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Medievalism

Recording: HGN Medievalism Panel (19th March 2025)

The recording of our Medievalism discussion panel on the 19th March 2025 – featuring Blair Apgar, James Baillie, Katie Newell and Robert Houghton – is now available to watch via the HGN Youtube Channel. You can read more about the theme via the call page, and all of the contributions to Medievalism via the HGN blog.

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Medievalism

Fictional Depictions of Medievalism vs. Historical Authenticity in Bladestorm (2007)

Developed by Omega Force and published by Koei Tecmo, Bladestorm: The Hundred Years’ War (2007) is a tactical action game that immerses players in the brutal conflicts between England and France during the 14th and 15th centuries. The game is set during the Hundred Years’ War (1337–1453), which was a protracted conflict between England and France marked by shifting […]

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Medievalism

Echoing the Past: Spoliation, Memory, and Power in the Witcher 3

In video game design, the deliberate reuse and reinterpretation of architectural elements can function as a form of digital spoliation, evoking historical continuity, cultural layering, and the passage of time within virtual worlds. Spoliation refers to the deliberate reuse of architectural elements, sculptures, or other materials from pre-existing structures in new constructions or artistic contexts. […]

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Medievalism

Utilising Game Graphics in Museum Settings: 878AD & Immersive History

878AD is an immersive living history experience in the Brooks Shopping Centre in Winchester, England. Described as “a multi-sensory museum experience with theatre, tech and play,” it was created through a partnership between Hampshire Cultural Trust, Ubisoft, and Sarner to utilise graphics from Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla (2020) as a backdrop for telling the story of the year […]

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Medievalism

Virtual Byzantium: How Historical Games Represent Byzantine Society

The gaming medium can stimulate original perspectives on the past by incorporating underrepresented cultures or minorities into its game systems. However, when reflecting on the concept of accuracy,1 it has been emphasized that games “should also be inclusive without lying to the audience,” and Diana Cristina Răzman specified that the way the gaming industry addresses […]

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Development Medievalism

Between Imagined Worlds: Reinterpreting Medievalisms in an RPG

As both a game developer and a medieval historian, each of my interests informs the other. In this post, I’m going to talk you through some ways I approach putting medieval elements in games and think about why they’re there. The process I use is based on thinking about medieval ideas as a sort of […]

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Medievalism Technology

The Digital Dark Ages and the Trouble with Tech Trees

Technology trees are everywhere.[1] They’re a really useful game design tool. But they come with a lot of baggage and often don’t align with scholarly or popular views of the past. In particular, this often leads to unusual representations of the ‘Dark Ages’. The medieval world is typically presented as backwards and superstitious[2] (not to mention violent […]

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Medievalism

Call for Contributions – Medievalism

Guest Chair/Convenor: Robert Houghton  The Middle Ages are almost everywhere in games. From the painstaking reconstructions of medieval buildings and cityscapes in Assassin’s Creed (2007-) and Kingdom Come: Deliverance (2018) to the fantasy worlds emblematic of World of Warcraft (2004-), Gloomhaven (2019) or Baldur’s Gate (1998). From the detailed and measured explorations of medieval life in Pentiment (2022) or Pendragon (1985-) to the comedic Peasant’s Quest (2004) or Munchkin (2001). From post apocalyptic pseudo medieval societies in Fallout (1997-) […]