e58. Gaming an Empire

History does not look upon tyranny with favor. The Persian Empire, The Mongol Empire, the Roman Empire, The Qing Dynasty, The British Empire. In our modern contemporary moment we tend to think of all of these as affronts to freedom and democracy… and with good reason. That said, there are a surprising number of games with the basic concept of “try to take over the world.” And people love them. Katya and Hannah are joined by returning guests Josh Stroud and Chris Huebner to discuss the significance of empire in gaming. How does it function, why do we love it, what is its effect and what games challenge it? And how bad a thing is it anyway? Give it a listen and let us know your thoughts. Note: This is an episode that initially had corrupted sound. It was corrected relatively quickly. But if you have static on the episode, delete it from your podcatcher and redownload. Sorry for the inconvenience. Citations and Links: * This episode’s Call for Comments* Culture and Imperialism by Edward Said* “How Historical Games Integrate Or Ignore Slavery and How They Can Do It Better” by Amanda Kerri* “Knowing History: Behind Civ 5’S Brave New World” by Russ Pitts* “Civilization video game paints an ‘inaccurate and dangerous’ picture of Poundmaker Cree Nation chief” by Willow Smith and Idella Sturino* Root board game* Nuns on the Run board game * Thank you to Maximilian’s thoughtForm Music for our theme* Follow Hannah on Twitter: @hannahleerogers* Follow Mav on Twitter: @chrismaverick* Follow Mav’s Personal Blog: http://chrismaverick.com* Follow us on Twitter: @voxpopcast* Follow us on Instagram: @voxpopcast* Follow us on Facebook: