Fleugs
12-20-2011, 12:48
Hi,
I'm a student in (modern) history, doing my final bachelor year at a Belgium university (K.U. Leuven). For years I have been enjoying the blessing of Rome: Total War and the Europa Barbarorum mod. In light of my education, I have been given a (small, 4000 word) paper to write concerning the perception of history for a "wider public". We were left freely to choose what we would talk about (the only requirement that we would discuss a specific subject from a broad medium), and I chose to 'review' Europa Barbarorum: how it differs from Rome: Total War, how it is more historically accurate, in what way it leads the player of the mod onto a historical accurate path but most of all what the perception of history is through this game, for an average player.
It should be no surprise that I am completely impressed by the variety of detail put into this mod. However, as a good historian, it is necessary for me to trace references and sources. I cannot just take anything for granted. Reading through the FAQ I found out that many of the historical aspects come from field research and/or sources only accessible to academics and scholars. Since our university has access to a large amount of regional, national and international databases, I wonder if I could get those references. I don't need them all, but I would like to have a substantial amount (I'm sure the academics know what I mean). That way I can trace the historical correctness of the mod and put it into contrast with Rome: Total War (& Creative Assembly's view on accurateness of history). I have found some very interesting articles about history & the world of gaming, and how history is perceived through games. It is much comparable to a tv-show, but I strongly believe that EB is an exception. Please do not misunderstand my request for references as a form of criticism, or disbelieve in historical correctness. It's just that it would help my case a lot if I could access the references, and it is an absolute requirement for academical works.
Next to that, if possible, I would love to ask a few small questions about the EB-mod, both about how it came to life, what the original intentions were, ... but I'll be glad with the references. I didn't know what the correct form of contacting the creators was, since they mentions massive spam attacks on their website. Thus I come here. I would be very grateful if I could get a reply. Contact me with a pm for chat/email or drop a post here.
I'm a student in (modern) history, doing my final bachelor year at a Belgium university (K.U. Leuven). For years I have been enjoying the blessing of Rome: Total War and the Europa Barbarorum mod. In light of my education, I have been given a (small, 4000 word) paper to write concerning the perception of history for a "wider public". We were left freely to choose what we would talk about (the only requirement that we would discuss a specific subject from a broad medium), and I chose to 'review' Europa Barbarorum: how it differs from Rome: Total War, how it is more historically accurate, in what way it leads the player of the mod onto a historical accurate path but most of all what the perception of history is through this game, for an average player.
It should be no surprise that I am completely impressed by the variety of detail put into this mod. However, as a good historian, it is necessary for me to trace references and sources. I cannot just take anything for granted. Reading through the FAQ I found out that many of the historical aspects come from field research and/or sources only accessible to academics and scholars. Since our university has access to a large amount of regional, national and international databases, I wonder if I could get those references. I don't need them all, but I would like to have a substantial amount (I'm sure the academics know what I mean). That way I can trace the historical correctness of the mod and put it into contrast with Rome: Total War (& Creative Assembly's view on accurateness of history). I have found some very interesting articles about history & the world of gaming, and how history is perceived through games. It is much comparable to a tv-show, but I strongly believe that EB is an exception. Please do not misunderstand my request for references as a form of criticism, or disbelieve in historical correctness. It's just that it would help my case a lot if I could access the references, and it is an absolute requirement for academical works.
Next to that, if possible, I would love to ask a few small questions about the EB-mod, both about how it came to life, what the original intentions were, ... but I'll be glad with the references. I didn't know what the correct form of contacting the creators was, since they mentions massive spam attacks on their website. Thus I come here. I would be very grateful if I could get a reply. Contact me with a pm for chat/email or drop a post here.