Saria Nguyen

Saria's paper

The potential of anime-style fantasy video games in developing historical learning attitude among gamers

The educational potential of games has garnered scholarly attentions for a long time, with researchers such as Rahimi, Baradaran et. al. (2020) and Kolek et. al. (2021) exploring the impact of historical games on attitudes toward history. However, existing scholarship often prioritizes historical video games (Rahimi, Baradaran et. al., 2020; Kolek et. al., 2021; Šisler et. al., 2022), a potentially limited universal appeal. This study argues that the influence of video game extends beyond this specific genre. Notable anime-style fantasy games like Genshin Impact, Arknights and Girl’s Frontline exemplify this trend. Their greater aesthetic and narrative flexibility, compared to historically focused games, broadens appeal while offering an accessible introduction to historical concepts. These games can motivate players to actively research the narrative and world-building. The appearance of dedicated online communities analyzing in-game lore further demonstrates this engagement and stimulates historical curiosity within the fandom. To address this gap, this paper will examine how fantasy video games cultivate historical interest among gamers, specifically investigating their impact on historical learning. Data analyzation from online fan communities on Reddit, Facebook and Instagram, together with existing scholarships, will explore the evolution of historical elements in fantasy video games, correlated with player attitudes to understand how these games influence historical engagement from gamers, including information seeking, discussion and interaction with related contents. Ultimately, by closely analyzing the impact of anime-style fantasy games on gamers’ interest in history, this project will illuminate the often-underestimated potential of video games, beyond the historical genre, as education tools.

Keywords: fantasy video game, education potential, learning attitude