History is a toy

Long confined to dusty books and austere documentaries, history has now taken over our screens and imaginations in much more playful and immersive forms. From blockbuster video games like Assassin's Creed, to life-size re-enactments of iconic battles, to spectacular fictional time travel, the past has never been so present in our cultural environment.

Is this something to celebrate or deplore? That's the question we'll explore in this article, looking at these new, interactive and creative ways of discovering history. What do they really tell us about the eras and events depicted? Do they help us to better understand the issues and lifestyles of the past, or do they, on the contrary, foster a fantasized and reductive vision of the past?

Above and beyond this debate, we'll see that this relaxed and pleasurable relationship with history is becoming increasingly popular, particularly among the younger generation. An observation that invites us to rethink historical mediation, to better reconcile pleasure and rigor in the transmission of this common heritage. After all, playing with history like a toy is a way of making it your own, so that you can better understand the present and grasp the future.

Historical video games: an interactive plunge into the past

Among the most popular vectors of this playful history are video games.(1) From blockbusters like the Assassin's Creed series, which takes us from the Italian Renaissance through the French Revolution to the Egypt of the Pharaohs, to strategy simulators like Civilization, which invite us to replay the history of mankind, these games appeal to millions of players around the world.

Their strength lies in their total immersion in meticulously reconstructed historical worlds, which can be freely explored and in which our actions influence the course of events. By giving the impression of walking through the streets of revolutionary Paris or rubbing shoulders with great figures of the past, these games offer a living, embodied experience of history(3).

But this immersion comes at a price: simplification, even historical anachronism. The vision of history conveyed by a game like Civilization, for example, can be perceived as very Western-centric and linear, erasing the complexity of historical processes in favor of a biased conception of progress.(4)

By contextualizing and questioning the representations conveyed by these games, we can turn them into formidable tools for arousing the curiosity of young people and encouraging them to read history more critically.

Historical re-enactments: living history on a life-size scale

Another way to immerse yourself in the past is through historical re-enactments, which are becoming increasingly popular. Whether re-enacting major battles (Waterloo, Austerlitz...), recreating the life of a medieval encampment or a Gallic village, these initiatives attract a large and varied audience, from history buffs to families in search of an original pastime.(5)

By allowing visitors to handle period objects, wear costumes and experience ancestral ways of life, re-enactments offer a sensory and human approach to history that complements book-based knowledge. They give flesh and presence to a past often perceived as abstract and distant.(6)

But here again, the question of historical rigor arises. Between the often costly equipment to reproduce and the necessary adaptations to contemporary constraints (safety, logistics...), reconstructions oscillate between a concern for authenticity and playful compromises. Not to mention the interpretation inherent in these practices: by re-enacting the past, we necessarily give a subjective reading of it(7).

These are all aspects that need to be taken into account to make these re-enactments genuine tools for historical discovery, rather than mere theme parks. Here again, mediation is essential: by explaining the choices made and the uncertainties that remain, and by inviting the public to question what they are shown, we can make these events formidable vehicles for lively reflection on the past.

Fictional time travel: history as a narrative playground

More imaginary but no less revealing of our relationship with the past, fictional time travel is a staple of popular culture. From H.G. Wells' The Time Machine to the Outlander series, not to mention the countless cinematic variations on the theme, the prospect of teleporting to another era fascinates and inspires.(8)

Much of the appeal of these fictions lies in the possibility they offer of projecting ourselves into a past that is both familiar and exotic, of speculating on how our lives might fit into another historical context. They also often play on the gap between our contemporary outlook and the mentalities of the period depicted, inviting us to relativize our points of reference.

For beyond their escapist dimension, these stories can also provide food for thought about the way we perceive and interpret the past. By depicting contemporary characters confronted with the realities of another era, they question the very possibility of an objective understanding of history, always dependent on our situated point of view.

This is an avenue to be explored if we are to make these fictions not only pure entertainment, but also supports for discussion and critical analysis. By encouraging readers and viewers to decode the representations conveyed, and put them into perspective with current historical knowledge, we can make these imaginary journeys exciting tools for mediation.

Reconciling fun and rigor in the playful discovery of history

In the end, whether they take the form of pixels, period costumes or fantastical tales, these playful uses of history have in common that they shake up our relationship with the past.(1) By inviting us to literally enter into history, to live it and replay it rather than contemplate it from a distance, they open up new ways of transmitting and appropriating it.

But if these paths are to be truly fruitful, they must not be left to the sole domain of entertainment and fiction. This is where mediation plays a key role: by accompanying and enriching these practices, linking them to historical knowledge and inviting people to question them, mediation can make them formidable levers for arousing curiosity, developing critical thinking and, ultimately, building a finer, more embodied understanding of the past.

This approach is all the more essential in the age of digital technology and the profusion of content, when it is crucial to equip citizens, especially the very young, to navigate in an enlightened way through the ocean of historical representations available to them. In this sense, playfulness is increasingly seen as an essential gateway to a demanding and lively discovery of history(9).

Heritage institutions have a major role to play here. Many museums and historic sites have understood this, and are vying with each other to offer their visitors interactive and immersive features, from escape games to augmented reality tours.(10) This trend is set to intensify in the years to come, thanks to technological advances and growing social demand for more participative, embodied forms of mediation.

Handling history like a toy does not necessarily mean degrading or simplifying it, but perhaps, paradoxically, restoring its flesh and meaning in the eyes of as many people as possible. Provided we make it an intelligent toy, a support for questioning and discovery - in short, a tool for a lively, critical appropriation of the past that constitutes us. A stimulating challenge for all 21st-century history teachers.

Illustration: Generated by AI - Flavien Albarras

References

1-BAZILE, Julien, 2023. History video games: the past as a playground. In: GENVO, Sébastien and PHILIPPETTE, Thibault (eds.), Introduction aux théories des jeux vidéo [online]. Liège : Presses universitaires de Liège. pp. 433-442. Jeu / Play / Spiel. ISBN 978-2-87562-406-2. [Accessed November 19, 2024].
https:// books-openedition-org.iepnomade-1.grenet.fr/pulg/26449?lang=fr

2-CAILLEBOTTE, Étienne, 2024. Video games: key figures for France and the world in 2024. BDM [online]. April 5, 2024. Available at: https: //www.blogdumoderateur.com/chiffres-jeu-video/ [Accessed November 19, 2024].

3-BOUTONNET, Vincent, 2018. Chapitre 8. Video games and historical interpretations: a study of Assassin's Creed. In: Critical thinking, teaching history and citizenship [online]. De Boeck Supérieur. pp. 131-141. [Accessed November 19, 2024].
https:// shs-cairn-info.iepnomade-1.grenet.fr/pensee-critique-enseignement-de-l-histoire--9782807315440-page-131?lang=fr

4-Can video games be faithful to history? 2011. [online]. Available at: https: //www.lemonde.fr/week-end/article/2011/03/25/du-realisme-historique-dans-les-jeux-video-de-strategie_1496219_1477893.html [Accessed November 19, 2024].