Adam Chapman
Adam Chapman obtained a PhD in media, culture and society in 2013. Before this his background was in history (BA Hons) and cultural history (MA). From 2014 he held a position at the University of Gothenburg as a postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Education, Communication and Learning, becoming a senior lecturer at the department in 2017. Though interested in many aspects of games, popular history, collective memory and learning, Adam's main research focus is on historical games, i.e. games that represent the past.
Given that these games are some of the most widespread popular histories of recent years, he is interested in questions about what it means for history to be told through this new medium. By investigating how the game form shapes historical content, he looks at both the opportunities and limitations that digital games offer as a historical form. He has done this by weaving existing historical theory and analysis, with game-focused research that acknowledges the unique qualities of games and play, as well as, more recently, Gibsonian psychology and Goffman’s frame analysis. Accordingly, Adam approaches historical videogames from a perspective that includes understanding both action/agency and narrative/representation and the interplays between these aspects.
As well as recently writing pieces on the representation of WWI in games and the pressures of the game form on historical representation, Adam recently published his book "Digital Games as History: How Videogames Represent the Past and Offer Access to Historical Practice" (Routledge 2016). Currently he is seeking funding to investigate production and consumption practices and perspectives surrounding historical games.
Given that these games are some of the most widespread popular histories of recent years, he is interested in questions about what it means for history to be told through this new medium. By investigating how the game form shapes historical content, he looks at both the opportunities and limitations that digital games offer as a historical form. He has done this by weaving existing historical theory and analysis, with game-focused research that acknowledges the unique qualities of games and play, as well as, more recently, Gibsonian psychology and Goffman’s frame analysis. Accordingly, Adam approaches historical videogames from a perspective that includes understanding both action/agency and narrative/representation and the interplays between these aspects.
As well as recently writing pieces on the representation of WWI in games and the pressures of the game form on historical representation, Adam recently published his book "Digital Games as History: How Videogames Represent the Past and Offer Access to Historical Practice" (Routledge 2016). Currently he is seeking funding to investigate production and consumption practices and perspectives surrounding historical games.
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This creates a series of tensions between the formal characteristics and conventions of open world games (and the Mafia franchise generally), and the demands of ‘authentic’ representation of a problematic historical period. For example, with the game’s explicit desire to examine a serious historical topic it naturally must negotiate questions about what can be played with tastefully (Chapman and Linderoth 2015), while facing pressures ‘to get it right’; that is, align with dominant interpretations of the setting. Amongst other points, we argue that the game deploys an unusual documentary framing of in-game events in order to negotiate such tensions. Ultimately, this paper will ask: how does the game resolve this necessity for authentic treatment of serious subject matter with the demands of gameplay and, more specifically, player agency? In doing so, we argue, Mafia III reflects on the very process of representation of the American past in game form.
Conference proceedings by Adam Chapman
Journal Articles by Adam Chapman
This creates a series of tensions between the formal characteristics and conventions of open world games (and the Mafia franchise generally), and the demands of ‘authentic’ representation of a problematic historical period. For example, with the game’s explicit desire to examine a serious historical topic it naturally must negotiate questions about what can be played with tastefully (Chapman and Linderoth 2015), while facing pressures ‘to get it right’; that is, align with dominant interpretations of the setting. Amongst other points, we argue that the game deploys an unusual documentary framing of in-game events in order to negotiate such tensions. Ultimately, this paper will ask: how does the game resolve this necessity for authentic treatment of serious subject matter with the demands of gameplay and, more specifically, player agency? In doing so, we argue, Mafia III reflects on the very process of representation of the American past in game form.