Medievalism

Event details

DateMarch 2025
TimeTBC
LocationVirtual (Zoom) |
Speakers TBC [Chair: Robert Houghton]

Call for Contributions

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-) to bombastic exaggeration of sci-fi medievalism in Battlefleet Gothic (1999) and much of the rest of the immense Warhammer franchise. From mobile games like Reigns (2016) to Eurogames such as Settlers of Catan (1995) to strategy behemoths like Crusader Kings (2004-). Thus, Medievalism is increasingly entwined with modern games.

Academic work has approached this subject from various perspectives. Medievalist games have been examined as teaching tools,1 and for their historical authenticity.2 A series of excellent studies have been undertaken on themes such as race,3 gender,4 sexuality,5 violence,6 and religion.7 Overviews of the subject more generally have been provided by a series of edited volumes,8 and a growing handful of monographs.9 Methodological approaches have been varied, drawing on an array of fields including archaeology,10 and literary,11 re-enactment,12 audio,13 and game studies.14 This is a very active field, and there’s a lot more to be said on the subject.

Games set in the Middle Ages, or with medievalist elements, are often very different from games set in other historical periods. Perhaps most fundamentally, certain genres of game are dominated by medieval or pseudo-medieval worlds. Roleplay, Fantasy, Survival, and Hardcore (including Soulslikes and Roguelikes) genres are heavily populated by medieval settings, and elements of these genres have made their way into a broad range of medievalist strategy, adventure and action games. This core difference can have an immense impact on the representation of the Middle Ages in games: these genres carry their own conventions, trends and expectations which fundamentally alters the ways in which they ‘do’ history.

Beyond this, popular conceptions (and misconceptions) of the medieval period can have a stark impact on representations of the medieval in games. The ubiquitous interpersonal violence and gratuitous bloodshed common to popular medievalism finds a ready home within games – a medium already renowned and maligned for its excesses in this area – leading to the almost comical levels of gore present in Dragon Age. The common notion of the ‘Dark Ages’ as a technological and social decline from the glories of Rome provides easy justification for the multitude of ruins to be explored and ancient adversaries to overcome in Dungeons and Dragons. The common depiction of the Middle Ages as patriarchal, heteronormative, and racially homogenous often runs straight into broader issues of meaningful ludic representation and engagement with groups beyond straight white men. Settings, stories and themes, are overwhelmingly Eurocentric.

But there are also numerous cases where the collision of medievalist and gaming tropes produces something unusual, unexpected, and different. As I’ve highlighted elsewhere [blog post coming soon!], the medievalist notion of the regressive ‘Dark Ages’ is incompatible with the constant progress required by Strategy Games and their Tech Trees. Beyond this though, the interaction between game mechanics and medievalist tropes often produces distinct and interesting representations of religion, morality, rulership.

As such, the Middle Ages in games are often distinct from other periods. And the medievalism within these games is often different from that found in other media. This is interesting in and of itself, but is increasingly important as these games are commercial lucrative and often form the entry point into the period for their players. If we’re going to use these games for teaching or even historical research we need to get to grips with how they present the Middle Ages and why they do so.

This theme asks how the Middle Ages and medievalism are used within games. Which medievalist tropes are exaggerated, diminished or nuanced within games? Are the ‘Middle Ages’ distinct from other periods in games? Do any games avoid these overarching trends? How do players build their own visions of the medieval world through play? How can we make better use of the Middle Ages in games for commercial and educational purposes? How can games and players move beyond medievalist tropes, particularly those which promote a Eurocentric and heteronormative view of the period?

Contributions to the Medievalism theme

We are seeking contributions to the theme from anyone interested in discussing the relationship between history and games (of all kinds) in the context of ‘Medievalism’. We are open to a range of formats and approaches: blog posts, book reviews, literature reviews and state-of-the-field posts, game criticism and reviews, event reviews, game analyses or post-mortems, podcast recordings, video essays, or any other type of creative contribution you might be interested in sharing. As a guide, we might expect written pieces to be in the region of 1,000-1,500 words, and video essays or audio recordings of around 5-10 minutes. However, if you have more to say, get in touch!

We particularly want to encourage the submission of content which addresses underrepresented histories and perspectives, including histories of minorities and from the wider world.

The Medievalism theme is open for contributions until March 2025. All material will be treated in line with our copyright statement (you can find this on our About page: TL;DR – it’s free, open access, and you can repost your work wherever you like).

Submission and editorial process

Please submit contributions via the email linked at the bottom of the page, and any queries or questions through the same route. Contributions will be assigned for editorial review to at least one member of the HGN editorial team, and we will supply feedback and suggestions for amendment, as appropriate, for any submissions received. Please note that we reserve the right to reject contributions which are unsuitable for the site, and to request and/or require specific editorial changes before publication to meet any legal, funding or support requirements or obligations.

We commit to respond to all submissions within two weeks, and to fix a publication date for accepted content at the earliest possible point. HGN is an open access, public-facing project intended to connect people, and we neither charge nor pay a fee for editorial support and publication on our site.

References and Further Reading

  1. Lisa Gilbert, “‘The Past Is Your Playground’: The Challenges and Possibilities of Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate for Social Education,” Theory & Research in Social Education 45, no. 1 (January 2, 2017): 145–55, https://doi.org/10.1080/00933104.2017.1228812; Amanda G. Madden, “Blending a First-Year Composition Course Using Assassin’s Creed II,” in Blended Learning in Practice: A Guide for Practitioners and Researchers, ed. Amanda G. Madden et al. (Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 2019), 249–68; Katherine J. Lewis, “Grand Theft Longboat: Using Video Games and Medievalism to Teach Medieval History,” in Historia Ludens: The Playing Historian, ed. Alexander von Lünen et al., Routledge Approaches to History, vol. 30 (New York, NY: Routledge, 2020), 54–70; Robert Houghton, ed., Teaching the Middle Ages through Modern Games: Using, Modding and Creating Games for Education and Impact (Berlin: De Gruyter, 2022). ↩︎
  2. Aris Politopoulos et al., “‘History Is Our Playground’: Action and Authenticity in Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey,” Advances in Archaeological Practice 7, no. 3 (August 2019): 317–23, https://doi.org/10.1017/aap.2019.30; Andrew B. R. Elliott and Mike Horswell, “Crusading Icons: Medievalism and Authenticity in Historical Digital Games,” in History in Games: Contingencies of an Authentic Past, ed. Lorber Martin and Felix Zimmermann, Studies of Digital Media Culture 12 (Bielefeld: Transcript-Verl, 2020), 137–55; Karl Alvestad and Robert Houghton, eds., The Middle Ages in Modern Culture: History and Authenticity in Contemporary Medievalism(London: Bloomsbury, 2021), https://doi.org/10.5040/9781350167452?locatt=label:secondary_bloomsburyCollections. ↩︎
  3. Tanner Higgin, “Blackless Fantasy: The Disappearance of Race in Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games,” Games and Culture 4, no. 1 (2009): 3–26, https://doi.org/10.1177/1555412008325477; Michael Evans, “‘You Wouldn’t Want to Be Historically Inaccurate’: Online Responses to Race in Medievalist Television,” in Studies in Medievalism XXVIII: Medievalism and Discrimination, ed. Karl Fugelso (Cambridge: Boydell and Brewer, 2019), 13–20, https://doi.org/10.1017/9781787444713.003; Helen Victoria Young, “Race and Historical Authenticity Kingdom Come: Deliverance,” in The Middle Ages in Modern Culture: History and Authenticity in Contemporary Medievalism, ed. Karl Alvestad and Robert Houghton (London: Bloomsbury, 2021), 28–39, https://doi.org/10.5040/9781350167452?locatt=label:secondary_bloomsburyCollections. ↩︎
  4. David J. Leonard, “Not a Hater, Just Keepin’ It Real: The Importance of Race- and Gender-Based Game Studies,” Games and Culture 1, no. 1 (January 2006): 83–88; Lauryn S. Mayer, “Promises of Monsters: The Rethinking of Gender in MMORPGs,” in Studies in Medievalism XVI: Medievalism in Technology Old and New, ed. Karl Fugelso and Carol L. Robinson (Cambridge: Boydell and Brewer, 2008), 184–204; Antero Garcia, “Privilege, Power, and Dungeons & Dragons: How Systems Shape Racial and Gender Identities in Tabletop Role-Playing Games,” Mind, Culture, and Activity 24, no. 3 (2017): 232–46, https://doi.org/10.1080/10749039.2017.1293691; Michael Iantorno and Mia Consalvo, “Background Checks: Disentangling Class, Race, and Gender in CRPG Character Creators,” Games and Culture, 2023, 1–25, https://doi.org/10.1177/15554120221150342. ↩︎
  5. Stephen Greer, “Playing Queer: Affordances for Sexuality in Fable and Dragon Age,” Journal of Gaming & Virtual Worlds 5, no. 1 (March 1, 2013): 3–21, https://doi.org/10.1386/jgvw.5.1.3_1; Serina Patterson, “Women, Queerness, and Massive Chalice: Medievalism in Participatory Culture,” in Studies in Medievalism XXIV: Medievalism on the Margins, ed. Karl Fugelso, Vincent Ferré, and Alicia C. Montoya (Cambridge: Boydell and Brewer, 2015), 63–74, www.jstor.org/stable/10.7722/j.ctt12879b0.11; Mohamed S. Hassan, “You Can Be Anyone; but There Are Limits. A Gendered Reading of Sexuality and Player Avatar Identification in Dragon Age: Inquisition,” Gamevironments 6 (2017): 34–67. ↩︎
  6. Oliver Chadwick, “Courtly Violence, Digital Play: Adapting Medieval Courtly Masculinities in Dante’s Inferno,” in Digital Gaming Re-Imagines the Middle Ages, ed. Daniel T. Kline, Routledge Studies in New Media and Cyberculture 15 (New York: Routledge, 2014), 148–61; Fabian Schulz, “Waging Total War Playing Attila: A Video Game’s Take on the Migration Period,” in Ancient Violence in the Modern Imagination: Fear and the Fury, ed. Irene Berti, Maria G. Castello, and Carla Scilabra, Imagines – Classical Receptions in the Visual Performing Arts (London ; New York: Bloomsbury Academic, 2021), 161–71; Robert Houghton, “A Violent Medium for a Violent Era: Brutal Medievalist Combat in Dragon Age: Origins and Kingdom Come: Deliverance,” in Studies in Medievalism XXXIII: (En)Gendering Medievalism, ed. Karl Fugelso (Cambridge: Boydell and Brewer, 2024), 119–44. ↩︎
  7. Lauren Bernauer, “‘Elune Be Praised!’ World of Warcraft, Its People and Religions, and Their Real World Inspiration,” Literature & Aesthetics 19, no. 2 (2009): 307–25; Kristin M.S. Bezio, “Maker’s Breath – Religion, Magic, and the ‘Godless’ World of BioWare’s Dragon Age II (2011),” Online – Heidelberg Journal of Religions on the Internet 5 (2014): 134–61, https://doi.org/10.11588/REL.2014.0.12156; Frank G. Bosman, “‘Requiescat in Pace’. Initiation and Assassination Rituals in the Assassin’s Creed Game Series,” Religions 9, no. 5 (May 21, 2018): 167, https://doi.org/10.3390/rel9050167. ↩︎
  8. Karl Fugelso and Carol L. Robinson, eds., Studies in Medievalism XVI: Medievalism in Technology Old and New (Cambridge: Boydell and Brewer, 2008); Daniel T. Kline, ed., Digital Gaming Re-Imagines the Middle Ages, Routledge Studies in New Media and Cyberculture 15 (New York: Routledge, 2013); Robert Houghton, ed., Playing the Middle Ages: Pitfalls and Potential in Modern Games (London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2023). ↩︎
  9. Carl Heinze, Mittelalter Computer Spiele: Zur Darstellung und Modellierung von Geschichte im populären Computerspiel, Historische Lebenswelten in populären Wissenskulturen 8 (Bielefeld: Transcript-Verl, 2012); Juan Francisco Jiménez Alcázar, De la edad de los imperios a la guerra total: Medievo y videojuegos, 1a ed (Murcia: Compobell, 2016); Robert Houghton, The Middle Ages in Computer Games: Ludic Approaches to the Medieval and Medievalism, Medievalism 28 (Cambridge: D.S. Brewer, 2024). ↩︎
  10. Caroline Arbuckle MacLeod, “Undergraduate Teaching and Assassin’s Creed: Discussing Archaeology with Digital Games,” Advances in Archaeological Practice 9, no. 2 (May 2021): 101–9, https://doi.org/10.1017/aap.2021.1. ↩︎
  11. Amy S. Kaufman, “Romancing the Game: Magic, Writing, and the Feminine in Neverwinter Nights,” in Studies in Medievalism XVI: Medievalism in Technology Old and New, ed. Karl Fugelso and Carol L. Robinson (Cambridge: Boydell and Brewer, 2008), 143–58; Souvik Mukherjee, “An Assassin Across Narratives: Reading Assassin’s Creed from Videogame to Novel,” in New Directions in Popular Fiction, ed. Ken Gelder (London: Palgrave Macmillan UK, 2016), 387–404, https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-52346-4_19. ↩︎
  12. Martin Bostal, “Medieval Video Games as Reenactment of the Past: A Look at Kingdom Come: Deliverance and Its Historical Claim,” Congreso Asociación de Historia Contemporánea – Actas 14 (2019): 380–94; Michał Mochocki, Role-Play as a Heritage Practice: Historical Larp, Tabletop RPG and Reenactment (London New York: Routledge, 2021). ↩︎
  13. James Cook, “Sonic Medievalism, World Building, and Cultural Identity in Fantasy Video Games,” in Studies in Medievalism XXIX: Politics and Medievalism (Studies), ed. Karl Fugelso (Cambridge: Boydell & Brewer, 2020), 217–38, https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctvxhrjqn; Mariana López, “Playing the Sonic Past: Reflections on Sound in Medieval-Themed Video Games,” in Playing the Middle Ages: Pitfalls and Potential in Modern Games, ed. Robert Houghton (London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2023), 51–74. ↩︎
  14. Olga Kalashnikova, “Procedural Rhetoric in Civilization V, Kingdom Come: Deliverance, and Medieval Dynasty,” Annual of Medieval Studies at CEU 28 (2022): 141–55. ↩︎