- 288 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
About this book
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.
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Information
Table of contents
- Cover
- Halftitle Page
- Title Page
- Contents
- List of figures
- Acknowledgements
- List of contributors
- 1 The Middle Ages in modern games: An adolescent field
- 2 Unbending medievalisms ā Finding counterfactual history in sandbox games set in the Middle Ages
- 3 Playing the sonic past: Reflections on sound in medieval-themed video games
- 4 Medieval sounds, sounding medieval
- 5 All on board for the crusades
- 6 āSubverting the valiant crusader: The Sarafan in the Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver Seriesā
- 7 Making friendships, breaking friendships: Exploring Viking-age social roles through player strategy in A Feast for Odin
- 8 Abandoning Civilization: Medieval rulership in Crusader Kings III, Reigns and Mount & Blade: Warband
- 9 Joan of Arc, the Meme of OrlƩans: The playful liberties taken with history by the Age of Empires II gaming community
- 10 On the postcolonial analysis of āIndiansā in Age of Empires II: A theory of āethical programsā behind postcolonial criticisms of video games
- 11 Virtually (de)colonized: Racial identity and colonialism in the Middle Ages and as depicted in Kingdom Come: Deliverance, A Plague Tale: Innocence, The Elder Scrolls, and Black Desert Online
- 12 Representations of medieval gender archetypes in fantasy role-playing games
- 13 Ashen, hollow, cursed: Fragile knighthood in the Dark Souls series and its medieval antecedents
- 14 Matilda of Canossa and Crusader Kings II: (Papal) Warrior princess
- Index
- Imprint