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- Grufstedt, Ylva, 1986-, et al.
(author)
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Christian Vikings Storming Templar Castles : Anachronism as a Teaching Tool
- 2023
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In: ›Assassin’s Creed‹ in the Classroom. - : Walter de Gruyter. - 9783111253275 - 9783111250724 ; , s. 65-90
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Book chapter (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This chapter outlines the ways in which the 2020 instalment of the Assassin’s Creed (AC) series - Valhalla (AC: Valhalla) - negotiates historical representation within the framework of open-world adventure gaming, specifically within the genre conventions used by the Assassin’s Creed franchise itself. The chapter goes on to discuss how some of this anachronistic tension can be utilized in a classroom setting. The depiction of 9th century Norway and England in AC: Valhalla makes use of Medievalist tropes ranging from ubiquitous castles, through exaggerated and anachronistic weapons and armor, to the iconic Norwegian stave churches. In so doing, the designers lean on popular perceptions of Vikings, who increasingly appear to be seamlessly integrated with perceptions of the Medieval. The mix of tropes manifests itself as a chronological scramble that creates a sense of cohesion around the thousand years associated with the Middle Ages but eliminates much of the nuance of the period. This chapter discusses how Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla connects to historical culture and the rest of the Assassin’s Creed series through this longitudinal discourse. At a game design level, the way this happens is twofold: firstly, by aligning with the overarching theme and story of the game series - that is, the genealogical connection between then and now, including the sci-fi elements of the game; and secondly, by adhering to the mechanical requirements and franchise characteristics of Assassin’s Creed, such as the nature of the main conflict, player agency (and lack thereof), and world-building (narrative and literal level design), to name just a few. We discuss how the anachronisms within the game and the conflation of periods it represents can be used as a learning tool. We argue that rather than limiting the educational potential of Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, these issues form an important introduction to popular medievalism and their impact within games.
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| 2. |
- Grufstedt, Ylva, 1986-, et al.
(author)
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Cultural Heritage and Game Design : A Discussion of Natural Friends
- 2023
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In: (Un)contested Heritage. - Malmö : Malmö universitet. - 9789178773855 - 9789178773862 ; , s. 190-199
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Book chapter (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The aim of this chapter is to introduce cultural heritage through the lens of game design. The game industry should be studied within cultural heritagestudies on similar terms that museums, archives and other cultural heritage actors are studied, namely as creators and mediators of cultural heritage.
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| 3. |
- Grufstedt, Ylva, 1986-, et al.
(author)
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Developing a Game Production Pipeline for University Educators
- 2022
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In: Congress UPV 8th International Conference on Higher Education Advances (HEAd’22). - Valencia : Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. - 9788413960036
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this paper, we describe the initial process of developing what we call theGame Production Pipeline (GPP), an effort to assist and guide educators inmaking educational games within higher education. Noting the need to pushthe boundaries of engaging virtual learning principles in the wake of thepandemic, the GPP seeks to address the epistemic gap between game design,virtual education, and game production. We set out to investigate educatorwants, needs, and challenges in this area. We also created a probing survey tocollect juxtaposing feedback on the GPP from commercial game developers.We found that educators were more concerned with implementation thandesign, and that developers had notes on time and production management,and epistemic clashes in making educational games.
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| 4. |
- Grufstedt, Ylva, 1986-
(author)
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Shaping the Past : Counterfactual History and Game Design Practice in Digital Strategy Games
- 2022. - 1
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Book (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Ylva Grufstedt investigates the role of counterfactuals in uses of history through game designers and through digital strategy games. It discusses the content, form and perspectives that define different types of counterfactuals in the context of game-making – an effort to outline and detail the values and frameworks that shape the past in this popular media.
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| 6. |
- Morrell, Edward, et al.
(author)
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Promotypes : Prototyping Games for a University Game Production Pipeline
- 2023
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In: FDG '23: Proceedings of the 18th International Conference on the Foundations of Digital Games. - New York : Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). - 9781450398558
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this paper, we reflect upon the development process of three videogame ‘promotypes’, prototypes designed to promote the game production pipeline service in development at Aalto University. In the process of developing example games for potential internal clients of the university, we aimed to set out realistic project goals for given resources to better communicate the scope and potential level of the delivered outcomes. Our lessons in this project were, at large, general lessons in game development, including how motivation and proficiency with production tools, alongside the anticipated expectations of clients and players for polished games, affected the game development processes. In addition, we explore how the pursuit for academic accuracy and the model of a non-intensive process of academic game development posits additional challenges in the development of a realistically balanced production pipeline.
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