Gamification of the Middle Ages: Educational Dimension of User Modifications of "Total War: Medieval II"
Gamification of the Middle Ages: Educational Dimension of User Modifications of "Total War: Medieval II"
Gamification of the Middle Ages: Educational Dimension of User Modifications of "Total War: Medieval II"
By AntonSukhov
Abstract
“Abstract: The increasing attention to the Middle Ages in popular culture (e.g. the TV series "Vikings") and scientific discourse (neo-medievalism, H. Bull, S. J. Kobrin, A. C. Arend) in turn, led to a widespread medieval theme in digital media and virtual worlds of modern video games. The paper investigates the gamification of the Middle Ages on the relevant example of innovative educational capabilities of user modifications (mods) of the historical game "Total War: Medieval II" (TWM2). Compared to the original 2006 game, many (still) constantly appearing (even in 2021) custom mods were created in close collaboration with professional historians and significantly improve historical authenticity and the level of involvement (E. Goffman) of gamers. Methodologically, the study takes into account that TWM2 with its mods is a genre hybrid of turn-based and real-time strategy with RPG (role-playing game) elements. According to these three levels, user mods: 1) discover new historical regions as well as the cultural, political, technical, and religious backgrounds of regional medieval history (at a strategic turn-based level), 2) carefully represent new historical types of troops (at a tactical real-time level), and 3) add new historical medieval characters (at an additional RPG level). The paper reveals the innovative educational capabilities of TWM2 mods that improve the historical authenticity of the original game and allow engaging game-based learning of medieval history. In terms of methodology, the study uses the newest theories of gamification (Y.-K. Chou, A. Marczewski, S. Deterding, R. Bartle), the diachronic principle of historicism and regional typology, the dichotomy of ludology and narratology (G. Frasca, J. Juul), the non-reductionist approach of I. Bogost, the concept of the "involvement" (E. Goffman). The findings of the paper can be useful for modern historical, educational, and game studies.”
Reference
Sukhov, A. (2021, September). Gamification of the Middle Ages: Educational Dimension of User Modifications of "Total War: Medieval II". Retrieved March 28, 2022, from https://www.proquest.com/docview/2616228343
Keyword
Total war medieval II, game-based learning, gamification, video games, game studies, research