Getting started with game-based history
When students walk into one of Dr. David Parnell's upper division history courses at IU Northwest, they know they won't be sitting through a typical lecture. Instead, they might spend several weeks negotiating alliances, delivering speeches in character, or plotting the next move in a Mediterranean-wide power struggle.
For Parnell, game-based learning is a purposeful way to connect learners with the historical content of the course. Parnell has been experimenting with game-based learning for several years, driven by a desire to create immersive, in-person experiences that actively engage his students in their learning. He's found that when students engage through play—strategizing, debating, collaborating—their creativity emerges and their understanding deepens.
Parnell first incorporated game elements through the widely adopted "Reacting to the Past" game series. These structured roleplaying modules provide historical scenarios, character roles, and debate prompts. In his Greek History course, students step into Athens in 403 BCE and debate the future of democracy.
He describes these games as highly "plug and play," which he explains are well-designed, reviewed, and easy for faculty to adopt. Students prepare by reading contextual material, assume their assigned roles, and participate in multi-week debates that bring political and social tensions to life. For Parnell, these scenarios offered a straightforward entry point into game-based learning and helped him build confidence before attempting something more ambitious.
Designing "The Roman Mediterranean"
That ambition came to fruition in his Roman History course, where Parnell designed a strategy game he calls "The Roman Mediterranean." Inspired loosely by the game Risk, his game transforms the entire class into competing ancient kingdoms, each trying to expand its influence across a digital map of the Mediterranean.
The game unfolds across eight to ten class sessions in the middle of the semester. Student teams negotiate alliances, plan military movements, decide whether to raid or conquer neighboring states, and manage resources like food and gold. Parnell further engages learners through storytelling, where a single unlucky decision or dice roll can lead to political unrest or even the fall of an empire.
A game of this scale can be challenging to balance. Students with gaming experience often push for more complexity, while others may feel overwhelmed. Parnell has spent several semesters refining the rules and introducing new layers through learner feedback. He's also working on ways to ensure equitable team participation, since the natural leaders often dominate strategic discussions.
Even with these challenges, the game has become a signature part of his teaching. Although gameplay takes place weekly, Parnell builds academic reflection around it to help students connect classroom action to historical learning. Students complete:
- A short research paper on the historical background of their assigned empire or kingdom.
- A mid-semester speech, delivered in character, making the case for their state's strength on the "international stage."
- A final reflective essay describing what they learned about ancient diplomacy, alliances, and conflict from participating in the game.
These reflections regularly reveal insights students didn't gain from reading alone. Students note how the pressure to collaborate—or the sting of defeat—helped them better understand ancient political dynamics.
Outcomes and advice for colleagues
Student reactions have been overwhelmingly positive. Many describe the game as the highlight of the course and appreciate the chance to learn history by engaging directly with the problems ancient leaders faced. Some challenges remain, particularly when a team is conquered early, and its members must join a rival empire. Parnell continues to refine this aspect so that all students remain meaningfully involved.
By navigating the tensions of a world in conflict, learners finish the course with a clearer sense of how alliances form, how conflicts escalate, and how ancient societies handled power.
When asked what he would say to colleagues curious about game-based learning, Parnell suggests starting with something that aligns with your personal interests. For him, a lifelong enjoyment of strategy games made this a natural fit, even though developing and revising his own system required significant upfront investment of time and creative effort.
He encourages faculty to explore what excites them—whether it's roleplaying, storytelling, simulation, or problem solving—and build from there. Games work best when the instructor is genuinely engaged in the experience.
