Another way to talk about war

17 September 2026 Educational news item

Talking about war is not easy. Bertjan Verbeek, who has been teaching international relations for decades, knows this better than anyone. His colleague Saskia Ruth-Lovell knows all about game-based learning. Now, during the Just War Theory course, master’s students are designing a game themselves. The researchers hope to inspire others through “learning through play.”

Political scientist Saskia Ruth-Lovell is not an expert in international relations. Thanks to her work at the University of Zurich, she knows a great deal about game-based learning, in addition to her expertise in democratization processes. Game-based learning is an educational method in which games are used to achieve specific learning objectives. In Zurich, she used game-based learning in her classes on democracy. Ruth-Lovell: “It was such a great experience! I was curious to try this educational approach in a field in which I myself am not an expert.”

Gamification

Bertjan Verbeek taught the master’s course Just War Theory (renamed The Politics of Violence) for many years. It is a course in which students have played an active role since its inception. For example, with guidance, they choose the topics they want to explore themselves and lead discussions during the sessions. In short, students are given a great deal of freedom. Verbeek: “That is precisely why gamification fits this master’s course so well. Besides, I really enjoy games myself.”

Ruth-Lovell explains: “Gamification sometimes has a negative reputation in education. People think it is only about fun and entertainment. But it is much more than that. It is a method for deep learning. Students have to immerse themselves fully in a particular topic if they are going to be able to create a game about it at all. The central question is: how do you translate knowledge from an academic setting into game material?”

War and ethics

The ownership lies with the students. Students form groups and each group chooses one story about war and ethics. They then develop the chosen story into a game.

One of the prototypes created during the course is the game Stories of War. The game contains cards covering four different aspects of war and ethics: jus ad bellum (can a war be justified?), jus in bello (can war be conducted ethically?), jus post bellum (what constitutes a just situation after a war has ended?), and pacifism (can the use of violence be justified at all?). In total, there are sixteen cards featuring sixteen stories.

The game is similar to Black Stories. When playing the game, one person is the storyteller. The storyteller knows the entire story after reading the game card containing all the information about the case. The rest of the group must figure out what the story is about. They can ask questions that the storyteller may answer only with “yes” or “no.” Once the group has figured out the case and identified the moral dilemma, there are three discussion questions that can be used to continue the conversation. They can also scan a QR code to find out more relevant information about the case.

For example, students chose to put a face to the story of a high-ranking Chinese officer on one of the cards. This officer refused to order his soldiers to fire on their own civilians. Ruth-Lovell: “By having students choose one story and then immerse themselves completely in it, we notice that students read much more in general. They find their own case extremely interesting.”

Here you can see one of the sixteen cards from the game.

Talking

Each card focuses on a different story, with morality in times of terrorism and war as the recurring theme. There are plenty of examples in 2026: the war between Russia and Ukraine and the many violent conflicts in the Middle East. Verbeek: “We live in a time when war is increasingly all around us. Yet we do not talk enough about its moral dimensions.”

By creating a game, students actively engage with one another and discuss important questions out loud. These questions also arise while playing the game: under what circumstances may violence be used? What are the appropriate rules of conduct during a war? When a war is over, what does justice mean? What should I do as an individual? How can civilian casualties be prevented? Can a state require its citizens to fight? Are there alternatives?

Pride

Each game card lists the names of the students who contributed to it. Ruth-Lovell: “For Bertjan and me, it is incredibly rewarding to see how proud the students are of what they have created. It is not a paper that eventually disappears into a drawer. Former students also always enjoy telling current students in our class about their experiences.”

Students taking the course enter a “flipped classroom”: the student takes on more of the role of teacher than that of student. Ruth-Lovell: “I do more coaching and ask students critical questions such as: ‘Is this a sensible approach? Who is your target audience? What do you want them to learn?’ You have to keep reminding students why they are doing this: to transfer knowledge.”

“We have never heard a student say, ‘I don’t want to do this,’” says Verbeek. “But students are often very nervous at the beginning of the course because they do not know exactly what to expect. Some students are very outspoken and creative by nature. But not every student is equally creative or interested in games. As an alternative, they can also choose an art project.”

Ruth-Lovell: “What is unique about this course and method is that it is more of a project-based course in which game-based learning is integrated. It is about developing, creating, and translating academic knowledge. The goal is to motivate students to learn more.”

Co-creation

Verbeek believes that the collaboration has strengthened the course academically: “Saskia is fantastic when it comes to creativity and assessing whether or not ideas fit within the concept.”

Ruth-Lovell: “Bertjan and I each have our own areas of expertise. Although I do not come from this field myself, I know that I can direct students to Bertjan with questions about the subject matter: he is an expert they can always turn to. Although I have to admit that, secretly, I would also have loved to sit at the back of the classroom while Bertjan was teaching, just to hear all his fascinating stories about morality in times of war.”

Download the guide and teaching materials

Interested teachers can download both a guide to the teaching method and the teaching materials for the game Stories of War via Edusources.nl.

Download the materials here

The Just War Theory master’s course is about more than just theories of war. Every year, students now work in groups to create a game. “Stories of War” is one such game prototype. This project is funded through a TLC voucher. The voucher program is intended to support projects focused on educational innovation, professional development for teachers, and educational research.

Contact information

About person: Dr S.P. Ruth-Lovell (Saskia) , Prof. J.A. Verbeek (Bertjan)
Theme: Ethics, Philosophy, Behaviour, International, Law, Society, Science