Bringing (Social) History to Life for Middle Schoolers: The American Dynasties Project

Bert Snow

Wed., June 10, 2:00–3:00, Profile (2nd floor, East)

Muzzy Lane is well known for its Making History series of open–ended history–strategy games. This year, we did something completely different: American Dynasties — a social–history role–playing game. American Dynasties is collaboration between The Center for New American Media, Muzzy Lane, and Maryland Public Television, and is one of the seven finalists in CPB’s American History and Civics Initiative.

The American Dynasties prototype places middle school children in the role of Anna Caruso, an immigrant textile mill worker in 1906. Labor strife bubbles beneath the surface in Anna’s town, and in addition to earning enough money for dinner and rent, Anna must gather evidence about the worker’s prospects and the mill’s financial troubles, and decide whether to support a strike.

The design process involved collaboration between filmmakers, game developers, historians, and teachers, among others. We pushed game–design boundaries to build the complex storytelling, evidence gathering, economic, and ethical decisions we were after.

As part of the AHCI initiative, we built a full–featured prototype of the game, and tested it in a series of classroom tests, working with an outside education evaluator. The tests included pre/post tests and student and teacher interviews, and results have been very encouraging.

This Chat ’n’ Frag will introduce the project and set up participants to play the game prototype, ideally in pairs (which is how it was used in tests). Players can complete the prototype in about 1–1½ hours, depending on how they play. After play, I’ll discuss test methodology and results, and we can discuss player experiences. Players will play the game via the new Sandstone web–based game service.