The Middle Ages have provided rich source material for physical and digital games from Dungeons and Dragons to Assassin's Creed. This volume addresses the many ways in which different formats and genre of games represent the period. It considers the restrictions placed on these representations by the mechanical and gameplay requirements of the medium and by audience expectations of these products and the period., highlighting innovative attempts to overcome these limitations through game design and play.
Playing the Middle Ages considers a number of important and timely issues within the field including: one, the connection between medieval games and political nationalistic rhetoric; two, trends in the presentation of religion, warfare and other aspects of medieval society and their connection to modern culture; three, the problematic representations of race; and four, the place of gender and sexuality within these games and the broader gaming community.
The book draws on the experience of a wide-ranging and international group of academics across disciplines and from games designers. Through this combination of expertise, it provides a unique perspective on the representation of the Middle Ages in modern games and drives key discussions in the fields of history and game design.
Recenzijos
Playing the Middle Ages amply demonstrates how evolved and diversified Middle Age worlds have become over decades of digital gamingGames under scrutiny range from the late 1990s to early 2020s. This book is well presented. * Game Studies *
Daugiau informacijos
An exploration of the limitations and possibilities of modern games in communicating the Middle Ages.
1. Introduction: Playing the Middle Ages Robert Houghton (University of Winchester, UK)
Part 1 - Representing the Middle Ages in Modern Games
2. Non-Violent Vikings? Medieval Norse Adaptation, Genre, and Game Balance in A Feast For Odin Adam Bierstedt (University of Reykjavik, Iceland)
3. Medieval Statecraft: Political Power, Rulership, and War in Medieval Videogame Mechanics Jeremiah McCall (Cincinnati Country Day School, USA)
4. Playing the Sonic Past: Reflection on Sound in Medieval-Themed Video Games Mariana Lopez (University of York, UK)
5. Matilda di Canossa and Crusader Kings II: (Papal) Warrior Princess Blair Apgar (University of York, UK)
6. Board with Crusading? Gordon Smith (University of Edinburgh, UK)
7. The Microsoft and Sega History of Medieval India: A Game That Was Never Played Souvik Mukherjee (Presidency University Kolkata, India)
8. Ideology and Nationalism in Online Gaming Communities: Joan of Arc in Age of Empires II Jonathan Bloch (Independent Scholar)
Part 2 - Breaking Conventions and Crossing Boundaries
9. 'How could you profane a priest by turning him into a vampire?!' Subverting the Crusader in the Legacy of Kain Liam McLeod (University of Birmingham, UK)
10. The Representation of Medieval Gender Identities in Fantasy Role-Playing Games Markus Mindrebo (Royal Holloway, UK)
11. Ashen, Hollow, Cursed: Fragile Knighthood in the Dark Souls series and its Medieval Antecedents Patrick Butler (University of Connecticut, USA)
12. Fantasy Race in Role Playing Games (James Mendez Hodes, Freelance Games Consultant)
13. Video Games as Dramatic Engagements with the Past Juan Hiriart (University of Salford, UK)
14. Abandoning Civilization: Breaking Genre Conventions in Medieval Strategy Games Robert Houghton (University of Winchester, UK)
15. Is Hogwarts a Game? Gameplay and Power Play in the House that J. K. Built Eglantine Pillet, Sorbonne University, France)
Index
Robert Houghton is Senior Lecturer in Early Medieval History at University of Winchester, UK. He is the editor of Playing the Crusades (forthcoming, 2021) and Research Consultant for Paradox Interactive on the digital game Crusader Kings II. He also edits the Games column for the online magazine, The Public Medievalist.
