Engineering 2 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, California 95064

Presenter: James Coltrain, Assistant Professor of Digital Media and Designat University of Connecticut

Description: For decades, video games with historical settings have ranked among the most successful titles each year, but to date the academy has played only a small role in shaping these popular histories. In this presentation, Dr. James Coltrain will explore his experience designing games that both faithfully draw on historical sources and target mainstream audiences. Engaging with questions of artistry and authenticity, Dr. Coltrain will discuss balancing history, myth, and memory, in both his award-winning narrative mystery game Blackhaven, and his upcoming VR title inspired by Paul Revere’s ride. The talk will also give a practical overview of a small studio’s workflow for creating historical games, from archival research and historical interpretation, to systems design and technical art, all the way to distribution and public impact.

Bio: James Coltrain (Ph.D. Northwestern University) is currently an assistant professor in digital media and design at the University of Connecticut and the founder and lead developer at Historiated Games, a small independent games studio. His first game, the first-person historical mystery Blackhaven, won the Innovation in Experience Design Award at Indiecade 2021. Dr. Coltrain’s next title is The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere, a VR game inspired by Grant Wood’s painting of the same name, and officially licensed by his estate. The game will release on Meta Quest headsets and other platforms later this year. Dr. Coltrain remains a historian of early America, and his most recent publication “Historians and Video Games: How the Profession Can Better Engage in Play” appeared in the Journal of American History last fall. 

Hosted by: Professor Noah Wardrip-Fruin

Join us in person or on Zoom: https://ucsc.zoom.us/j/99034932600?pwd=Sm4zWVNKd3I5RTNieDc1V2FkMzE3dz09

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