Event: Critical Archaeological Gaming Workshop

This workshop focuses on the design of archaeological games that entice users to engage with archaeological skills, methods, questions and results. What are possible goals of such games, and how can these be reached through narratives, interactive mechanics and visual, aural and motive stimulants.

Beyond providing exercises in archaeological approaches, can emergent gameplay have a significant heuristic function? If so, what are the requirements for availability and quality of data, player choice and player skill development?

View the workshop program for details on the talks and activities. Guests are invited to join in-person or remotely view and participate in the workshop on Zoom: https://ucla.zoom.us/j/631730989

Image credit: Screenshot from “Deadfall” https://www.kotaku.com.au/2013/06/its-a-global-archeological-adventure-i...

PROGRAM
Thursday, January 25

10.00-10.15 Willeke Wendrich -- Welcome and purpose of the workshop

10.15-11.00 Tara Copplestone -- Rethinking Archaeology Through Game Design

11.00-11.15 coffee break

11.15-12.00 Erik Champion -- The Sin of Completeness versus the Lure of Fantasy in Contested Possibility-Spaces

12.00 – 1.00 Lunch Break

1.00-1.45 Willeke Wendrich -- Walking through Empty Buildings, Everybody Wears the Same Shoes

1.45-2.30 Hannah Scates Kettler -- Jumping into the Animus: Revisiting old video games to create new ones

2.30-3.15 David Fredrick -- Secrets in the Garden: Modeling Vulnerability and Information Exchange in the House of Octavius Quartio

3.15-3.30 Coffee break

4.15-5.00 Rosa Tamborrino -- The sense of Time in Videogames: Fragments and Lack of Dynamics in Historical Environment Reconstructions

Friday, January 26

10.00 – 12.00 Demonstrations in the Digital Archaeology Lab (Fowler A163)

12.00 – 1.00 lunch break

1.00- 3.00 Discussion: setting the agenda and follow up (Fowler A222)

3.00 pm Friday Seminar: Panel Discussion on Critical Archaeological Gaming: Chris Johanson, Demetri Terzopoulos, Eddo Stern, Lisa Snyder

4.00 pm Reception

5.00 pm Public Lecture by David Fredrick Data Games: Cognitive Mapping in Ancient Pompeii