This is the website for HSTR 491: Games, Play, and History at Montana State University, a spring 2015 history seminar. We have two primary goals, among others, for this course.

The first is to build a better understanding of the role of games and play in cultures and societies across time and space. From chess to martial arts to World of Warcraft and e-sports, we will be exploring the range of meanings games and playful activities have had, and how they reflect specific historical moments.

The second is to develop, or enhance, our ability to write about cultural products (particularly objects that are often consumed passively, and not discussed critically) in a thoughtful, nuanced way. Our springboard will be a wide variety of scholarship drawn from several disciplines; the goal is to use these approaches in pursuing our own interests.

For inquiries regarding the course or this site, please contact Dr. Maggie Greene (margaret.greene1 [at] montana [dot] edu)

Header images are pulled from the Freer & Sackler’s “Open F|S” project, as well as Asian Games: The Art of Contest & The Games We Played: The Golden Age of Board & Table Games.