Making Waves through Play: A Historical Archaeological Examination of Archaeogaming and the Global Impact of Video Games on the Field of Archaeology

This collection contains the abstracts of the papers presented in the session entitled "Making Waves through Play: A Historical Archaeological Examination of Archaeogaming and the Global Impact of Video Games on the Field of Archaeology," at the 2023 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

The study of archaeogaming examines three main facets at the intersection of video games and archaeology: the representation of archaeology within video games, the conducting of archaeology within the digital, built landscape of a given game, and the examination of the material culture associated with all aspects of creating and playing such games. With over 3 billion individuals playing video games globally, many conceptions of archaeology are formed - and perpetuated - through gameplay. This session examines the ways in which video games treat with archaeology's colonial legacy - including slavery, warfare, migration, and expansion. These papers discuss archaeological representations within games, while also highlighting the increasing interconnectivity of the digital and non-digital landscapes within the field. To that end, this session also discusses the ways in which the intersection between archaeology and video games connects current excavation techniques with innovative strategies in digital heritage management and virtual learning.