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 […]
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-) […]