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‘What is the difference between a nation and a state?’ ‘Was Barbarossa German?’ ‘Are the Cree an actual nation?‘ – These are not questions from a history class, but from forum conversations about a highly popular video game series: Sid Meier’s Civilization(1991 – 2016). Drawing on these discussions, the talk investigates how players debate the concept of the nation and its place in history in the context of video games and in relation to their own national identities. It thereby provides a case study of the complex ways in which players negotiate what is represented to them within video games in relation to their own identities and experiences, adding an player-centered perspective to the study of gaming and nation(alism).
Kathrin Trattner is a post-doctoral researcher at the Centre for Media, Communication and Information Research (ZeMKI) at the University of Bremen, Germany, where she is currently conducting the research project "Gaming the Nation. An Intersectional Investigation of Nation, Identity, and Video Gaming".
