Writing Game Histories
Published on 28. May 2026
Book
Hardback
272 pages
978-1-350-46825-2 (ISBN)
Description
This book offers an accessible introduction to the dynamic intersection between history and games, and the flourishing discipline of Historical Game Studies. From the representation of the past found in games with historical themes and settings- both digital and analogue- to the histories we might write about games, their development, use and the cultures and discourses that surround them, these methods offer something very new to the study of history.
How do we approach games as objects of historical study, or as ways of creating narratives and representations of the past? What methods and approaches do we need to account for when understanding the complex and multifaceted histories of games, as well as the myriad ways in which games have and continue to engage with history? Writing Game Histories answers these questions and more, offering the perfect guide to this rapidly growing and increasingly popular field of research, and provides an invaluable resource for considering its future.
How do we approach games as objects of historical study, or as ways of creating narratives and representations of the past? What methods and approaches do we need to account for when understanding the complex and multifaceted histories of games, as well as the myriad ways in which games have and continue to engage with history? Writing Game Histories answers these questions and more, offering the perfect guide to this rapidly growing and increasingly popular field of research, and provides an invaluable resource for considering its future.
Reviews / Votes
"This book is essential for anyone interested in historical games studies, from those who wish to explore how history is represented in games to those who wish to design historical games and what to know more about inspirational theories and methodologies." * Gianluca Raccagni, University of Edinburgh, UK * "A perfect introduction to the field of historical game studies and how games can enrich our understanding, teaching, and writing of history. A book that inspires new research and new ideas and highlights the myriad opportunities that games present to us." * John Wills, University of Kent, UK *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Target group
College/higher education
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 161 mm
Thickness: 19 mm
Weight
567 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-350-46825-2 (9781350468252)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Esther Wright is Lecturer in Digital History at Cardiff University, UK
Nick Webber is Associate Professor in Media at Birmingham City University, UK
Iain Donald is a Lecturer in Design & UX at Edinburgh Napier University, UK
Nick Webber is Associate Professor in Media at Birmingham City University, UK
Iain Donald is a Lecturer in Design & UX at Edinburgh Napier University, UK
Content
List of Figures
Introduction: Where and What is Historical Game Studies, Now? Esther Wright, Nick Webber, and Iain Donald
Part 1: Methods and Approaches
1. Inventory Full: Equipping the Interdisciplinary Toolbox, Corine Gerritsen, Keerthi Sridharan, and Angus Mol
2. Autoethnography as Historical Method: A Plague Tale and Authentic Experiences of the Past, Poppy Wilde and Nick Webber
3. Reading Paratexts and Writing Histories, Ed Vollans
4. Historical Analogues: Non-Digital Ludic Pedagogical Methods for History, Robert Houghton
Part 2: Frameworks and Lenses
5. On Being Colonised: Postcolonial Anxiety and Fantasy in the Historical Allegory of Anito: Defend a Land Enraged, Christoffer Mitch C. Cerda
6. Gender, Games, History, Tess Watterson
7. Playing with the Bubble: Showa nostalgia and Japan's economic collapse in Yakuza, Rachael Hutchinson
8. Mythology in Games: The Case of Inter-Mythological Storytelling, Alexander Vandewalle
Part 3: (Game) Histories in Practice
9. Board Games as Historical Rhetoric: Crisis: 1914, Maurice Suckling
10. Historical Theory and Game Design, Ruediger Brandis
11. 'Research is a Creative Process': Writing Histories with Games, James Coltrain, Leyla Johnson, Nikhil Murthy and Holly Nielsen (with Esther Wright)
Introduction: Where and What is Historical Game Studies, Now? Esther Wright, Nick Webber, and Iain Donald
Part 1: Methods and Approaches
1. Inventory Full: Equipping the Interdisciplinary Toolbox, Corine Gerritsen, Keerthi Sridharan, and Angus Mol
2. Autoethnography as Historical Method: A Plague Tale and Authentic Experiences of the Past, Poppy Wilde and Nick Webber
3. Reading Paratexts and Writing Histories, Ed Vollans
4. Historical Analogues: Non-Digital Ludic Pedagogical Methods for History, Robert Houghton
Part 2: Frameworks and Lenses
5. On Being Colonised: Postcolonial Anxiety and Fantasy in the Historical Allegory of Anito: Defend a Land Enraged, Christoffer Mitch C. Cerda
6. Gender, Games, History, Tess Watterson
7. Playing with the Bubble: Showa nostalgia and Japan's economic collapse in Yakuza, Rachael Hutchinson
8. Mythology in Games: The Case of Inter-Mythological Storytelling, Alexander Vandewalle
Part 3: (Game) Histories in Practice
9. Board Games as Historical Rhetoric: Crisis: 1914, Maurice Suckling
10. Historical Theory and Game Design, Ruediger Brandis
11. 'Research is a Creative Process': Writing Histories with Games, James Coltrain, Leyla Johnson, Nikhil Murthy and Holly Nielsen (with Esther Wright)