Historical Games Network
@historygamesnet.bsky.social
HGN brings together academics, game makers and other cultural and heritage workers to explore the relationship between history and games of all kinds || historicalgames.net
Still can’t fully believe it but it’s out in the world: I’ve been awarded a UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship this round. You can read more about “Past, Present and Futures of Historical Games”👇+more to come soon about what this means for @historygamesnet.bsky.social! www.cardiff.ac.uk/news/view/31...
New Future Leaders Fellows announced
Dr Esther Wright and Dr Lucy Riglin have been awarded UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships
cardiff.ac.uk
New Nations post! Russell Shanks @soegamer.bsky.social explores how British identity, British stereotypes, and the history of the Second World War are filtered through the Call of Duty franchise’s representation of the Special Operations Executive: www.historicalgames.net/how-the-call...
How the Call of Duty franchise perceives historical Britishness through the Special Operations Executive | Historical Games Network
Over 80 years since its conclusion, the Second World War still plays a pivotal role in defining national identity, as a significant moment that shaped nations across the world. Keith Lowe’s book The F...
historicalgames.net
Today on HGN, a post at the junction of our Analogue and Nation themes: David Roberts reflects on the development of a card game about Shakespearean speeches. #historicalgames #gamingthepast #shakespeare www.historicalgames.net/shakespeare-...
Shakespeare by Cards | Historical Games Network
It is a fact universally acknowledged that play is a great route to successful learning. Two influential textbooks by Alex Moseley and Nicola Whitton make the case persuasively. New Traditional Games ...
historicalgames.net
This November we’re hosting a free interactive discussion event as part of Cardiff Univeristy’s @beinghumanfest.bsky.social! Come for history&games, stay for @chriskempshall.bsky.social & @hollynielsen.bsky.social saying excellent things! (I will be there too..) www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/fact-versu...
Fact versus Fiction in the Gaming World
A free interactive discussion panel to explore and imagine historical video games
eventbrite.co.uk
If you missed our Nations panel (in person or online!) last Friday, you can catch up with the recording here via YouTube: www.historicalgames.net/recording-hg...
Recording: HGN Nations Panel (11th September 2026) | Historical Games Network
On 11th Septmber 2026, our Nations panel discussion event was hosted at the Royal Society of Edinburgh’s Curious Festival, and streamed online via YouTube. It featured insights and perspectives from M...
historicalgames.net
Some really useful thoughts on the value of counterfactual history here. I'd welcome recommendations of card driven games with an ancient or medieval Europe theme.
Historical Games Network@historygamesnet.bsky.social · last mo.New post! For Analogue, Ian Greener explores the way Card-Driven Games engage with history, the choices they present the player when engaging with a known past or diverging from it, and how they play with historical contingency and uncertainty: www.historicalgames.net/history-in-c...
New post! For Analogue, Ian Greener explores the way Card-Driven Games engage with history, the choices they present the player when engaging with a known past or diverging from it, and how they play with historical contingency and uncertainty: www.historicalgames.net/history-in-c...
History in Card-Driven Games | Historical Games Network
Historical board games are often associated with the long-standing ‘hex and counters’ tradition based on maps, counters, charts, dice tables and dense scenario rules. These games remain an important p...
historicalgames.net
New for “Nations”! Hrisikesh Bakshi explores the parallels between Julian Barnes’s England England (1998) & SOMA (2015). How do both use history, memory and myth-making for “hyperreal nation-building”, and weaponise a distorted past to build a future?: www.historicalgames.net/hyperreal-na...
Hyperreal Nation-Building: SOMA (2015) and Julian Barnes’ England England (1998) | Historical Games Network
Is individual memory a reliable thing? What about collective memory? A nation’s history connects its people to their past, providing them with a sense of who they “ought to be” as citizens. But what h...
historicalgames.net
New for “Nations”! Hrisikesh Bakshi explores the parallels between Julian Barnes’s England England (1998) & SOMA (2015). How do both use history, memory and myth-making for “hyperreal nation-building”, and weaponise a distorted past to build a future?: www.historicalgames.net/hyperreal-na...
Hyperreal Nation-Building: SOMA (2015) and Julian Barnes’ England England (1998) | Historical Games Network
Is individual memory a reliable thing? What about collective memory? A nation’s history connects its people to their past, providing them with a sense of who they “ought to be” as citizens. But what h...
historicalgames.net
some words on nations/games/identity
Historical Games Network@historygamesnet.bsky.social · 2mo agoNew post! Malath Abbas (@maltron.bsky.social), @biomecollective.bsky.social's Creative Director & panelist for our Nations event, explores how nation & history intersect, how identity & belonging shape games, & shares personal reflections on his own journey: www.historicalgames.net/where-are-yo...
New post! Malath Abbas (@maltron.bsky.social), @biomecollective.bsky.social's Creative Director & panelist for our Nations event, explores how nation & history intersect, how identity & belonging shape games, & shares personal reflections on his own journey: www.historicalgames.net/where-are-yo...
“Where are you from?” | Historical Games Network
It is a simple enough question, and one I have been asked thousands of times. Growing up in Liverpool, my parents ran a corner shop. We were there everyday, serving the same neighbourhood, getting to ...
historicalgames.net
We're delighted to announce our next panel on "Nations" which is part of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Curious festival on Friday 11th September 6-7:30pm UK time. Hosted by @royalsoced.bsky.social. In-person or online tickets available here: rse.org.uk/event/playin...
Playing the nation: Identity, culture, and power in video games
How is national identity encoded into video games played all around the world?
rse.org.uk
Weekend reading! Will Butler (@carrythezero.bsky.social) examines how genre functions as both a marketing & cultural classification system shaped by commercial viability & national contexts, & how contemporary games increasingly destabilise these boundaries: www.historicalgames.net/the-geofenci...
The ‘Geofencing’ Problem: Genres, National Identities and Global Games | Historical Games Network
Videogame genres have long served as the kindling on which game studies discourse fires rage. As long as there have been discussions around the categorisation of videogames, the specificities that cha...
historicalgames.net
Had a great time writing this so thanks to all the @historygamesnet.bsky.social folks for giving me the opportunity!
Historical Games Network@historygamesnet.bsky.social · 2mo agoWeekend reading! Will Butler (@carrythezero.bsky.social) examines how genre functions as both a marketing & cultural classification system shaped by commercial viability & national contexts, & how contemporary games increasingly destabilise these boundaries: www.historicalgames.net/the-geofenci...
Weekend reading! Will Butler (@carrythezero.bsky.social) examines how genre functions as both a marketing & cultural classification system shaped by commercial viability & national contexts, & how contemporary games increasingly destabilise these boundaries: www.historicalgames.net/the-geofenci...
The ‘Geofencing’ Problem: Genres, National Identities and Global Games | Historical Games Network
Videogame genres have long served as the kindling on which game studies discourse fires rage. As long as there have been discussions around the categorisation of videogames, the specificities that cha...
historicalgames.net
Super contento de que la gente de @historygamesnet.bsky.social me haya publicado esto al fin. Llevaba un tiempo interesado en Ace Combat y poder hacer esto me ha dado la excusa perfecta para probarlo y redactar esto. Cualquier feedback o crítica al respecto se agradece, pero sobre todo, gracias!!
Historical Games Network@historygamesnet.bsky.social · 2mo agoNew post! For “Nations”, Juan Carlos Pérez García (@xurvermilion.bsky.social) explores the ways the Ace Combat series offers us fictional parallels of real national conflicts, and what we can learn about memory, patriotism and war by paying attention 👇: www.historicalgames.net/to-breed-war...
New post! For “Nations”, Juan Carlos Pérez García (@xurvermilion.bsky.social) explores the ways the Ace Combat series offers us fictional parallels of real national conflicts, and what we can learn about memory, patriotism and war by paying attention 👇: www.historicalgames.net/to-breed-war...
“To breed wars”: Patriotism and memory in Ace Combat | Historical Games Network
If you take a look at famous combat-flying action game franchise Ace Combat (Namco, 1995-), at first glance it would seem an innocuous pastime. You pilot jets shooting at others, focused in its tightl...
historicalgames.net
If you missed it yesterday, you can catch up here with some of the Tales from the Mabinogion soundtrack from BBC radio yesterday! Our little section starts around 1h 6m, but the show is a lot of fun, check out the whole thing if you have chance! www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
BBC Radio Wales - Game Tracks with Alex Humphreys, Memory, Meaning and Legacy
Alex Humphreys explores the legacy of video game music, from classics to modern anthems.
bbc.co.uk
Weekend reading! 👇
Historical Games Network@historygamesnet.bsky.social · 3mo agoNew post! ✍️ The first for our "Nations" theme, Stevan Anastasoff writes about the ongoing development of Tales of the Mabinogion (@mabinogiongame.bsky.social), translating Welsh history, stories and language into game design through layers of interpretation 🏴 www.historicalgames.net/making-tales...
This was an interesting piece to write, reflecting on how stories changes over time, how they both shape and are shaped by ideas of national identity, and how that feeds into my own current work. I've been following the HGN blog posts for a while now - it was lovely being invited to contribute!
Historical Games Network@historygamesnet.bsky.social · 3mo agoNew post! ✍️ The first for our "Nations" theme, Stevan Anastasoff writes about the ongoing development of Tales of the Mabinogion (@mabinogiongame.bsky.social), translating Welsh history, stories and language into game design through layers of interpretation 🏴 www.historicalgames.net/making-tales...
New post! ✍️ The first for our "Nations" theme, Stevan Anastasoff writes about the ongoing development of Tales of the Mabinogion (@mabinogiongame.bsky.social), translating Welsh history, stories and language into game design through layers of interpretation 🏴 www.historicalgames.net/making-tales...
Handle with Care: Making Tales from the Mabinogion | Historical Games Network
Around two and a half years ago I set out to adapt The Mabinogion as a video game. The text itself is a collection of medieval Welsh tales, and one of the most significant works of Welsh literary heri...
historicalgames.net
New on the HGN blog today! PopHistoryETS discuss the development of an urban card game exploring memories of the Italian Resistance in World War II. The game was designed to encourage exploration of the physical heritage in Lugo. www.historicalgames.net/codice-lugo-...
Codice Lugo 1945 – Le Carte della Liberazione: An Urban Card Game to Relive the Resistance in Lugo | Historical Games Network
Codice Lugo 1945 – Le Carte della Liberazione is an urban card game created by PopHistory ETS (an Italian association of various types of professionals operating in the field of public history) and co...
historicalgames.net
We are still eager to hear from you. 🤗
Historical Games Network@historygamesnet.bsky.social · 6mo agoYour perspective matters! We’re assessing HGN’s impact, and your input will shape our future work. If you’ve attended an event, read our blog or followed us, we’d like to hear from you. ⏱️Survey takes only 2–5 minutes Thank you for being part of our community forms.cloud.microsoft/e/3vawgZSsST
We're a bit late doing this but announcing our new theme - Nations - and the full call for contributions. As usual it's an open call, and full details are available on the HGN blog here: www.historicalgames.net/call-for-con...
Call for Contributions - Nations | Historical Games Network
Games are a significant medium through which ideas of nationhood, identity, history, and cultural belonging are produced, circulated, and contested. Whether through historically themed simulations, mi...
historicalgames.net
A lot of people don't realise this but in the UK we have to replace our Prime Minister every two or three years or else the rights revert back to Marvel
If you missed last month’s discussion panel for our Analogue theme, you can now find a recording of the event on the HGN blog and YouTube channel! Watch this space for our next theme announcement, coming soon… www.historicalgames.net/recording-hg...
Recording: HGN Analogue Panel (19th May 2026) | Historical Games Network
On the 19th May 2026, we hosted our 14th HGN discussion panel for our Analogue theme, with guest speakers Izzy Bartley, Liz Davidson, and Andrew McKelvey (chaired by Nick Webber). You can now find a r...
historicalgames.net
Absolutely thrilled to have a chapter in this book (alongside other wonderful historical game developers and academics)! Huge congrats to Esther, Nick, and Iain 🎉 Can’t wait to read the book!
Esther Wright@enwright.bsky.social · 5mo agoIt's publication day for Writing Game Histories!! 🥳🎉 Please do recommend it for your library, but it's also out in paperback so not as hideously expensive as academic books can be: www.bloomsbury.com/uk/writing-g... @doktornick.bsky.social @doni.bsky.social @historygamesnet.bsky.social
It's publication day for Writing Game Histories!! 🥳🎉 Please do recommend it for your library, but it's also out in paperback so not as hideously expensive as academic books can be: www.bloomsbury.com/uk/writing-g... @doktornick.bsky.social @doni.bsky.social @historygamesnet.bsky.social
New on the HGN blog today! Guest speaker for our upcoming “Analogue” discussion panel Liz Davidson (@beyondsolitaire.bsky.social) reflects on 3 recent historical board game projects, and the balance between “authenticity” and “accuracy” in game design: www.historicalgames.net/accuracy-vs-...
Accuracy vs. Authenticity in Historical Board Game Design | Historical Games Network
Since May 2020, I have conducted over 200 interviews for my podcast, Beyond Solitaire. A significant number of these focus on historical gaming, and one of the most common recurring themes among them ...
historicalgames.net
