Curriculum Case Study:
Case Study: When the World Looked Away: A Learning Quest
Project Type: Inquiry-Based Learning, Game-Based Learning
Level: Secondary Education, Post-Secondary Education
Format: Interactive Twine Narrative
Budget: Low to Medium
When the World Looked Away
How do you engage high school students with difficult historical content that textbooks often gloss over? For one Comparative Genocide course, we developed When the World Looked Away, a Twine-based learning quest that transformed the way students explored lesser-known genocides.
The challenge was twofold: how to address sensitive historical content responsibly, and how to move beyond traditional lectures and readings without sacrificing depth or rigor. Our solution was a Questigation – an interactive, choice-driven learning experience built in Twine that combines inquiry, exploration, and decision-making. Rather than passively receiving information, students actively navigate historical scenarios, make decisions based on primary source documents, and see the consequences of action and inaction unfold.
Our Approach
When the World Looked Away places students inside a branching narrative where they uncover stories often absent from standard history curricula. The experience encourages critical thinking by asking students to interpret evidence, evaluate moral and political choices, and reflect on how historical events connect to contemporary issues. While the activity is immersive, it was intentionally designed to be used alongside classroom discussion and collaborative work. Students engage individually with the quest, then come together to analyze their experiences, compare conclusions, and deepen understanding through dialogue.
This blended approach – combining digital interactivity with discussion-based learning – proved especially effective for difficult subject matter. Students’ responses reflected a more emotional connection to the material and motivation to explore complex questions about responsibility, memory, and justice. Teachers noted increased engagement and richer classroom conversations compared to more traditional instructional methods.
The design framework behind When the World Looked Away is adaptable across disciplines. Questigations can be customized for subjects ranging from history and social studies to science, literature, and math. By embedding curriculum goals into interactive narratives, these activities support critical thinking while maintaining student immersion and curiosity.
Game-based learning can transform challenging content into meaningful educational experiences.
By combining serious games with collaborative pedagogy, Gamepossible creates tools that help students think critically, remain engaged, and encounter history in ways that are both intellectually rigorous and deeply human.