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Ancient Greece and Rome in Videogames: Representation, Play, Transmedia [Kõva köide]

(University of Liverpool, UK)
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"This volume presents an original framework for the study of video games that use visual materials and narrative conventions from ancient Greece and Rome. It focuses on the culturally rich continuum of ancient Greek and Roman games, treating them not just as representations, but as functional interactive products that require the player to interpret, communicate with and alter them. Tracking the movement of such concepts across different media, the study builds an interconnected picture of antiquity in video games within a wider transmedial environment. Ancient Greece and Rome in Videogames presents a wide array of games from several different genres, ranging from the blood-spilling violence of god-killing and gladiatorial combat to meticulous strategizing over virtual Roman Empires and often bizarre adventures in pseudo-ancient places. Readers encounter instances in which players become intimately engaged with the "epic mode" of spectacle in God of War, moments of negotiation with colonised lands in Rome: Total War and Imperium Romanum, and multi-layered narratives rich with ancient traditions in games such as Eleusis and Salammbo. The case study approach draws on close analysis of outstanding examples of the genre to uncover how both representation andgameplay function in such "ancient games""--

This volume presents an original framework for the study of video games that use visual materials and narrative conventions from ancient Greece and Rome. It focuses on the culturally rich continuum of ancient Greek and Roman games, treating them not just as representations, but as functional interactive products that require the player to interpret, communicate with and alter them. Tracking the movement of such concepts across different media, the study builds an interconnected picture of antiquity in video games within a wider transmedial environment.

Ancient Greece and Rome in Videogames presents a wide array of games from several different genres, ranging from the blood-spilling violence of god-killing and gladiatorial combat to meticulous strategizing over virtual Roman Empires and often bizarre adventures in pseudo-ancient places. Readers encounter instances in which players become intimately engaged with the “epic mode” of spectacle in God of War, moments of negotiation with colonised lands in Rome: Total War and Imperium Romanum, and multi-layered narratives rich with ancient traditions in games such as Eleusis and Salammbo. The case study approach draws on close analysis of outstanding examples of the genre to uncover how both representation and gameplay function in such “ancient games”.

Arvustused

Clares approach is not only useful for those studying the ancient world, but other historical periods as well. * Manchester Metropolitan Game Centre * Starting with a helpful and in-depth explanation of his theoretical approach, which will make the tome accessible even to those who have never played Minesweeper, Clare analyses big name franchises and little-known, independent games with equal seriousness. * Greece & Rome * It is clear from this engaging and broad study that research into classical reception in videogames has successfully completed the tutorial stage what comes next, as in true videogame style, is up to us, the players and interpreters of these digital worlds, to decide what to explore next. * The Classical Review * This is the first monographic treatment of the receptions of classical antiquity in video games and a book that I have been expecting for years. Through an eclectic selection of case studies, Clare develops an intriguing approach to classical receptions in this vibrant medium. -- Christian Rollinger, Lecturer in Ancient History, University of Trier, Germany

Muu info

This study investigates and analyses the presence of Greek and Roman antiquity in 21st-century video games, using ideas from across multiple disciplines.
List of Illustrations
vii
Acknowledgements ix
An Introduction to Key Concepts: (Or, Always Read the Manual) 1(12)
What is a videogame?
3(3)
Classical reception theory
6(1)
Transmedia and popular culture
7(2)
Going forward
9(4)
1 (The Tutorial Level): How Might We Study Ancient-World Videogames?
13(22)
Approaching videogames
14(3)
History in videogames, videogames as history
17(5)
The gameplay process
22(5)
Genre frameworks
27(1)
A transmedial world of "popular antiquity"
28(7)
2 Finding a New Epic in Action-Adventure Videogames
35(46)
Epic games and epic films
36(2)
God of War
38(19)
Miniature epics
57(11)
Interactive Roman epic
68(9)
Conclusions
77(4)
3 Ideas of "Rome" in Ancient Strategy Games
81(36)
Making empires in the strategy game framework
82(5)
Formulating a "Roman language"
87(4)
Imperium Romanum
91(7)
Constructing "Rome" with non-Romans?
98(5)
Other indie futures for managerial Roman
103(3)
Reconfiguring classics and genre in Age of Mythology
106(8)
Conclusions
114(3)
4 First-Person Antiquity: Contemporaneity and Experimentality
117(42)
Embodiment and perspective
118(2)
Ancient Carthage as apocalyptic nightmare-scape
120(5)
Fear, drugs and spirituality in Eleusis
125(16)
Embodying "Sappho" and "Helen" in the visual novel
141(15)
Conclusions
156(3)
Not Game Over: A Conclusion 159(8)
Next Steps: (Or, the Inevitable Sequel) 167(6)
Notes 173(24)
Bibliography 197(26)
Index 223
Ross Clare is a University Teacher in Classics and Ancient History at the University of Liverpool, UK. He specializes in the study of antiquity in popular culture, particularly video games, film and television, and science fiction and fantasy.