Battle Of The Hastings Game Reflections

In these two games about the Battle of the Hastings, gamers get to experience being a part of the battle, and making the life-changing choices that these leaders had to do. In the first game, you choose if you want to be Harold or William, and this game is all about making the right decisions. As your countries leader, you have to decide what moves to make. If you make too many bad choices, your character dies and it’s game over. The second game involves you to move around your players to try to kill off the other team. The great thing about these games is that even though we have to learn about history, we can do it in a more fun way. Games encourage students to get involved with their learning, and since the work is fun, there is a better chance that children will actually do their work. I enjoyed this game because you get to see what it’s like to have such a huge responsibility, and how much one little decision counts. It’s cool to see what it would be like if the future-kings would have made the decisions that you did. What I learned is that when the future of your country is in your hands, every decision is absolutely crucial.
What actually happened in the Battle of the Hastings was that three men were risking their lives- and thousands of others, for the English throne. King Harold Godwinson inherited the English throne. However, King Harold Hardrada of Norway though that he should be king, since one of his ancestors, King Cnut, had ruled England. Hardrada also had the support of Harold’s brother, Tostig, who Harold had fallen out with many years ago. Then there was Duke William of Normandy, who thought that he should be king. William claimed the King Edward (the dead king of England), had promised him the throne. On a visit to Normandy, Harold Godwinson was captured and taken to William. Although he was most likely forced to- Harold took an oath promising to help William become king. Oath-breaking was a very serious crime, therefore William got the support of the pope, Alexander II.
This is a valuable learning experience because by doing fun activities like this, children will remember the information. If the activity is a good experience for a child, chances are they will remember the information gained.