Photo of game dice of various colors on a topographical site plan.

Photo by Gabriel Mckee & Daniela Wolin (CC BY 4.0)

DAY 2: Re-Rolling the Past: Representations and Reinterpretations of Antiquity in Analog and Digital Games

Online Conference organized by Gabriel Mckee (ISAW Library) and Daniela Wolin (Yale University & ISAW Research Affiliate)

Analog and digital games (e.g. video, role play, board, card, pedagogical, and alternative games) are platforms for modeling and experiencing events in fantastic, modern, or historical settings. When devising games based on ancient historical and archaeological contexts, an informed and critical approach is essential, lest games perpetuate problematic narratives or provide inaccurate representations of the past. "Rerolling the Past" builds off of the recent increase in academic studies of games to show how games can serve as a fruitful avenue for communicating information about the ancient world. This conference will bring together historians, archaeologists, scholars of gaming, and game designers to discuss three intersecting themes: archaeology in/of games; pedagogy and games; and critical approaches to game design. We hope to acknowledge and address common issues and challenges that cut across disciplinary divides and envisage how increased collaborative initiatives can be developed in the future.

Program:

DAY 2
Thursday, November 12th
11am-1pm

11:00am
David Ratzan (NYU ISAW), "New strategies for teaching old games: Playful approaches to teaching ancient economic and institutional history"

11:25am
Gina Konstantopoulos (University of Tsukuba), "Knowledge Checks: Representing (and Teaching) the Ancient Near East through Gaming"

11:50am
Break

12:00pm
Sebastian Heath (NYU ISAW), "Gamifying Gamification at Pompeii"

12:20pm
Mi Wang (NYU ISAW), "Dwelling in Archaeology: virtual museum of Bamiyan in the game engine of PlayCanvas"

Schedules for other days of the conference: day 1 | day 3

Please check isaw.nyu.edu for event updates.

ISAW is committed to providing a positive and educational experience for all guests and participants who attend our public programming. We ask that all attendees follow the guidelines listed in our community standards policy.