Publication on video games and archaeology made possible by Kickstarter
VALUE (Videogames and Archaeology at Leiden UnivErsity) is publishing an edited volume on the intersection of archaeology, heritage and video games. In this volume, both scholars and game creators are collaboratively writing to raise academic awareness, address a variety of research opportunities and discuss how and why the gaming industry can co-operate with archaeologists.
Intersections
VALUE is a research group that began in early 2015 as an initiative of four Faculty of Archaeology staff members, of which three are part of the Graduate School. As a research group, VALUE explores a new field at the intersections of archaeology and video games, with the aim to raise academic and societal awareness and to showcase research opportunities.
The Interactive Past
As one of the steps to consolidate these aims, VALUE is publishing an edited volume titled The Interactive Past, containing 12 chapters originating from papers presented during the Interactive Pasts conference, which was hosted at the faculty last spring. This open access book was successfully crowdfunded through Kickstarter and is expected to be published in the spring of 2017.
The deaths of virtual Romans matter
The Interactive Past brings together a diverse group of thinkers — including archaeologists, heritage scholars, game creators, conservators and more — who explore the interface of video games and the past in a series of unique and engaging writings. They address such topics as how thinking about and creating games can inform on archaeological method and theory, how to leverage games for the communication of powerful and positive narratives, how games can be studied archaeologically and the challenges they present in terms of conservation, and why the deaths of virtual Romans and the treatment of video game chickens matters.
Open access and pre-order
Through Sidestone Press, The Interactive Past will be published entirely open access, but for those who want to have the look and feel of ‘good old’ paper, the book will also be available as a paperback or hardcover. Although the book is not published yet, pre-orders have become available as of this week and Leiden University students and faculty members get a discount of 25% for both printed versions of the book.
For more information about the book, to read its table of contents or to pre-order your copy, please explore The Interactive Past at Sidestone Press.