Abstract

“History repeats itself” is a saying we are all too familiar with, but why is that true? As we look at our modern society we can see that pain persists and hate crimes are on the rise, particularly those of antisemitism and those holding anti-Asian ideologies. The Racked System aims to address this by introducing a new method of learning about our past so that we can apply its lessons to our future. Classroom settings require students to memorize dates and data that often capture hard to comprehend facts, like that six million Jews were murdered in the Holocaust. It is easy to disassociate with a figure that is so large we have no way of knowing what it actually looks like. This is where The Racked System comes in. Through roleplaying micro-moments of history, we can experience events rather than attempting to memorize their statistics. Through roleplaying, we can not only learn for a test but learn with an empathetic lens that will allow our past to impact how we view the modern world. The Racked System creates a communal learning environment that engages students, young adults, or those simply interested in expanding their understanding of the past through active participation. This method of learning builds upon typical education experiences, rather than trying to replace them.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Fantasy games--Design; Holocaust, Jewish, 1939-1945--Interactive multimedia--Design

Publication Date

5-10-2021

Document Type

Thesis

Student Type

Graduate

Degree Name

Visual Communication Design (MFA)

Department, Program, or Center

School of Design (CAD)

Advisor

Mike Strobert

Advisor/Committee Member

Adam Smith

Campus

RIT – Main Campus

Plan Codes

VISCOM-MFA

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