This study examines the pedagogical potential of historically-structured boardgames (HSBGs) for teaching contested histories, addressing a gap in simulation-based approaches to the Northern Ireland Troubles. Using Historical Memory Education (HME) as an analytical framework, the paper evaluates how a representative HSBG, The Troubles: Shadow War in Northern Ireland (2028), aligns with key pedagogical principles for engaging learners with divisive historical narratives. The analysis identified strong conceptual alignments between game mechanics and HME’s emphasis on multiperspectivity and narrative agency, with asymmetric victory conditions, faction-specific objectives, and event-driven storytelling foregrounding the complexity of historical experience. It also identified pedagogical tensions inherent in ludic simulations of trauma, including risks of decontextualisation and the challenge of balancing player agency with historical authenticity. These findings suggest HSBGs, when thoughtfully designed and contextualised within classroom practice, can foster empathy and critical engagement with difficult histories – provided educators attend to the ethics of simulating violence and contested memory.
Hugh O’Donnell (Thu,) studied this question.