The education systems in Germany and the
Netherlands are undergoing a transition. Traditional teaching methods are
increasingly outdated for young people growing up surrounded by digital media.
Gamification offers innovative ways to make lessons more engaging—particularly
for subjects often perceived as “dry,” such as history. The need was identified in discussions with educators and confirmed by various German and Dutch studies (for a detailed response, see the document ‘Response to comments on regional coordination ERW’, comments 2 and 3).
The Game of Stones project aims to enhance
history education in the programme area through innovative teaching methods.
The border region, where areas of power and national borders have constantly
shifted but cultural and social connections have endured, provides a compelling
starting point for this initiative. The region serves as a perfect Living Lab
for exploring history interactively. The project makes history tangible by
combining serious gaming, augmented reality, and participatory design.
Over four semesters, students from
Hochschule Rhein-Waal (DE) and HAN University of Applied Sciences (NL) are
developing four innovative games for use in history lessons in Dutch and German
schools.
The games are designed to be playable both
at school and in participating museums. Dutch and German students will jointly
test the prototypes, adding a valuable cross-border dimension to the project.
