A Game for Oral History Students?

This one is classroom worthy

Digital gaming and discussions about history have always been something that I was keenly interested in. From my first live stream where I played World of Warships to the event that I will have tonight on Twitch, this idea of connecting those interested in history with digital gaming experiences has been foremost on my mind. After all, I played Oregon Trail when it was on floppy disk…Geez, I’m old….

Over a series of two weeks, I played Attentat 1942 live on my Twitch channel. My live streams are once per week (Thursdays) and tend to run around two hours in length, so I figured I would be playing this game for about three weeks. Little did I know that I would be through it in three hours, but the powerful nature of the message, and your quest, make it an amazing experience.

Reinhard Heydrich, Deputy/Acting Reich-Protector of Bohemia and Moravia, and one of the chief architects of the Holocaust, was ambushed in Prague in May 1942 by a group of Czech and Slovak soldiers. Heydrich would die the next month from his wounds and it is due to this event, that you are placed in the shoes of a grandchild of one those who was arrested by the Gestapo soon after the assassination.

Attentat 1942 is a Czech-designed, point-and-click game that feels more like an exercise in oral history interviews. Developed by Charles University and the Czech Academy of Sciences, Attentat humanizes a traumatic period of time through video interviews (that you can navigate), graphic novel/history visuals, and original films. You begin your journey by asking your grandmother about the day your grandfather was arrested. To do this, a series of questions appears on the screen and various answers may be received based on the question you choose. Sometimes, the character will shut down and tell you they have nothing more to say, or that they/you need to go. Depending on the question, you get more information, or nothing at all.

Your grandmother, Ludmila, discusses the day the Gestapo came for your grandfather in 1942

As you progress, you should start to gain more clues as to why your grandfather was arrested. Perhaps, you heard a new name during the course of your questioning and that can provide a fresh lead. The interaction can also open mini-games where you interact with objects to solve a puzzle that is relevant to the plot of your quest. There are even encyclopedic entries that pop up on screen to learn more about a certain subject that was brought up in the conversation (the resistance to occupation, historical figures, etc.).

As you fill in the circles, you understand that you may have missed information that could be relevant to your mission

So, what can this teach us about conducting oral history interviews? Players can learn to listen closely to clues that are relevant to our needs as investigators. We can also see how a question may be worded two different ways. Which one sounds better? Which one is definitely inappropriate? What is the route of investigation after we ask this question? Players are normally tasked with choosing between two or three questions, and each can situate you differently within the experience.

This is similar to how we may be tasked with conducting oral history interviews. As researchers, it’s important to know the limitations of your questions and how far you’re willing to go. Push too hard and the interview goes nowhere; too soft and you may not get new information. Attentat showcases these options throughout the game.

Whether you are speaking with your grandmother or a neighbor who appeared to be a bit too cozy with the Nazis according to locals, the game allows you to navigate the challenge of interviewing those who went through traumatic experiences. Is this the thing that showcases what you need to know to succeed at oral history interviews? No, of course not. A deeper, more deliberate grounding in the theory and literature is also needed. However, as a classroom exercise, Attentat 1942 is definitely one that combines the oral history element with digital gaming experiences. I believe that any educator who wants to showcase the value of knowing how lines of questioning can play out for future oral historians could use this game as an introduction to certain concepts and as a facet of play for their students.