The Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Research at the University of Winchester presents The Sixth Middle Ages in Modern Games Asynchronous Conference (@MidAgesModGames, #MAMG25) on 3 to 6 June 2025. The central themes of this year’s event are ‘Globalities’ and ‘Regionalities’.
The Medieval World is increasingly large and varied in games. Perspectives of the Middle Ages from outside Western Europe and North America have enjoyed global commercial success in the form of games including Dragon’s Dogma, Black Myth Wukong, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance, while countless non-Anglophone medievalist games such as Quraish, Hiệp Khách Chi Ca, and Tormenta enjoy vast playerbases. Western games like the Crusader Kings and Assassin’s Creed series have explored a growing section of the medieval world outside Europe. The study of medievalist games is conducted by a vast range of scholars globally, in multiple languages, with emerging national and regional trends.
This conference considers the Middle Ages and Medievalism in Modern Games. We invite analytical ‘papers’ (comprising 400-500 words of text or 5-minute videos) and sessions of 3 to 5 papers which address any aspects of the medieval period or medievalism in any and all forms of modern games. We particularly welcome papers addressing the central conference themes of ‘Globalities’ and ‘Regionalities’. The conference will be conducted remotely and there will be no registration fee. To promote accessibility and inclusivity, the event runs asynchronously across time zones.
Topics may include (but are not restricted to):
•Regional and International Game Development
•Extra-European Perspectives
•Game Mechanics of Globalism
•Modding and Counterplay
•Regionalisation of Medievalist Games
•National Schools of Medievalist Game Studies
•Anglocentrism in Development and Play
•Global Fantasy Worlds and Peoples
•Non-Anglophone Research and Games
•Roleplaying across Culture and Race
•Controversy in and Around Global Medievalist Games
•Regional and National Gaming Communities
•Indigeneity and Colonialism
•Minority Cultures and Languages within Europe
•Distinguishing Cultures in Play and Mechanics
•Medieval Travellers in Games
•Stereotypes, Racism and Xenophobia
We encourage submissions from medievalists, games scholars and developers at any point in their career— especially those from Postgraduate Students, Early Career Researchers and members of any groups under-represented within the academy and industry. We welcome pieces addressing any region globally, and within a broad definition of ‘medieval’ and ‘medievalism’.
We are able to accept papers in English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish.
Please send abstracts of no more than 200 words, brief biographies, and indications of time zone and availability as attachments in Word to midagesmodgames@gmail.com by Friday 3 May.