Human Archaeology in Persistent Digital Spaces
Presented at TAG Syracuse Session 006, May 4, 2019. Below is the text-as-presented. Click HERE for the MP3 audio, which I pre-recorded (should you want to listen). My sincere thanks go […]
Consulting for Ubisoft on Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey
Dr. Stéphanie-Anne Ruatta is an ancient historian and expert in Classical languages who works full-time for Ubisoft: Québec, that rare career path in which some historians and archaeologists see themselves […]
The Archaeology of Heaven’s Vault
Let’s get this out of the way first: Heaven’s Vault (inkle Studios, 16 April 2019, on Steam and PS4) is the best archaeological game I’ve ever played. It is also the best […]
Heaven’s Vault: An Early Review
NOTE: The following “review” was done as a 2019 April Fools joke. A real review will be forthcoming once the embargo lifts on April 16. Heaven’s Vault (inkle studios) will […]
Archaeology and Heaven’s Vault: An Interview with inkle’s Jon Ingold
Heaven’s Vault is a new, archaeological digital game (available Spring 2019 from inkle Studios) that breaks many boundaries in how archaeology and archaeologists have been portrayed. In the game, players: …uncover […]
Machine-Created Culture: Abdication
We did this to ourselves. Humanity’s core set of needs include: food, water, protection from the environment (i.e., clothing and/or shelter), survival of the species. A fifth core need must […]
Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey and Real Archaeology
Introduction Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey continues the franchise’s deep dive into Antiquity, featuring over 60 hours (so far, for me) of deep play in the Greek world of the 5th century […]
Games as Hyperobjects, Manufactured Landscapes, and Archaeological Driftwood
Over the past few days (thanks to Peter Campbell) I have read about hyperobjects (Timothy Morton), manufactured/intentional landscapes (Edward Burtynsky), and archaeological drift (Þóra Pétursdóttir, Bjørnar Olsen), which have become […]
When is a Video Game?
I was asked by an archaeology undergraduate student recently if a video game is from the past, present, or future when it is being investigated archaeologically. Archaeology does like to […]
The Forgotten City: Imagining an Authentic Ancient Roman City
SPECIAL GUEST POST! Nick Pearce is the Creative Director and founder of Modern Storyteller, which is deep in development of The Forgotten City. It’s both rare and welcome to hear from […]
Film: The Legacy Hub Archaeological Project
I conducted the Legacy Hub Archaeological Project in between the release of No Man’s Sky v1.3 (Atlas Rises) and v1.5 (NEXT), documenting the abandoned player settlements and communication stations of […]
Mapping, Colonialism, and No Man’s Sky
Thanks to a thought-provoking email from my friend and colleague Florence Smith Nicholls, I wanted to explore the ideas of mapping and colonialism in No Man’s Sky, something I had […]
Publication: An Archaeogaming Grand Challenge
Introduction The diverse archaeogaming community of practice shares one grand challenge that stands out over all others: publication. This brief post breaks the challenge down into three major points: 1) […]
A Procedurally Generated Archaeology Mission in No Man’s Sky
Introduction Archaeology and archaeological missions are now part of No Man’s Sky in the version 1.5 “NEXT” update. Much like the Archaeology skill and mechanic in World of Warcraft’s “Cataclysm” […]
New Archaeology in No Man’s Sky: NEXT
I wonder if Hello Games was listening to the #archaeogaming hashtag on Twitter over the past year when they decided to include archaeology in No Man’s Sky: NEXT (v1.5). Granted the […]
An End of an Era in No Man’s Sky: NEXT
POST UPDATED ON 27 JULY 2018. SCROLL TO BOTTOM FOR NEW DATA. The latest iteration of No Man’s Sky, v1.5 “NEXT”, marks the second extinction-level event in the game’s two-year […]
