While historical video games set in Antiquity tend to focus on military gameplay, economic aspects such as resource exploitation and management have always been a significant part of the ludic depiction of the ancient world, from 4X grand strategy games, to city builders, to action-adventures. The talk takes a closer look at how economy and trade are (mis)represented and utilised in “ancient” video games, from Hamurabi (1973) to Builders of Egypt (2020).
Christian Rollinger is Reader in Ancient History at the University of Trier and currently a Visiting Professor at the University of Potsdam. His research interests include the economic and cultural history of the late Roman republic, the late Roman empire, ancient monarchies generally, and Classical Receptions in modern popular media. He has previously published on antiquity in video games and is editor of Classical Antiquity in Video Games. Playing with the Ancient World (2020).
Thursday, 11 July 2024
16:30 – 18:00
Black Box, Maison des Sciences Humaines, Belval Campus
and online
