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:

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Vox Populorum is a blog and podcast devoted to pop culture criticism. We believe that the best way to understand culture is to discuss it. But we also believe that it's a lot more fun to have these conversations throwing back a couple beers at the bar rather than in a classroom. Please join our weekly round table of media critics, academics, creators, artists, professors, students and fans for an engaging discussion about movies, novels, comic books, television, video games, music or whatever else we happen to think of! Nec audiendi qui solent dicere, Vox populi, vox Dei, quum tumultuositas vulgi semper insaniae proxima sit.