A Digital Role-Playing Game for the History of Medicine

FAIN: HD-51328-11

Richard Stockton College of New Jersey (Galloway, NJ 08205-9441)
Lisa Rosner (Project Director: October 2010 to April 2014)
Ethan C. Watrall (Co Project Director: October 2010 to April 2014)

The development of a game-based simulation for exploring the early history of the development and history of the smallpox vaccination.

Edward Jenner's 1798 smallpox vaccine was a breakthrough against an epidemic disease, and its subsequent role as a public health measure demonstrates the interplay of disease, patient, healers, and social institutions in medical history. Our project, Pox and the City: A Digital Role-Playing Game for the History of Medicine, explores these complex interrelationships in a format that will enhance existing humanities teaching and enable historians of medicine to reach new audiences. The game, a collaboration between historians of medicine and Serious Games specialists, can be played as a smallpox doctor, a virus, or a patient. The grant will be used to create and test the first level of the game for each of these characters. Pox and the City makes use of the world-renowned historical collection of books, ephemera, images, and artifacts held by the College of Physicians in Philadelphia. The outcome will be an open-source, Flash-based RPG for use in web-based and GeoDome applications.

Media Coverage

The Promise of Digital Humanities (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Steve Kolowich
Publication: Inside Higher Ed
Date: 9/28/2011
Abstract: Report on ODH Director's Meeting, with Pox and the City mentioned by name
URL: http://app3.insidehighered.com/layout/set/popup/news/2011/09/28/national_endowment_for_the_humanities_celebrates_digital_humanities_projects

Pox and the City: A Digital Role-Playing Game for the History of Medicine (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Lisa Rosner
Publication: Newsletter of the History of Science Society
Date: 1/18/2012
URL: http://www.hssonline.org/publications/Newsletter2012/January-pox-and-the-city.html

Pox in the City (Media Coverage)
Author(s):
Publication: Humanities Magazine
Date: 1/1/2013
URL: http://www.neh.gov/humanities/2013/januaryfebruary/feature/pox-in-the-city

Testing a Smallpox Digital Game (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Karie Youngdahl
Publication: History of Vaccines
Date: 6/5/2013
Abstract: Description of playtesting the game.
URL: http://www.historyofvaccines.org/content/blog/testing-smallpox-digital-game

Interview: Pox and the City: A Public Health History Game (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Janet Golden
Publication: Philly.com/public_health
Date: 6/11/2013
Abstract: Interview with Janet Golden, giving overview of the project and describing its next steps.
URL: http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/public_health/Pox-and-the-City-A-public-health-history-game.html

Associated Products

Pox and the City (Web Resource)
Title: Pox and the City
Author: Lisa Rosner
Abstract: This is the official website for the development of Pox and the City, a digital role-playing game for the history of medicine.
Year: 2011
Primary URL: http://poxandthecity.blogspot.com

Digital Media in the History of Medicine (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: Digital Media in the History of Medicine
Abstract: Roundtable on digital initiatives in the history of medicine presented at the 2011 annual meeting of the American Association of the HIstory of Medicine (AAHM), April, 2011
Author: Laura Zucconi
Author: Lisa Rosner
Date: 4/30/2011
Location: American Association of the History of Medicine annual meeting 2011
Primary URL: http://www.histmed.org/documents/program_4_25_11.pdf

Pox and the City: Visual Literacy and Digital Games in the History of Medicine (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: Pox and the City: Visual Literacy and Digital Games in the History of Medicine
Abstract: Presentation at the annual meeting of the International Visual Literacy Association (IVLA), September 2011
Author: Lisa Rosner
Author: Laura Zucconi
Date: 9/30/2011
Location: International Visual Literacy Association annual meeting 2011
Primary URL: http://www.ivla2011.org/IVLA2011Schedule.pdf

Pox and the City: Digital Games and the Writing of History (Book Section)
Title: Pox and the City: Digital Games and the Writing of History
Author: Lisa Rosner
Author: Laura Zucconi
Author: Ethan Watrall
Author: Hannah Ueno
Editor: Kristen Nawrotzki
Editor: Jack Dougherty
Abstract: Our chapter explores the way in which the collaborative process involved in creating a digital game has affected our understanding of the writing of history.
Year: 2012
Primary URL: http://writinghistory.trincoll.edu/
Primary URL Description: Writing History in the Digital Age
Secondary URL: http://writinghistory.trincoll.edu/new-ways/pox-and-the-city-zucconi-watrall-ueno-rosner/
Secondary URL Description: New Ways to Tell Old Stories: Pox and the City
Access Model: born digital open review
Publisher: University of Michigan Press
Book Title: Writing History in the Digital Age

Pox and the City: A Role-Playing Game for the History of Medicine (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: Pox and the City: A Role-Playing Game for the History of Medicine
Abstract: This presentation described the process of creating the digital role-playing game and allowed the audience to participate in playing it.
Author: Lisa Rosner
Date: 03/26/2013
Location: Cultural Crossings, Cleveland State University
Primary URL: http://socialstudies.clevelandhistory.org/2013/03/16/march-26-cultural-crossings-presents-dr-lisa-rosner/
Primary URL Description: Description of venue and presentation

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