November 22, 2019
Students in History 210: “The Boston Massacre in 3D: Mapping, Modeling and Serious Gaming” shared what they had been working on over the course of Fall Term 2019. Their work is part of a larger, ongoing project to develop a historical game and is helmed by Professor of History and American Studies Serena Zabin and Assistant Director of the Humanities Center for the Digital Humanities and Lecturer in History Austin Mason. In the game, players must explore colonial Boston to investigate the Boston Massacre. Talking to witnesses with conflicting accounts, the player must decide who to believe and choose what they think actually happened. The witness accounts are drawn directly from historical depositions collected following the Boston Massacre. Professors Zabin and Mason hope the game will help connect people to history in new ways and encourage a greater understanding of the challenges of evidence and interpretation in history.
Professors Zabin and Mason began the event by providing historical context to the Boston Massacre and background of the project itself. Then the sources team, Nicole Connell ‘20, Elise McIlhaney ‘20, and McLain Sidmore ‘21, presented on their work digging through historical documents to try to reconstruct the route of a single witness. Next, Cole Hanson ‘21 presented on the 3D modeling work he did, working closely with the sources team to render buildings and objects as accurately as possible. Next, Max Bremer ‘20 discussed his work on the technical side of the project, integrating the various components so the game ran. Finally, the mapping team, Grace Brindle ‘21 and Aaron Young ‘20, presented on their work to help players orient themselves spatially within the game environment. Following the presentations, the audience played the current version of the game and provided feedback while the students answered questions about the project.
Boston Massacre in 3D Playtest
Playtest of Witness to the Revolution