La quatrième édition de “The Middle Ages in Modern Games : Twitter Conference“, organisée par The Public Medievalist et le Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Research (University of Winchester) aura lieu sur Twitter du 6 au 9 juin 2023, autour des thèmes de la fantasy et de l’apocalypse.
Date limite d’envoi des propositions : 9 avril 2023.
Fantasy and Apocalypse are closely tied to medievalist games. Pseudo-medieval worlds are by far the most common setting for fantasy games from Dungeons and Dragons to World of Warcraft. Meanwhile, many games with apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic settings such as Fallout and Torment: Tides of Numenera make use of medieval tropes to build their worlds. These settings are clearly removed from the Middle Ages, but are nevertheless fundamentally medieval and can strongly influence modern perceptions of the period.
This conference considers the Medieval and Medievalism in Modern Games. We invite ‘papers’ (comprising a thread of 12 Tweets) and sessions of 3 to 5 papers which address any aspects of the medieval period or medievalism in any and all forms of modern games. We particularly welcome papers addressing the central conference themes of ‘Fantasy’ and ‘Apocalypse’. The conference will be conducted remotely and there will be no registration fee. To promote accessibility and inclusivity, the event runs asynchronously across time zones.
Topics may include (but are not restricted to):
The End of the World in Medievalist Games
Fantasy Games beyond Western Europe
Post-Apocalyptic Feudalism
Medieval and Fantasy Mechanics in Sci-Fi Worlds
Magic and Technology
Gender and Sexuality in Fantasy and Apocalyptic Worlds
‘Historical Accuracy’ in Fantasy Games
Boundaries between Fantasy and Medievalism
Constructing and Portraying Nuanced Fantasy Races
Building Pseudo-Medieval Worlds
Literary and Audio-Visual Influences
Teaching through Fantasy and Apocalyptic Games
Heterogeneity and Diversity in Fantasy Games
Chronological and Genre limits of Medievalism
We encourage submissions from medievalists, and games scholars and developers at any point in their career— especially those from Postgraduate Students, Early Career Researchers and members of any groups under-represented within the academy and industry. We welcome pieces addressing any region globally, and within a broad definition of ‘medieval’ and ‘medievalism’. Please send abstracts of no more than 200 words, brief biographies, and indications of time zone and availability as attachments in Word to Robert.Houghton [at] Winchester.ac.uk by Friday 9 April.