| Popis: |
In 2018, the presence of too many hireable women generals in the game Total War: Rome II caused a public controversy. Calls decrying a lack of ‘historical accuracy’ arose, despite women military leaders being known historically and the game only allowing a small percentage of available generals to be women. Their inclusion was also limited to only a few select factions and it had been unchanged since its introduction six months prior. Nevertheless, it was only until then that controversy arose and negative reviews with complaints of ‘historical inaccuracy’ (amongst other things) started appearing. The history present in historical video games reflects popular historical knowledge, whilst the games themselves shape people’s perception of history in turn. Controversies such as that of the Rome II women generals are thus a battleground where popular perceptions of women in ancient history and their representations in video games collide; a battleground where historians may wish to – or be asked to – join, and one which can easily turn foul. ... |
