The Middle Ages in Computer Games

The Middle Ages In Computer Games: Ludic Approaches to the Medieval and Medievalism By Robert Houghton D.S. Brewer ISBN: 978 1 84384 729 8 Many people first encounter the Middle Ages through video games. This book examines how these games incorporate familiar medieval tropes while simultaneously shaping new perceptions of the past. Excerpt: We need to talk about the Middle Ages in computer games. Medievalist games reach a massive and growing audience and can have a profound impact on their players’ understanding of the period and on their conception of modern society. As such, we need to talk about how games represent the medieval period, particularly as we look to the format increasingly for teaching and even scholarship. Certainly, there are similarities between the representations present within games and within medievalist media more generally, but these similarities are frequently eclipsed by fundamental differences of representation and engagement. Ludic medievalism – the e ... Read full article.