Authentic Historical Imagery: a Suggested Approach for Medieval Videogames

Abstract

In recent years, medieval videogames have come under increased academic scrutiny. This includes both videogames set in the historical Middle Ages and those that place themselves in fantastical medieval worlds inspired by Tolkien and Dungeons & Dragons. These medieval videogames mix the demands of an interactive entertainment medium with elements of medieval history and fantasy. As a result, analyzing how these videogames represent and more importantly, re-imagine the medieval past has become rather difficult for historians. Therefore, this article will propose an alternate approach to do justice to the creative ways videogames depict and transform the medieval past, one based on how gamers relate to authentic historical imagery . To showcase the workings of this particular approach, the medieval fantasy videogame The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011) will be used as a short case study.