Despite the prevalence of games used for teaching and learning, many barriers still exist that constrain how teachers and researchers utilize games. An unexhaustive list includes the lack of teacher buy-in and experience, time restrictions, and appropriate resources to facilitate classroom gameplay. As a result, the effectiveness of using games in classrooms remain case specific. This session aims to describe multiple entry points for teachers and researchers to operationalize games beyond just gameplay. Specifically, Europa Universalis IV and its associated affinity spaces will be used to show how game map modes can be immersive and interactive, customizable and personalized, and engage students in learning without requiring gameplay. Europa Universalis IV is a historical grand strategy game that has been previously studied in high school and undergraduate classrooms for teaching world history. The player controls a nation from 1444-1800 through the age of discovery, reformation, absolutism, and revolutions. Europa Universalis IV also provides the player with options to start at different time points and to create customizable nations. Additionally, the game has dozens of map modes that allow a player to interact with the world from many perspectives, including political, diplomatic, economic, and geographic. This demonstration will provide an overview of gameplay, how to use its many interactive maps and various game mechanics with and without gameplay, as well as providing links to additional online resources. The objective of this session is to advance the affordances of games by demonstrating the many ways games can act as educational tools.
