IMC 2020: Sessions
Session 352: Playing the Middle Ages, III: History through Game Mechanics and Play
Monday 6 July 2020, 16.30-18.00
| Sponsor: | The Public Medievalist / Centre for Medieval & Renaissance Research, University of Winchester |
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| Organiser: | Robert Houghton, Department of History, University of Winchester |
| Moderator/Chair: | Simon Trafford, Institute of Historical Research, University of London |
| Paper 352-a | Tactics in Isolation: Representing Medieval Warfare through Tabletop Wargames (Language: English) Index terms: Medievalism and Antiquarianism, Military History |
| Paper 352-b | Playing Princes and Popes: Mapping the Dynamics of Power in Medieval Strategy Games (Language: English) Index terms: Computing in Medieval Studies, Medievalism and Antiquarianism, Military History |
| Paper 352-c | Gaming the System: Debating the Investiture Contest through Play (Language: English) Index terms: Medievalism and Antiquarianism, Politics and Diplomacy, Social History, Teaching the Middle Ages |
| Abstract | Mechanics, rules, and play set games apart from other media. Games are inherently interactive to a much greater extent than other media forms. They present history not only through their narrative and explorable worlds, but also through the mechanisms which determine which actions are available to a player and the consequences of these actions. The unique nature of games allows their designers to present historical processes and trends in innovative ways, facilitating complex and diverse explorations of the past. This session considers several methods by which the mechanics of games may be used to represent the Middle Ages. |