Robert Houghton
@robehoughton.bsky.social
Lecturer in Medieval History at the University of Winchester. Author of The Middle Ages in Computer Games. Co-organiser of the Middle Ages in Modern Games conference. Italy; Investiture Contest; Games.
Pinned
The Middle Ages in Computer Games - Boydell and Brewer
Offers the most comprehensive analysis and discussion of medievalist computer games to date.Games with a medieval setting are commercially lucrative and reac...
boydellandbrewer.com
My book, The Middle Ages in Computer Games, is out on 5 November. It's almost certainly the most extensive consideration of the theme to date touching on games from Age of Conan to Zork. The digital version is £20 and you can get a 35% discount with code BB35 on boydellandbrewer.com/978184384729...
I'm delighted to be part of this volume with a plethora of awesome people. The immediate paperback edition is an additional nice touch.
A project that started with a DiGRA23 workshop is finally, nearly out in the world! Coming May 2026 from Bloomsbury’s Writing History series, Writing Games Histories is a collection of essays on historical game studies methods&approaches. Find the ToC here:
www.bloomsbury.com/uk/writing-g...
www.bloomsbury.com/uk/writing-g...
Writing Game Histories
This book offers an accessible introduction to the dynamic intersection between history and games, and the flourishing discipline of Historical Game Studies. Fr…
www.bloomsbury.com
November 8, 2025 at 7:53 PM
I'm delighted to be part of this volume with a plethora of awesome people. The immediate paperback edition is an additional nice touch.
Reposted by Robert Houghton
A project that started with a DiGRA23 workshop is finally, nearly out in the world! Coming May 2026 from Bloomsbury’s Writing History series, Writing Games Histories is a collection of essays on historical game studies methods&approaches. Find the ToC here:
www.bloomsbury.com/uk/writing-g...
www.bloomsbury.com/uk/writing-g...
Writing Game Histories
This book offers an accessible introduction to the dynamic intersection between history and games, and the flourishing discipline of Historical Game Studies. Fr…
www.bloomsbury.com
November 8, 2025 at 9:39 AM
A project that started with a DiGRA23 workshop is finally, nearly out in the world! Coming May 2026 from Bloomsbury’s Writing History series, Writing Games Histories is a collection of essays on historical game studies methods&approaches. Find the ToC here:
www.bloomsbury.com/uk/writing-g...
www.bloomsbury.com/uk/writing-g...
Reposted by Robert Houghton
Hurrah! My new book, Europe in the Eleventh Century: Beyond Revolution and Reform is officially published today by Oxford University Press. 1/5 global.oup.com/academic/pro...
global.oup.com
October 16, 2025 at 7:47 AM
Hurrah! My new book, Europe in the Eleventh Century: Beyond Revolution and Reform is officially published today by Oxford University Press. 1/5 global.oup.com/academic/pro...
Reposted by Robert Houghton
Temos o prazer de anunciar nossa sessão temática no I Congresso Brasileiro de Arqueologia Digital, organizado pelo @archarise.bsky.social
Se você trabalha com jogos medievalistas ou #archaoegaming sob qualquer ótima, esperamos sua inscrição!
#historygames #medievalsky
Se você trabalha com jogos medievalistas ou #archaoegaming sob qualquer ótima, esperamos sua inscrição!
#historygames #medievalsky
October 7, 2025 at 5:15 PM
Temos o prazer de anunciar nossa sessão temática no I Congresso Brasileiro de Arqueologia Digital, organizado pelo @archarise.bsky.social
Se você trabalha com jogos medievalistas ou #archaoegaming sob qualquer ótima, esperamos sua inscrição!
#historygames #medievalsky
Se você trabalha com jogos medievalistas ou #archaoegaming sob qualquer ótima, esperamos sua inscrição!
#historygames #medievalsky
Reposted by Robert Houghton
We're pleased to announce we're putting together a thematic strand at the 1st Brazilian Conference on Digital Archaeology, organized by @archarise.bsky.social.
If you work with medievalist #historygames and/or #archaeogaming in any capacity, we'd love to hear from you!
#medievalsky
If you work with medievalist #historygames and/or #archaeogaming in any capacity, we'd love to hear from you!
#medievalsky
October 7, 2025 at 5:11 PM
We're pleased to announce we're putting together a thematic strand at the 1st Brazilian Conference on Digital Archaeology, organized by @archarise.bsky.social.
If you work with medievalist #historygames and/or #archaeogaming in any capacity, we'd love to hear from you!
#medievalsky
If you work with medievalist #historygames and/or #archaeogaming in any capacity, we'd love to hear from you!
#medievalsky
Reposted by Robert Houghton
Anyone interested in forming a virtual co-working/writing group of humanists without current institutional affiliation/independent scholars?
I can't be the only one desperately missing both community and time on my calendar for my "side projects"!
#medievalsky #dh #bookhistory #humanities
I can't be the only one desperately missing both community and time on my calendar for my "side projects"!
#medievalsky #dh #bookhistory #humanities
September 20, 2025 at 5:17 AM
Anyone interested in forming a virtual co-working/writing group of humanists without current institutional affiliation/independent scholars?
I can't be the only one desperately missing both community and time on my calendar for my "side projects"!
#medievalsky #dh #bookhistory #humanities
I can't be the only one desperately missing both community and time on my calendar for my "side projects"!
#medievalsky #dh #bookhistory #humanities
Reposted by Robert Houghton
Reposted by Robert Houghton
Apply to be on season 5! Details available on our website. 🩷
August 26, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Apply to be on season 5! Details available on our website. 🩷
Reposted by Robert Houghton
There's still a couple of weeks left to get your abstracts in for our @imc-leeds.bsky.social strand next year! We how to see a lot of you there. Deadline 17 September.
The Call for Papers for our strand on the Middle Ages in Modern Games for next year's @imc-leeds.bsky.social is now open with the conference theme of 'Temporalities'. Please circulate to any interested parties. Deadline 17 September. Text here: middleagesinmoderngames.net/announcement...
September 2, 2025 at 8:30 AM
There's still a couple of weeks left to get your abstracts in for our @imc-leeds.bsky.social strand next year! We how to see a lot of you there. Deadline 17 September.
Reposted by Robert Houghton
"This book is a must-read for both medievalists and gamers." - @medievalists.bsky.social The Middle Ages in Computer Games by @robehoughton.bsky.social offers the most comprehensive analysis and discussion of medievalist computer games to date. Learn more 👉 buff.ly/XnzZx0z #medievalsky
August 29, 2025 at 6:30 AM
"This book is a must-read for both medievalists and gamers." - @medievalists.bsky.social The Middle Ages in Computer Games by @robehoughton.bsky.social offers the most comprehensive analysis and discussion of medievalist computer games to date. Learn more 👉 buff.ly/XnzZx0z #medievalsky
Reposted by Robert Houghton
🚨 PUBLIC BETA NOW OPEN 🚨
You can play it right now on Steam
👉 store.steampowered.com/app/2275300/...
If you're into 4X games and/or prehistory, this is for you 🔥🏺
Super excited to hear your feedback!
#gamedev #indiegame 🎮
You can play it right now on Steam
👉 store.steampowered.com/app/2275300/...
If you're into 4X games and/or prehistory, this is for you 🔥🏺
Super excited to hear your feedback!
#gamedev #indiegame 🎮
Folk Emerging on Steam
Lead nomadic families through the Stone Age in this turn-based 4X strategy game with deeply simulated characters, cultures, and ecosystems. Explore the wilderness, gather & trade resources, and ou...
store.steampowered.com
August 7, 2025 at 10:16 AM
🚨 PUBLIC BETA NOW OPEN 🚨
You can play it right now on Steam
👉 store.steampowered.com/app/2275300/...
If you're into 4X games and/or prehistory, this is for you 🔥🏺
Super excited to hear your feedback!
#gamedev #indiegame 🎮
You can play it right now on Steam
👉 store.steampowered.com/app/2275300/...
If you're into 4X games and/or prehistory, this is for you 🔥🏺
Super excited to hear your feedback!
#gamedev #indiegame 🎮
There's another very kind review of The Middle Ages in Computer Games out on @gamevironments.bsky.social from @markusmindrebo.bsky.social. There's also a bunch of important articles on peripheral religions in games in this issue which are well worth a look. doi.org/10.48783/gam...
Review of Robert Houghton's The Middle Ages in Computer Games: Ludic Approaches to the Medieval and Medievalism (2024)
| gamevironments
doi.org
August 7, 2025 at 9:42 AM
There's another very kind review of The Middle Ages in Computer Games out on @gamevironments.bsky.social from @markusmindrebo.bsky.social. There's also a bunch of important articles on peripheral religions in games in this issue which are well worth a look. doi.org/10.48783/gam...
Reposted by Robert Houghton
The Call for Papers for our strand on the Middle Ages in Modern Games for next year's @imc-leeds.bsky.social is now open with the conference theme of 'Temporalities'. Please circulate to any interested parties. Deadline 17 September. Text here: middleagesinmoderngames.net/announcement...
August 4, 2025 at 2:01 PM
The Call for Papers for our strand on the Middle Ages in Modern Games for next year's @imc-leeds.bsky.social is now open with the conference theme of 'Temporalities'. Please circulate to any interested parties. Deadline 17 September. Text here: middleagesinmoderngames.net/announcement...
If you're still on the fence about the book, Jacob Abell has written a good summary and very kind review of 'The Middle Ages in Computer Games' over at Acta Ludologica: actaludologica.com/wp-content/u...
actaludologica.com
July 30, 2025 at 3:43 PM
If you're still on the fence about the book, Jacob Abell has written a good summary and very kind review of 'The Middle Ages in Computer Games' over at Acta Ludologica: actaludologica.com/wp-content/u...
Practicas da Historia has an important CfP out on the political instrumentalisation of History which has a lot of scope for work on medievalism and/or games. As always, they accept papers in Portuguese, English, Spanish, and French. Abstract deadline 17 Sep.
praticasdahistoria.pt/radical-hist...
praticasdahistoria.pt/radical-hist...
Radical Histories, Distorted Pasts: The Far Right and the Political Instrumentalisation of History (open)
| Práticas da História. Journal on Theory, Historiography and Uses of the Past
praticasdahistoria.pt
July 28, 2025 at 10:59 AM
Practicas da Historia has an important CfP out on the political instrumentalisation of History which has a lot of scope for work on medievalism and/or games. As always, they accept papers in Portuguese, English, Spanish, and French. Abstract deadline 17 Sep.
praticasdahistoria.pt/radical-hist...
praticasdahistoria.pt/radical-hist...
Reposted by Robert Houghton
We’re delighted to be returning to the International Medieval Congress at the University of Leeds next week. We’ve got 20 papers in person and online spread over two days of the event, alongside a roundtable on medievalist games outside the Anglophone world.
July 4, 2025 at 5:01 PM
We’re delighted to be returning to the International Medieval Congress at the University of Leeds next week. We’ve got 20 papers in person and online spread over two days of the event, alongside a roundtable on medievalist games outside the Anglophone world.
Reposted by Robert Houghton
We're at the Middle Ages in the Modern World conference this week. Author Robert Houghton stopped by or stand to say hello! Find out more about his book "The Middle Ages in Computer Games" buff.ly/B81ugFy #Medievalism @themamoconf.bsky.social #MAMO25
June 24, 2025 at 3:49 PM
We're at the Middle Ages in the Modern World conference this week. Author Robert Houghton stopped by or stand to say hello! Find out more about his book "The Middle Ages in Computer Games" buff.ly/B81ugFy #Medievalism @themamoconf.bsky.social #MAMO25
Reposted by Robert Houghton
If any of you #archaeogaming folk have consulted on a video game, please give a shout/skeet to @julielebaron.bsky.social. She’s writing a cover story for Canard PC on archaeology and video games and would like to talk to archaeologists/historians who have helped gamedevs.
June 16, 2025 at 10:56 PM
If any of you #archaeogaming folk have consulted on a video game, please give a shout/skeet to @julielebaron.bsky.social. She’s writing a cover story for Canard PC on archaeology and video games and would like to talk to archaeologists/historians who have helped gamedevs.
There's a very thorough and generous review of my book The Middle Ages in Computer Games, written by @bretonjustine.bsky.social, over on @modernmedieval.bsky.social. It's lurking amongst loads of similarly detailed reviews (mainly in French):
modmed.hypotheses.org/5806
modmed.hypotheses.org/5806
Parution : The Middle Ages in Computer Games
Robert Houghton, The Middle Ages in Computer Games. Ludic Approaches to the Medieval and Medievalism, coll. “Medievalism”, vol.XXVIII, Cambridge, D.S. Brewer, 2024. Games with a medieval setting are c...
modmed.hypotheses.org
June 16, 2025 at 3:55 PM
There's a very thorough and generous review of my book The Middle Ages in Computer Games, written by @bretonjustine.bsky.social, over on @modernmedieval.bsky.social. It's lurking amongst loads of similarly detailed reviews (mainly in French):
modmed.hypotheses.org/5806
modmed.hypotheses.org/5806
Reposted by Robert Houghton
We are excited to add the event 'Playtesting the Middle Ages' to our MAMO roster, showcasing a selection of board games at various stages of development created by MAMO participants - OverPower (Robin Kessler), Galar (Vinicius Marino Carvalho) and Canossa (Robert Houghton). Tuesday 24 June 3-4:30pm.
June 11, 2025 at 9:33 AM
We are excited to add the event 'Playtesting the Middle Ages' to our MAMO roster, showcasing a selection of board games at various stages of development created by MAMO participants - OverPower (Robin Kessler), Galar (Vinicius Marino Carvalho) and Canossa (Robert Houghton). Tuesday 24 June 3-4:30pm.
Reposted by Robert Houghton
They find ways to talk about indigenous language rights and #raciolinguistic ideologies through ludic toponymy, and on balance they emerge as anti-imperialist thinkers who are savvy about the silences of Civ, and struggle against them.
You'll have to read (OA) for more...!
buff.ly/PiQVW50
You'll have to read (OA) for more...!
buff.ly/PiQVW50
Against the game: Sid Meier’s Civilization and vernacular theories of language | Language in Society | Cambridge Core
Language in Society - First View Open Access
buff.ly
June 10, 2025 at 5:30 PM
They find ways to talk about indigenous language rights and #raciolinguistic ideologies through ludic toponymy, and on balance they emerge as anti-imperialist thinkers who are savvy about the silences of Civ, and struggle against them.
You'll have to read (OA) for more...!
buff.ly/PiQVW50
You'll have to read (OA) for more...!
buff.ly/PiQVW50
Reposted by Robert Houghton
Excited to announce that I’ll be speaking at MAMO Conference 2025 next Tuesday, 24 June! Our paper “Elastic Histories: Time and Player Interaction in Medieval-Themed Games” dives into how games bend historical timelines to shape player experience. See you there! ⚔️🎮 #MAMOmonth #GameStudies
Tuesday 24th at MAMO features the first of our Middle Ages in Modern Games (MAMG) thread: 'Chronological Flexibility' (hybrid).
With Kate Cook (@katexe.bsky.social, KCL), Baha Tan Oral @bahatan.bsky.social), Deniz Özyurda-Ergen, Marcus Jensen, and Robin Kessler (East Stroudsburg). 👇 #MAMOmonth
With Kate Cook (@katexe.bsky.social, KCL), Baha Tan Oral @bahatan.bsky.social), Deniz Özyurda-Ergen, Marcus Jensen, and Robin Kessler (East Stroudsburg). 👇 #MAMOmonth
![Session 1B: The Middle Ages in Modern Games (I): Chronological Flexibility [Room K018 – hybrid session]
Kate Cook (King’s College London): Collecting or understanding the past? Attitudes to the Roman period and interactions with past time in medievalist games
Baha Tan Oral and Deniz Özyurda-Ergen: Elastic Histories: Time and Player Interaction in Medieval-Themed Games
Marcus Jensen: Audio amalgamation: Collapsing temporalities in Medieval fantasy game soundtracks
Robin Kessler (East Stroudsburg University): Balancing the overpowered in OverPower](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:3xv3r2tyxi54yayomcjzybtt/bafkreibnmisdzap5fowr6cqcyf76qi3ghwe2yhzrokzja6nfyranm5cgce@jpeg)
June 8, 2025 at 6:52 PM
Excited to announce that I’ll be speaking at MAMO Conference 2025 next Tuesday, 24 June! Our paper “Elastic Histories: Time and Player Interaction in Medieval-Themed Games” dives into how games bend historical timelines to shape player experience. See you there! ⚔️🎮 #MAMOmonth #GameStudies
Reposted by Robert Houghton
That’s really all for this year! Thank you for joining #MAMG25, whether as speakers, participants, or both! The conference may be over, but that doesn’t mean you cannot go forward with reading all the awesome papers that have been delivered this year, and with asking more questions to their authors!
June 6, 2025 at 3:25 PM
That’s really all for this year! Thank you for joining #MAMG25, whether as speakers, participants, or both! The conference may be over, but that doesn’t mean you cannot go forward with reading all the awesome papers that have been delivered this year, and with asking more questions to their authors!
If you've not been reading/watching the Middle Ages in Modern Games conference this week then:
1) Where have you been?
2) An awesome second keynote is about to start
3) You can catch up with all the papers here: middleagesinmoderngames.net
1) Where have you been?
2) An awesome second keynote is about to start
3) You can catch up with all the papers here: middleagesinmoderngames.net
June 6, 2025 at 12:59 PM
If you've not been reading/watching the Middle Ages in Modern Games conference this week then:
1) Where have you been?
2) An awesome second keynote is about to start
3) You can catch up with all the papers here: middleagesinmoderngames.net
1) Where have you been?
2) An awesome second keynote is about to start
3) You can catch up with all the papers here: middleagesinmoderngames.net
Reposted by Robert Houghton
Time for #MAMG25 last Keynote Lecture: William Chen will talk to us about the power of modding and the possibilities it offers with his paper ‘Making Rajas of Asia: Modding Cultural Representation and Stateless Government in an Imperialist Game’. Join us in 10 minutes!
June 6, 2025 at 12:50 PM
Time for #MAMG25 last Keynote Lecture: William Chen will talk to us about the power of modding and the possibilities it offers with his paper ‘Making Rajas of Asia: Modding Cultural Representation and Stateless Government in an Imperialist Game’. Join us in 10 minutes!