Holding the Past Carefully in Players’ Hands: Historically-Structured Boardgames and the Troubles in History Education

Authors

• HUGH D. O'DONNELL, Port Glasgow High SchoolFollow

Author ORCID Identifier

0009-0000-4534-6898

Abstract

Controversial histories, such as the Troubles in Northern Ireland, are often excluded from formal education, forming a "null curriculum" due to their political sensitivity, emotional difficulty, and risk of bias or re-traumatising students. To address this, Historically-Structured Boardgames (HSBGs) offer an innovative pedagogical approach, engaging students cognitively and emotionally while navigating sensitive historical terrain.

HSBGs like "The Troubles: Shadow War in Northern Ireland 1964-1998" embed players within historically accurate socio-political and economic structures, emphasising player agency and the consequences of their actions. Players assume roles from six factions, confronting ethically charged "Narrative Cards" representing critical historical decision points. The game's design prioritises "ludonarrative consonance," aligning mechanics with historical and thematic content to reinforce the human cost and prevent detached decision-making, leveraging the "Identifiable Victim Effect".

This approach aims to foster critical thinking, historical empathy (HE), and historical memory education (HME) by allowing players to adopt roles and confront morally ambiguous scenarios, promoting affective engagement without trivialising violence. While HSBGs risk re-traumatising individuals or promoting strategic detachment, as seen in public backlash to "The Troubles", their ethical design, including "contingent discomfort" and debriefing, enables nuanced understanding and emotional confrontation with a polyvocal past.

Ultimately, HSBGs can "rescue" silenced histories, enabling participants to experience history as lived and contested, fostering empathy even for controversial actors without condoning their actions.

Creative Commons License

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Recommended Citation

O'DONNELL, HUGH D. (2026) "Holding the Past Carefully in Players’ Hands: Historically-Structured Boardgames and the Troubles in History Education," Irish Journal of Applied Social Studies: Vol. 26: Iss. 1, Article 2.
Available at: https://arrow.tudublin.ie/ijass/vol26/iss1/2