Playing the Present: Gaming Egypt with GMT’s Labyrinth
There is a story that circulates among wargamers about a German Kriegspiel being played out at a command post somewhere in France in 1944, when reports of an Allied attack along the lines of what was being simulated in the game began arriving at the headquarters. The general staff orderedContinue Reading
Telling History through Memory: Deathwing
Our past isn’t the only one. Most of the virtual worlds that exist through video games have histories of their own. Some are long and detailed and only individuals truly dedicated to the lore can possibly know the entire history of their world today, be it Azeroth, Ferelden, or Norrath.Continue Reading
Excavating the Present in Fallout 3
“The best place to view Los Angeles of the next millennium is from the ruins of its alternative future” thus Mike Davies begins his provocative history of L.A. When Davies interrogates Blade Runner and The Martian Chronicles he finds a considerable amount of material to critically interpret the city andContinue Reading
Emergent gameplay, bardic style
There’s a wonderful moment in Book 8 of the homeric Odyssey when Odysseus treats Demodocus, one of the two bards in the Odyssey (we’ll meet poor Phemius, the other one, very briefly later in this post) pretty much the way a gamer treats his or her controller, fulfilling the fantasyContinue Reading
Seeing Like SimCity
Mark Sample recently posted a short talk he gave at the 2011 MLA, called “Criminal Code: The Procedural Logic of Crime in Videogames.” There is a lot in this little talk that’s worth reading. (I applaud Mark’s call for humanists to do close readings of code, something we tried toContinue Reading
Kratom: Understanding the Risks and Potential Side Effects
Introduction: Kratom, derived from the leaves of the Mitragyna speciosa tree, is often touted for its potential benefits, such as pain relief, mood enhancement, and increased energy. However, it’s important to recognize that kratom is not without risks. While some side effects may be mild, others can be more severe,Continue Reading
Practical Necromancy* for Beginners
My students – especially my first year students – sometimes wish for direct, first person testimony. Wouldn’t it make life easier if we could just interrogate them, read what they thought, directly? Seeing as how most of the people in question (in my classes) are Romans, this would require aContinue Reading
History as Context: Civilization V
Sid Meier’s Civilization is one of the most-loved franchises in gaming, particularly among those with a historical bent, even though it doesn’t provide a realistic narrative of history. The latest iteration in the series came out a few months ago and adjusted many aspects of play for better or worseContinue Reading
Argument Wars Redux: Interview with Dan Norton of Filament Games
I am excited to have a chance to talk with Dan Norton, Lead Designer at Filament games. Filament has developed a bunch of great educational games. I was thinking about writing up a review of one of their games which has a particularly historical dimension, but I figured, hey whyContinue Reading
Thanks, Happy Holidays, & Publishing Hiatus
One month ago (yesterday) Play the Past went live. It was a project that I had been nursing for some time, and I quite honestly had no idea how it would be received. I knew that the model of a collaboratively contributed and lightly edited blog worked (based on my involvement withContinue Reading