Abstract
This article focuses on the early stages of an international project on gamifying national identity. It examines the production of the content required for developing a sophisticated and engaging approach to pedagogical innovation in education, through game-based learning. This will encourage individuals to think about both European and national identity, specifically within the context of the European Union (EU). At a time when the EU faces significant challenges, a better understanding and appreciation of the role of national and supra- national identity and belonging in Europe is clear. RU EU? – an Erasmus+ funded project – aims to develop an innovative online game to help students and others enhance their understanding of their own national and European identities and challenge attitudes and prejudices. The content development of the game has brought together experts with socio- political knowledge, pedagogical understanding and technical expertise. This article discusses the early stages in the content development process, during which we amassed material from literature reviews, academic interviews and student focus groups and surveys. We sought to ensure that the content of the game reflected the issues raised within the game development lifecycle and our article describes our engagement with this material and its integration into game content.
Highlights
Identity issues are never far from the forefront of everyday politics, and both the current European, and wider global, political climates, indicate that we may well be re-entering a political era driven by national rather than international imperatives
We explore some of the literature on European identity as this helps us to identify a number of the socio-political issues with which
The main educational objectives for the game are first, the extension of knowledge about Europe, its customs, values and traditions; second, an examination of attitudes to national and European identity; third, the solving of challenging problems surrounding issues rooted in notions of identity; and fourth, the need for players to collaborate in tackling the problem solving and decision-making scenarios
Summary
The rise of nationalistic or populist parties within several member states. the issue of identity is clearly one that requires attention, but better understanding. Our review of existing resources sought to identify, collate and consider those materials that were already extant in terms of educating students, young people, and the wider population in terms of identity – both national and European – as well as other issues such as values, norms and socio-political behaviour. The main educational objectives for the game are first, the extension of knowledge about Europe, its customs, values and traditions; second, an examination of attitudes to national and European identity; third, the solving of challenging problems surrounding issues rooted in notions of identity; and fourth, the need for players to collaborate in tackling the problem solving and decision-making scenarios. The aim is to present a report which explores all aspects of the European debate
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