Video Games & the Work of Medieval Art History: Possibilities for Public Impact Through Industry Collaborations

York Medieval Lecture

Dr. Glaire Anderson is Senior Lecturer in Islamic Art at the University of Edinburgh and Founding Director and Principal Consultant at the Digital Lab for Islamic Visual Culture & Collections (DLIVCC). Anderson has a longstanding academic practice of using game engines and immersive digital technologies for historical visualization and interdisciplinary research, evidenced in her first book, The Islamic Villa in Early Medieval Iberia (Ashgate, 2013). In the York Medieval Lecture she will be speaking about her recent work bridging the video games, GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives, Museums), and academic sectors. Anderson was one of four external historians on the history-themed video game Assassin’s Creed Mirage and its ‘History of Baghdad’ educational Codex feature (Ubisoft, 2023). Anderson will discuss how her recent experiences as a medieval art historian-turned games industry consultant, and as an academic game developer and social entrepreneur, engage with ongoing debates about historical and cultural representations in games, the role of the public art/historian, and the positive social impact of games.

The lecture will be followed by a wine reception.

To attend in person, please register via Eventbrite. 
To attend online, please register via Zoom.

This lecture will be recorded, which we hope to upload to the Centre for Medieval Studies Youtube Channel shortly after the lecture.