2023 | English | Anthology | 288 pages | Hardback
Contributor: Neil Nagwekar
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.
Table of Contents
1 The Middle Ages in Modern Games: An Adolescent Field Robert Houghton, University of Winchester, UK
2 Unbending Medievalisms: Finding counterfactual history in sandbox games set in the Middle Ages, Ylva Grufstedt, Malmö University, Sweden
3 Playing the Sonic Past: reflections on sound in medieval-themed video games, Mariana López, University of York, UK
4 Medieval Sounds, Sounding Medieval, Karen M. Cook, University of Hartford, USA
5 All on board for the Crusades, Gordon Smith, University of Edinburgh, UK
6 Subverting the Valiant Crusader: The Sarafan in the Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver series, Liam McLeod, University of Birmingham, UK
7 Making Friendships, Breaking Friendships: Exploring Viking-Age Social Roles Through Player Strategy in A Feast for Odin, Adam Bierstedt, University of Reykjavik, Iceland
8 Abandoning Civilization: Medieval Rulership in Crusader Kings III, Reigns, and Mount and Blade: Warband, Robert Houghton, University of Winchester, UK
9 Joan of Arc, the Meme of Orléans: The Playful Liberties Taken with History by the Age of Empires 2 Gaming Community, Jonathan Bloch, Independent Scholar
10 On the Postcolonial Analysis of 'Indians' in Age of Empires II: A Theory of “Ethical Programs” Behind Postcolonial Criticisms of Videogames, Neil Nagwekar
11 Virtually (De)Colonized: Racial Identity and Colonialism in the Middle Ages and as Depicted in Kingdom Come: Deliverance, Innocence: A Plague Tale, The Elder Scrolls, and Black Desert Online, Johansen Quijano, University of Texas at Arlington, USA
12 Representations of Medieval Gender Archetypes in Fantasy Role-Playing Games, Markus Eldegard Mindrebø, Royal Holloway, UK
13 Ashen, Hollow, Cursed: Fragile Knighthood in the Dark Souls Series and its Medieval Antecedents, Patrick Butler, University of Connecticut, USA
14 Matilda of Canossa and Crusader Kings II: (Papal) Warrior Princess, Blair Apgar, University of York, UK
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