ABSTRACT
The study of the relationship between the discipline of history and video games has gained commendable momentum in recent years. However, there are few practical guides to implementing or designing historical video games. This paper seeks to provide a short but comprehensive analysis of gaming as public history in hope to provide clarity to an arguably eclectic field. If successful it should serve as a useful starting point for historians and heritage professionals alike who have an interest in the medium of gaming. The paper attempts to review, refine and revise historians’ contributions to the field. It concludes that there are three core elements to the historical game: selective authenticity, contingency and conceptual knowledge. Once each core position has been described, they will be applied to examples drawn from the gaming and heritage sectors to show how digital gaming can and has been successfully deployed as Public History. Finally, it will be argued that historians and heritage professionals alike should enthusiastically involve themselves in the creation and development of games to ensure the longevity of the discipline of history and to maintain its relevance to modern society.
