ABSTRACT
Law schools presumably aim to turn out graduates who are able to think and act like lawyers. A key characteristic of law is that it is ambiguous and a central aspect of lawyering is arguing over what the law means and how it applies. To enable students to think critically and globally about migration law and to use convincing and possibly original legal arguments to advance the case of their clients or lead to legal change, if necessary, requires a comprehensive range of teaching tools. Students of migration law, more specifically European migration law, experience difficulties in connecting different legal regimes and switching between directives, regulations, treaties and national laws transposing these provisions. This chapter provides the theoretical foundation for one particular form of simulation –‘serious gaming’ – in higher education. The potential of ‘serious gaming’ as a teaching method for European Migration Law is analysed and available games are mapped. We offer a foundation for designing a teaching method built on play and conclude that serious gaming provides a basis for teaching and learning that accommodates the diverse interests and backgrounds of our students. Nonetheless, to achieve the full potential of serious gaming, professors need to embrace new educational methods and ‘come out and play’.
