Salford academic works with Ubisoft on Assassin’s Creed Mirage. Available at: https://www.salford.ac.uk/news/salford-academic-works-ubisoft-assassins-creed-mirage (Accessed: 23/12/2025).
In conclusion...
My research transforms video games from a 'classroom distraction' into a 'historiographical machine,' equipping the next generation with the epistemic resilience required to navigate, deconstruct, and master the digital narratives of a post-truth world.
The Societal Impact, by building "epistemic resilience" :this research directly addresses the UK government’s concerns regarding digital literacy and the "online harms" associated with misinformation and political radicalisation.
By developing critical thinking, students will be able to apply the same rules in other subjects
Post-Truth means nostalgia
In History classroom, the ideological supremacy often manifests as nostalgic and conservative narratives
Two main use of video games in class
Cognitive psychology and pedagogical engagement.
This skill is necessary for their GCSE exam, where students must be able to evaluate original sources like pictures or newspaper articles.
Beyond the animus
Giuseppe Pizzuti
Created on February 4, 2026
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Transcript
Beyond the animus
Historical Video Games as Historiographical Machines
Author: Pizzuti, Giuseppe Date: 09/02/2026
PhD Proposal
INDEX
01. Gamification
05. Impact on students
09. Development
02. G. and History
10. Conclusions
06. Framework
03. The Post-Truth Era
11. List of playable eras
07. Ethics
04. The Question
12. Bibliography
08. Inclusivity
01. Gamification
What do we mean by Gamification
With "Gamification", we mean the application of game-design elements and game principles in non-game contexts to improve user engagement and learning. Nowadays, games in education are mainly used as assessment tools, such as Booklet and Kahoot!
02. Gamification and history
Many scholars have written about the link between Gamification and History. McCall has published a book about the use of historical video games in Secondary School, advocating that video games can be used to learn facts, events and dates. A similar work has been published by Ubisoft and a number of western scholars, who worked together to discuss about Assassin's Creed in education.
Read more
03. The issue: The Post-Truth Era
According to McIntyre, in this Post-Truth Era (ideological supremacy overriding factual evidence), students are increasingly vulnerable to "fake history" and digital misinformation. How can students learn if these historiographical machines only represent a constructed, mediated and selected history?
Read more
04. The question
Specific
To what extent can immersive historical video games serve as historiographical tools to develop secondary students' digital literacy and critical historical thinking within a "post-truth" educational landscape?
As a practitioner and researcher, my aims are:
History is not what happened, but what survives of what happened. Adam Chapman
We must move away from viewing games as mere 'fact-carriers' and instead treat them as historiographical machines—sites where history is not just played, but constructed.
05.The impact on Ks3 students
Develop critical historical thinking
Work with authentic sources
Create transferable skills
This research utilises a Comparative Action Research model within a British secondary school environment, focusing on two Year 9 classes (KS3).
06.framework
Class 1 (Control) will receive a traditional curriculum focused on primary source analysis through booklets, textbooks, and teacher-led lectures.
Class 2 (Experimental) will utilise video games such as Assassin’s Creed Syndicate as a "historiographical machine”. The teacher will "slim" the gameplay into purposeful, 15-minute sessions. Students will engage in "metagaming" – the practice of playing with a specific analytical goal, such as identifying the "Great Man" bias in the game’s portrayal of Queen Victoria versus the primary source accounts of writers such as Henry Mayhew.
07.Ethics
Field work
For "Main Game" footage, the researcher will provide "skimmed" and edited recordings, ensuring that students are never exposed to inappropriate violence or language. Full adherence to BERA (British Educational Research Association) guidelines will be maintained, with informed consent/assent from school leadership, parents, and students.
Ethical Considerations and PEGI Ratings A significant hurdle in this research is the PEGI 18 rating of the Assassin’s Creed series. To navigate this ethically: The research will use the "Discovery Tour" mode, which is educational, combat-free, and carries a much lower age rating (PEGI 12).
08. Inclusivity
09.Development
The researcher and the Practitioner
Interactivity
I recognize that as an 'insider'—a practitioner-researcher—I have a dual identity. To maintain rigor, I will employ Reflexivity. This means keeping a detailed researcher’s journal to document my own biases and instructional decisions. Furthermore, I will use Data Triangulation.
Tests
Journal
Uniforming to BERA and PEGi
Reflexivity
10.Conclusions: The three pillars
Pillar 1: Theoretical Impact Redefining video games as Digital Ontologies and "Historiographical Machines." Bridging the gap between Game Studies and History Education. Pillar 2: Social & Ethical Impact Protecting students from Online Harms and "post-truth" manipulation. Building Digital Citizenship for a £140bn entertainment culture. Pillar 3: Pedagogical Impact (The Teacher-Researcher). Creating a scalable framework for inclusive, multimodal learning. Empowering marginalized learners through visual and spatial literacy.
12. List of playable eras
Victorian England
Feudal Japan
World War I
Italian Renaissance
Viking Age
Crusades
American Revolution
American Wild West
Cleopatra's Egypt
French Revolution
Medieval Europe
Greek Poleis
12. Bibliography
Ashinoff, B. K. (2014). The potential of video games as a pedagogical tool. Frontiers in Psychology. Champion, E., & Hiriart, J. (2023). Assassin's Creed in the Classroom: History's Playground or a Stab in the Dark? De Gruyter. Chapman, A. (2016). Digital Games as History: How Videogames Represent the Past and Offer Access to Historical Practice. Routledge. McCall, J. (2023). Gaming the Past: Using Video Games to Teach Secondary History. 2nd Edition. Routledge. McIntyre, L. (2018). Post-Truth. MIT Press. Picard, L. (2005). Victorian London: The Tale of a City, 1840-1870. St. Martin’s Press. Pivec, M. (2007). Play and learn: potentials of game-based learning. British Journal of Educational Technology. University of Salford (2023). Salford academic works with Ubisoft on Assassin’s Creed Mirage. Available at: https://www.salford.ac.uk/news/salford-academic-works-ubisoft-assassins-creed-mirage (Accessed: 23/12/2025).
In conclusion...
My research transforms video games from a 'classroom distraction' into a 'historiographical machine,' equipping the next generation with the epistemic resilience required to navigate, deconstruct, and master the digital narratives of a post-truth world.
The Societal Impact, by building "epistemic resilience" :this research directly addresses the UK government’s concerns regarding digital literacy and the "online harms" associated with misinformation and political radicalisation.
By developing critical thinking, students will be able to apply the same rules in other subjects
Post-Truth means nostalgia
In History classroom, the ideological supremacy often manifests as nostalgic and conservative narratives
Two main use of video games in class
Cognitive psychology and pedagogical engagement.
This skill is necessary for their GCSE exam, where students must be able to evaluate original sources like pictures or newspaper articles.