Tabubelagt historie inn i skolen: My Child Lebensborn EDU

Abstract

Videogames is one of the biggest forms of entertainment and is a mayor part of kids and youths’ daily life and interests. In the past couple of years, videogames have also entered the public schools. In 2018 the Norwegian game My Child Lebensborn was released, and focused on a previously taboo subject, the children of Norwegian mothers and German fathers during and after the second world war. In 2021 an education version of the game was released. This Master’s thesis will examine: what opportunities lies in the education version of My Child Lebensborn, and how is it used in the Norwegian schools? In this thesis I will focus on two theoretical subjects, historical empathy, and the game’s use of history. A previously Master’s thesis written by Oddgeir Skretting from 2019 examined how the main game, not the educational version, promotes historical empathy. His conclusion was that it was only partially close to the theoretical aspect of historical empathy, but that the makers of the game was currently working on an educational version of the game which might have potential. Three years later and My Child Lebensborn EDU is now available for purchase for Norwegian schools. My thesis will follow Skrettings research and focus on the EDU-version of the game, and the tasks made for the game. I have also interviewed teachers about their experiences using the game in their classes. The results are that the EDU-version supplements the shortcomings of the main game and promotes historical empathy. The teachers have also great experiences with using the game in their education.