Sessions
A Short History of Mummies in Video Games
Presented by: Dr. Kate Minniti
Saturday March 9, 10 am US Central Time
A short history of mummies in video games. A preliminary overview of Dr. Kate Minniti's work on Egyptian mummies in video games based on a sample of ~210 titles spanning from 1979 to 2023. Minniti will showcase how mummified creatures are represented, in which genres they appear more often, and what role they play. In doing so, Minniti hopes to shed some light on how mummies have been transformed both into dehumanized monsters and immediate signifiers of ‘Egypt’ in video games.
My Father Lied: A Mystery That reveals History… And Myths
Presented by: Ahmed Alameen
Saturday March 9 at 11 am US Central Time
A presentation about Ahmed Alameen's puzzle game titled “My Father Lied”, which is inspired by 7000 years of Mesopotamian history and myths, to show how gaming media can be a great tool to present and educate about different cultures.
Reception of Ancient Mesopotamia in House of Ashes
Presented by: Megan Lewis, Lexie Henning, E.L. Meszaros
Saturday March 9, 12 pm US Central Time
A playthrough of segments of the game with a Classicist and two Assyriologist! Find out the (ancient) historical background of the game, and hear about the interesting ways in which the game performs reception of the ancient world.
By All the Wake and Waters!: Language and Worldbuilding in Heaven's Vault
Presented by: Julie Levy
Saturday March 9, 2 pm US Central Time
The world of Heaven's Vault is constructed through language as much as through its visuals. Julie Levy will give a talk on the relationship between the ancient language in the game and how that shapes both our understanding of that world's past and the gameplay.
The Queen and the NPC: Player Perceptions of Gender in Assassin's Creed
Presented by: Roselyn A Campbell
Saturday March 9 at 3 pm US Central Time
The Assassin’s Creed franchise of open-world adventure video games allows players to explore lush environments, solve complex puzzles, and experience combat in different historical time periods and vividly recreated real locations around the world. Until recently, the protagonists of the main games were invariably male, with the choice to play as a female protagonist only appearing in spinoffs and in the most recent releases, and the game worlds were largely populated by male NPCs. In a franchise that actively promotes its realistic recreations, this paper explores how players understand and internalize gender representation and accuracy in these games set in the ancient world, and considers how academics and educators can capitalize on this moment of diversification in gaming to prompt frank conversations about gender dynamics and inclusivity in the past and present.
The Neverending Story of Gilgamesh: Using Dungeons and Dragons to Teach History and Explore Myth
Presented by: Samantha Suppes
Saturday March 9, 4 pm US Central Time
This presentation will outline Samantha Suppes' development and play-testing of a Gilgamesh-themed Dungeons and Dragons adventure set in Early Dynastic Mesopotamia. This gaming structure could be very useful in teaching ancient history and literature in museum and classroom settings, as it showcases history in an engaging and educational way and can be adapted for a variety of settings and stories.
Whatever Happened to Edutainment?
Presented by: Betty Robertson
Sunday March 10, 10 am US Central Time
Betty Robertson talks about the history of edutainment games and circle back around to why they're still a necessity, ways we can support them, and upcoming titles.
One Shot, Endless Opportunities: A tabletop workshop for combining TTRPGs and Histories
Presented by: Daniel Maday
Sunday March 10, 11 am US Central Time
This short workshop will go through the basics of how simple, one page table top role playing games (TTRPGs) can be made from existing systems, and how to customize those systems for your needs as a GM, educator, or even as a player! In 45 minutes, we’ll look at Worldbuilding and Settings, Character Creation, and Running Games, and there will be a 15 minute Q&A session afterwards.
Peasant Farmers: Murder Victims or Crop Producers: How Genres and Historical Problem Spaces Shape the History in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and Hegemony: Wars of Ancient Greece
Presented by: Jeremiah McCall
Sunday March 10, 12pm US Central Time
Exploring how the genres and historical problems spaces of historical games Assassin's Creed Odyssey and the rts Hegemony: Wars of Ancient Greece shape the way each game presents history. This involves using the Historical Problem Space Framework and looking at how third person action differs fundamentally from realtime strategy and thus presents historical elements differently
Gaming the Past: Teaching and Learning History Through Videogame Analysis and Critique
Presented by: Jeremiah McCall
Sunday March 10, 2pm US Central Time
The basic principles of how to teach history with historical video games a la Gaming the Past. Logistics of play, the Historical Problem Space framework for analysis, and the importance of reflection and debriefing.
Let's Play
Presented by: Julie Levy
Sunday March 10, 4pm US Central Time
After Dark Games
History and Mythology
Presented by: Daniel Maday
Saturday March 9, 6-8:30 pm US Central Time
The Epic of Gilgamesh D&D One-Shot: Humbaba
Presented by: Samantha Suppes
Saturday March 9, 7-8:30 pm US Central Time
TEMPLE OF THE BOUNTIFUL -an ancient TTRPG dungeon adventure
Presented by: Marren MacAdam
Sunday March 10, 6-8:30 pm US Central Time