#MAMG26
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midagesmodgames.bsky.social
Our final session of #MAMG26 is on "Alchemy and deviance"! It starts with Peter Färberböck discussing the role of blood between the medieval world and modern gaming: middleagesinmoderngames.net/mamg26/the-s...

#medieval #gamedev #gaming
A game screenshot of the character Strohl saying the "The traditionalists always say mixed blood children are abominations. Terrible omens."
October 7, 2026 at 1:01 PM
midagesmodgames.bsky.social
In our penultimate paper of #MAMG26, Marcus Jensen looks at the alchemical connection between the characters of Radagon and Marika in Elden Ring and asks how this reflects the gender division (or lack of it) between them: middleagesinmoderngames.net/mamg26/agend...

#EldenRing #Gaming #Medieval
Statues of the two characters, left and right, from Elden Ring.
October 7, 2026 at 1:23 PM
midagesmodgames.bsky.social
In our second paper on Analogue perspectives, Thom Gobbitt (@booksoflaw.bsky.social) explores his concept of "Lawplay", looking at the use of speculative and TTRPG style setups to explore the possibility space of early medieval law codes: middleagesinmoderngames.net/mamg26/from-...

#MAMG26
Varied polyhedral dice sitting on top of what appears to be a facsimile of a medieval manuscript.
October 6, 2026 at 11:24 AM
midagesmodgames.bsky.social
And for our very last paper of #MAMG26 (though do stick around for the closing remarks!) we have @robehoughton.bsky.social on "The Problem with Paladins" - what effect do these pseudo-crusaders have on our gaming?

middleagesinmoderngames.net/mamg26/the-p...

#Paladins #Crusade #Medieval #DnD
Various Paladins: Keldorn Firecam (Baldur’s Gate II) [Baldur’s Gate Fandom.com], Pallegina mes Rèi (Pillars of Eternity) [Pillars of Eternity Fandom.com], and Casavir (Neverwinter Nights 2) [NWN2 Fandom.com]
October 7, 2026 at 1:43 PM
midagesmodgames.bsky.social
In our last paper of #MAMG26 day two, Ian Regueiro-Salcedo discusses agency, memory and micro-history in Pentiment, and how the game presents the player with choices around constructing historiographies: middleagesinmoderngames.net/mamg26/when-...
A scene from Pentiment that includes large numbers of coloured woodcut-style townsfolk drinking and doing a range of other activities.
October 6, 2026 at 3:27 PM
midagesmodgames.bsky.social
#MAMG26
October 5, 2026 at 1:51 PM
midagesmodgames.bsky.social
Just five minutes to go until the 2026 Middle Ages in Modern Games Asynchronous Conference #MAMG26 begins with our opening address at 9:45am (UTC+1)! Everything you need to follow along will be in the programme: middleagesinmoderngames.net/mamg26/middle-
October 5, 2026 at 8:38 AM
midagesmodgames.bsky.social
And it's time for the closing remarks! Thanks to everyone who gave papers for #MAMG26! The conference chatter is still ongoing so please do go in and keep asking questions of our presenters.

Thank you all so much and see you next year!

middleagesinmoderngames.net/mamg26/closi...

#gamedev #games
Scene from Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave, with the protagonist standing in front of four obelisks arranged around a colourful floor. Up a staircase at the back a large clock-like structure is visible.
October 7, 2026 at 2:03 PM
booksoflaw.bsky.social
Delighted to see that the #MAMG26 - the 7th run of the Middle Ages in Modern Games - is about to start for all your medieval, medievalism and Historical Game Studies needs!

Lots of exciting papers to enjoy (including mine tomorrow on #Lawplay & #TTRPG)

middleagesinmoderngames.net/mamg26/middl...
Middle Ages in Modern Games, October 5-7 2026: Programme – The Middle Ages in Modern Games
middleagesinmoderngames.net
October 5, 2026 at 7:13 AM
midagesmodgames.bsky.social
We kick off our third and final day of #MAMG26 with our session on gender - in the first of our two papers Kurtis Pope looks at how Diablo IV's Lilith complicates medievalist ideas of the monstrous feminine: middleagesinmoderngames.net/mamg26/queen...
Lilith's death (left) and turning to stone (right) in Diablo IV.
October 7, 2026 at 9:01 AM
midagesmodgames.bsky.social
For our second paper of this last day 1 #MAMG26 session, Poppy Tester discusses the strange individualism of Medieval Dynasty where players take a nominally medieval setting but using far more permissive forms of landscape engagement:
middleagesinmoderngames.net/mamg26/the-w...
A game screenshot where a bison in the centre stands in shallow water, surrounded by reed-mace rushes and trees with a blue cloudy sky behind.
October 5, 2026 at 5:22 PM
midagesmodgames.bsky.social
And in our second modding paper we have Andrew Griffiths talking about the puzzling question of why people use mods rather than building games when exploring historical and pseudo-historical puzzle building. Check that out here:

middleagesinmoderngames.net/mamg26/skyri...

#MAMG26 #Skyrim #Modding
NexusMods cover images for (left): SIRENROOT and (right): Carved Brink
October 5, 2026 at 3:24 PM
robehoughton.bsky.social
If you missed any of the papers in this weeks @midagesmodgames.bsky.social Asynchronous Conference, you can still find them (and engage with them) over on the website: middleagesinmoderngames.net/category/mam...
MAMG26 – The Middle Ages in Modern Games
middleagesinmoderngames.net
October 9, 2026 at 2:58 PM
midagesmodgames.bsky.social
We now have our #MAMG26 Game Modding panel! Two papers in this session: first, Maxime Kremer talks about mods as a way of exploring historiography, looking at the systems of Crusader Kings III and how requirements for modded historical events are shaped: middleagesinmoderngames.net/mamg26/recon...
Maps of Britain with different early medieval peoples marked upon them, from the Crusader Kings III game engine.
October 5, 2026 at 3:02 PM
midagesmodgames.bsky.social
Our penultimate #MAMG26 panel has three papers on Nostalgia and presentism. We start with Kristina Wittkamp, discussing the binary of feminine hearth and masculine warrior identity in game reflections of medieval Rus: middleagesinmoderngames.net/mamg26/betwe...
Depictions of the Sturgia faction in Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord resembling Early Medieval Viking Rus’ raiders on foot (left) and Appanage Rus’ mounted military units (right). Both are shown in snowy, wooded locations.
October 7, 2026 at 11:02 AM
midagesmodgames.bsky.social
In our next Morality and Ideology #MAMG26 paper, Quangang Lee looks at Wind Fantasy III and IV and argues that they take a distinct reappropriation of medievalist tropes to build unconventional narratives around faith: middleagesinmoderngames.net/mamg26/reima...
Reimagining Medievalism in Chinese-Language Games: Wind Fantasy III and IV – The Middle Ages in Modern Games
middleagesinmoderngames.net
October 6, 2026 at 1:21 PM
midagesmodgames.bsky.social
For our next #MAMG26 paper, we move to the tabletop as Hannah Victoria explores how medievalism can be used as a stand-in for hegemonic institutionalism in a modern D&D context: middleagesinmoderngames.net/uncategorize...
October 6, 2026 at 1:45 PM
midagesmodgames.bsky.social
In our first #MAMG26 paper on Analogue perspectives, Anastasija Ropa discusses the ways in which a long-running medievalist LARP group adapted and changed, including adapting to life and technology but also changing explorations for the players: middleagesinmoderngames.net/mamg26/possi...
Two feasts with cups and food. One from 2005 on the left, done in person: one during the pandemic, seen over Zoom, on the right.
October 6, 2026 at 11:02 AM
midagesmodgames.bsky.social
Our second and last #MAMG26 gender panel paper has Hanjun Shi turning to Uncharted Waters IV where Huamei Maria Li's character provides a complication of narratives around colonisation and maritime control: middleagesinmoderngames.net/mamg26/i-do-...
Two characters from Uncharted Waters IV. On the left is a long-haired blonde man in a white cloak: on the right a woman with short dark hair, long white sleeves,and a red sash stands. There are bookcases and a fireplace behind them.
October 7, 2026 at 9:23 AM
midagesmodgames.bsky.social
In our last Analogue approaches paper, Jakub Ivanecky looks at the medievalism and horror intersection in Magic: The Gathering's Innistrad and its evocations of gothic medievalism and the Cathars: middleagesinmoderngames.net/mamg26/the-d...

#MAMG26
Two Magic: The Gathering cards, one of a Gavony Township (left) and one of the Archangel Avacyn (right). Both have timber-framed houses as prominent elements in the art.
October 6, 2026 at 11:43 AM
midagesmodgames.bsky.social
We have a break now then our first panel of papers begins at 2pm (UTC+1) on 'Design Case Studies' with three really exciting and insightful papers that really showcase possibility and new games and game ideas - see you then! #MAMG26
October 5, 2026 at 9:38 AM
midagesmodgames.bsky.social
Welcome back! Another two paper session, this time on Time and Death, to kick off #MAMG26 day two.

We start by returning to A Plague Tale, where Ron Heckler discusses how the game mixes modern and medieval imaginaries of apocalypse and community: middleagesinmoderngames.net/mamg26/possi...
Public life and festivities in the Red City in A Plague Tale: Requiem. The image is in a realistic style and shows a stage with musicians and a number of people dancing underneath it, and a man standing behind some tables at the bottom right with some bottles out. The background has a tree and some timber-framed houses, and some strings of small decorative flags.
October 6, 2026 at 9:03 AM
midagesmodgames.bsky.social
In our final paper on presentisms and nostalgia, Yahuai Lu explores Fallout: New Vegas' competing ideas of a New Rome, and the use of contested anachronism to work through contemporary political anxieties: middleagesinmoderngames.net/mamg26/when-...

#MAMG26 #FalloutNV #Gaming
Screenshot from Fallout: New Vegas of a player in modern combat armour with a red beret standing outside a square tent with large square bull-motif banners and a classicising portrait of Caesar.
October 7, 2026 at 11:43 AM
midagesmodgames.bsky.social
Truly starting #MAMG26 is our Keynote Address from Leandro Wallace: ‘Why we play the Middle Ages? A proposition for engaged thinking’, so join us now and bring your questions for a thought-provoking discussion about medievalisms, colonialism, and more: middleagesinmoderngames.net?p=1310
middleagesinmoderngames.net
October 5, 2026 at 9:01 AM
midagesmodgames.bsky.social
It's time! The Middle Ages in Modern Games Asynchronous Conference 2026 begins TODAY, October 5th, at 9:45am UTC+1 with our opening address to kick off a fantastic programme of three days of papers. Everything you'll need is in the live programme here: middleagesinmoderngames.net/mamg26/middl...
Middle Ages in Modern Games, October 5-7 2026: Programme – The Middle Ages in Modern Games
middleagesinmoderngames.net
October 5, 2026 at 3:32 AM