2025 Sessions

5 Ways to Tank Your Narrative and How to Avoid Them

Presented by: Betty Robertson

Saturday April 26, 10:00 am US Central Time

Join Betty Robertson, Narrative Consultant, as she shares her experiences in repairing damaged game narratives, and the Top 5 errors she consistently sees. Are you missing the demographic you're aiming for? Are you struggling to make the theme and the gameplay match up? Betty's got solutions and anecdotes to make for a fun and informative presentation on how to get under the hood and fix the engine.

Up Up, Down Down: Shared Narrative Design in 2D Platformers and Archaic Art

Presented by: Meghan Sullivan

Saturday April 26, 11:00 am US Central Time

This lecture explores the ways in which educators can use 2D platforming games like Kid Icarus, Apotheon, and Battle of Olympus to help students understand narrative design in Archaic Greek art.

Checking for History in Baldur's Gate 3

Presented by: Dr Richard Cole & Dr Alexander Vandewalle

Saturday April 26, 1:00 pm US Central Time

This live, co-operative, four-player playthrough of Baldur's Gate 3 (Larian Studios, 2023) aims to surface the range of 'history checks' implicit in this critically acclaimed role-playing game. From presenting epic modes of storytelling to embedding Classical allusions and unearthing fantasy lore and culture, the layered gameworld of BG3 offers several ways to examine the presence of the past in gameplay. Specifically, the aim here is to engage in emergent historying, from specific allusions to underlying systems.

From Labors to Levels: Hercules' Journey Through Retro Video Games

Presented by: Joel Gordon

Saturday April 26, 4:45 pm US Central Time

This lecture will explore the history of Hercules’ portrayal as a video game character in retro games, specifically during the First Generation (1978–1984) and Second Generation (1985–1994). The approach is inherently interdisciplinary, blending reception studies—particularly the intersection of antiquity and modern media—with historical analysis, shedding light on the so-called "dark ages" of early video games.

We will begin with a detailed examination of Hercules’ earliest video game appearances, considering both obscure entries and subtle references, as well as more prominent titles. In doing so, we will reflect on how character identity is defined and recognized in video games, particularly in the case of a transmedial figure like Hercules.

With this foundational context in place, we will then delve into the way Hercules is presented in these early games. Our analysis will reveal that his portrayal was largely shaped by technological limitations, which in turn influenced genre and gameplay conventions. As a result, while the themes of his character remain largely consistent—he is the mythical son of Zeus, a strong warrior-hero most famous for his Twelve Labors—the constraints and demands of various subgenres resulted in a diverse array of interpretations. In this way, Hercules' video game persona takes on as many forms as there are heads on the mythological hydra.

Playing with Myth: How Game Designers Can Model Representations of History through Speculative Design & Art Direction

Presented by: Colin Snyder

Sunday April 27, 10:00 am US Central Time

Through our debut game, LOGOS DIVINÆ (pronounced "logos divine")—I'll describe the speculatively-driven conception of the project, the game design process, and the vigorous visual research that went into its production. This combination was key to the incorporation of a wide-range of cultural contexts—from syncretic mystery cults of the Mediterranean and Ancient Near East, to the Enlightenment Era's reinvention of Italian playing cards for divination. I'll highlight how the simple mechanics found in traditional card games have been re-tooled to serve an educational purpose—informing the player's understanding of comparative mythology, ancient iconography, as well as the esoteric beliefs and cosmological systems that dart between them. 

By creating and separating historically-inspired artworks across various standardized playing card traditions—we were able to create a systemic approach to comparative mythology and ancient iconography of the many religious cultures that academic specialization may not be able to consider widely. LOGOS DIVINÆ is thus a learning tool for players to survey the history of belief, all while re-inventing the legacy of folk games for a new audience. Players can learn forgotten card games, reinvent favorite classics like Rummy or Scopa, or explore meaning via "ancient cartomancy" —all in a deck that children can play Go Fish with.

I'll use examples of other media and creators who have used these methodologies effectively—across games, literature, film, and television, and some which have obfuscated their subjects inadvertently.

Does It Belong in a Museum?: A Case Study on Stardew Valley and Roots of Pacha

Presented by: Julie Levy

Sunday April 27, 11:15 am US Central Time

A popular genre of gaming that doesn't get a lot of attention is the cozy/farming life sim, but almost all of them rely on archaeology and historical revelation for part of their story.  Stardew Valley, perhaps the most notable modern entry in the genre, has the player unearthing artifacts and housing them in a local museum, albeit haphazardly- a familiar Western idea of interacting with pieces of the past.  I want to compare this to Roots of Pacha, an Indigenous-inspired game, where unearthing the ruins of a previous civilization leads to storytelling and sitting with those remains in situ instead.  

Instructional Design: It's all a game

Presented by: Daniel Maday

Sunday April 27, 1:00 pm US Central Time

Know your SMEs from your Smees! This lecture will discuss how to work with stakeholders, subject matter experts, and other sources to design games while preserving your experiential (and/or educational) vision, and leveraging evaluation principles to make more enriching experiences for players, students, and whoever else your audience may be.

An Episode of the Odyssey

A tabletop gaming session run by Samantha Suppes

Sunday April 27, 2:00 pm US Central Time

This table top session will play through just one of Odysseus' many adventures from The Odyssey - the famous encounter with Polyphemus the Cyclops. Players can play as Odysseus or one of his crew mates. Any and all feedback are welcome to make this game fun and immersive in its historical setting.  

The Land Between the Rivers

A tabletop gaming session run by Mark Lamourine

Sunday April 27, 3:30 pm US Central Time

A one-shot RPG set in and around small town on the Euphrates north of Uruk. A young Hamurabbi has been king 3 years. Murder, ghosts, curses, smugglers, espionage, assignations, stubborn parents and children, stolen seals, broken seals ancient tablets. Omens and medicine.  Well at least a few of those things.