Catálogo de publicaciones - revistas

<jats:p> This article presents how the tools of videogame design can be used to convey historical arguments, and to what extent historians could benefit from creating such videogames. We begin by positioning our argument within the literature on the writing of history, linking it to formal and writing issues, which leads us to delve into various definitions of what “videogames for history” could be, and what operational frameworks could be derived from those definitions. We then confront some key principles of design to a selection of actual videogame projects to discuss the possibility of “historiographical game design” to be considered as “an alternative to the pen” (Chapman, 2013, p. 329) for historians. Our goal is to identify general principles in the design of historiographical videogames, to provide an improved and refined definition of these games from a design perspective and to formulate general guidelines to inform further explorations through research-creation projects. </jats:p>

<jats:p> As games grow in popularity, the importance of outreach has begun to be recognized within the field of historical games studies. However, much outreach has focused on education, consultancy, or the development of new games. While these are all valuable, this article draws attention to a fourth category of outreach that has hitherto been underutilized: digital criticism, particularly in the format of the Let’s Play. Embodied in a “streamer-historian,” this style of outreach offers great potential as a tool to analyze historical games. This article combines approaches drawn from discourse theory with case studies of recent games and lessons drawn from practical work on digital platforms by the author and others, arguing that the streamer-historian occupies a unique and crucial position within the discursive cycle of games that makes it a potent tool of outreach. </jats:p>

<jats:p> Hong Kong's Kowloon Walled City has found new life in videogames during the three decades since its demolition, taking on unstable and sometimes contradictory forms when reimagined through virtual architecture. At stake in these acts of memory are the historical discourses surrounding everyday life in Kowloon Walled City, its uncertain political and cultural status, and ongoing postcolonial debates concerning Hong Kong identity. I analyze Kowloon's Gate, Shenmue II, and Mr Pumpkin 2: Walls of Kowloon to uncover the contestation of the city's histories through the types of spaces Michel Foucault described as heterotopic: at once real and unreal, and existent and non-existent. This analysis reveals the fluid nature of cultural memory and historical discourse in videogame spaces, as well as how virtual spatiality and the past can be used together to understand and define the present. </jats:p>

<jats:p> This article explores authenticity, immersion, and heritage in two historical video games, Svoboda 1945: Liberation and Train to Sachsenhausen. The two games use different strategies when inviting understanding, emotional attachment, and immersive experiences of past events. We draw upon a critical, self-reflective analysis of the design process and a comparison of both games. Our aim is to expand further the toolset for historical game analysis and critique by developing the terms inter-medial authenticity and procedural heritage to enable investigations of games as both representations and simulations of historical events. We show that both these aspects can contribute to the roles games can play as conveyors of historical memory and heritage. </jats:p>

<jats:p> This article proposes a new framework for analysing how developers structure – and players experience – history and heritage in historical video games. Drawing on the theory of mashups, this article demonstrates how historical games generate ‘technocultural mashups’ by cutting and pasting aspects of cultural heritage into the gameplay experience and then challenging players to further adapt this. ‘Technocultural mashups’, the article suggests, exploit a cultural precedent in the recombination of art, music and video, but also a Web 2.0 precedent that enables alternative modes of production, communication and consumption based on the affordances of new media. Assassin's Creed Odyssey is used as a case study to better understand the relationship between game design and the simulation of cultural heritage. By looking at fan-made trailers, as well as gameplay, paratexts and player-generated content, this article explores how ‘technocultural mashups’ enable players to participate in a networked historical imaginary. </jats:p>