Category Archives: Architecture

Assassin’s Creed in the Classroom

3D and game editors, Academic, Announcements, archaeology, Architecture, augmented reality, Book, book chapter, digital heritage, Digital Humanities, game, heritage, publication, serious games, virtual heritage, Virtual Reality, Virtual travel, , , , , ,

Assassin’s Creed‹ in the Classroom History’s Playground or a Stab in the Dark? HAS been published by De Gruyter, on 18 December. Thanks to my co-editor Dr Juan Hiriart, and our authors.

https://degruyter.com/document/isbn/9783111250724/html

Erik Champion and Juan Hiriart
Introduction: History’s Playground or a Stab in the Dark?

Marc-André Éthier and David Lefrançois
Chapter 1: Historical Video Games and Teaching Practices

Chu Xu, Robin Sharma and Adam K. Dubé
Chapter 2: Discovery Tour Curriculum Guides to Improve Teachers’ Adoption of Serious Gaming

Ylva Grufstedt and Robert Houghton
Chapter 3: Christian Vikings Storming Templar Castles: Anachronism as a Teaching Tool

Julien A. Bazile
Chapter 4: Ludoforming the Past: Mediation of Play and Mediation of History through Videogame Design

Nathan Looije
Chapter 5: Exploring History through Depictions of Historical Characters in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

Juan Hiriart
Chapter 6: Empathy and Historical Learning in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Discovery Tour

Kevin Péloquin and Marc-André Éthier
Chapter 7: The Discovery Tour as a Mediated Tool for Teaching and Learning History

Angela Schwarz
Chapter 8: Discovering the Past as a Virtual Foreign Country: Assassin’s Creed as Historical Tourism

Hamish Cameron
Chapter 9: Classical Creations in a Modern Medium: Using Story Creator Mode in a University Assignment

Kira Jones
Chapter 10: Assassin’s Creed @ The Carlos: Merging Games and Gallery in the Museum

Manuel Sánchez García and Rafael de Lacour
Chapter 11: From the Sketchbook to Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: An Experiment in Architectural Education

Erik Champion
Chapter 12: Assassin’s Creed As Immersive and Interactive Architectural History

Australian Cultural Data Futures

Announcements, Architecture, Digital Humanities, Linked Open Data, Presentation

Australian Cultural Data Futures — Australian Cultural Data Engine

Free event at the University of Melbourne next Thursday, yes I will be there! Australian Cultural Data Futures, Thursday, 24 August 2023, 9:00 am to 4:30 pm, University of Melbourne.

I will talk about 360 panoramas and 3D, the article from this research is available online via the Heritage Journal or via an online encyclopedia

Cultural data collections in Australia are at a critical juncture. While exciting new methods and approaches in cultural analytics have revealed the multifaceted uses and cross-disciplinary value of…

·

1 View

Playing Place: Board Games, Popular Culture, Space

3D and game editors, Announcements, Architecture, augmented reality, board game, Book, book chapter, digital heritage, Digital Humanities, game, visualisation

Playing Place: Board Games, Popular Culture, Space

 will be released tomorrow by MIT Press.

Dr Juan Hiriart and I have a chapter in it:

Workshopping Board Games for Space Place and Culture.

Full reference:

E. Champion and J. Hiriart. Workshopping Board Games for Space Place and Culture. In: Playing Place: Board Games, Popular Culture, Space, edited by C. Randl and D. M. Lasansky. MIT Press 2023. ISBN: 9780262047838.

Book Details

New book, new cover?

Announcements, Architecture, Book, book chapter, digital heritage, Digital Humanities, serious games, Virtual travel, visualisation

Champion, E., & Hiriart, J. (Eds.). (2023: accepted). Assassin’s Creed in the Classroom: History’s Playground or a Stab in the Dark? De Gruyter: Video games and the Humanities series.

It looks like the “Assassin’s Creed in the Classroom: History’s Playground or a Stab in the Dark?” edited book is close to the contract stage, and hopefully will be published by the end of the year…what sort of cover image do you suggest? For De Gruyter’s “Video Games and the Humanities” series (must suit their theme colour):

degruyter.com

Video Games and the Humanities

This series provides a multidisciplinary framework for scholarly approaches to video games in the humanities.

“Real Space-Virtual Space” Workshop MILAN 2023

Academic, Announcements, Architecture, Conference, Virtual Reality, workshop,

I am honoured to be invited to the workshop “Real Space-Virtual Space. Aesthetics, Architecture and Immersive Environments”, scheduled on 19 – 21 June 2023 at Università degli Studi di Milano and Triennale Milano.

Website https://an-icon.unimi.it/ (this workshop is not online yet, I believe).

Location: the University of Milan and Triennale Milano

AN-ICON INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP 19th – 21st June 2023: Real Space-Virtual Space: Aesthetics, Architecture, And Immersive Environments. Organized by the project ERC “AN-ICON” University of Milan.

  • Mediarcheology of virtual architectural representation.
  • Designing in VR.
  • Phenomenology and Aesthetics of the Virtual Space.
  • Participatory design and virtual technologies.
  • Unrealised projects and virtual or augmented reality.
  • Cyberspaces and imaginary/utopian architecture.
  • Virtual reality and architectural heritage.
  • VR as a training tool.
  • Cities, media and virtual practices.

Milan in June 2023

Academic, Architecture, augmented reality, Conference, Digital Humanities, talks, Virtual Reality, visualisation, workshop

I have received an invitation from the ERC Advanced Project “An-iconology. Theory, History, and Practices of Environmental Images” (AN-ICON) hosted by the Department of Philosophy “Piero Martinetti” (https://an-icon.unimi.it/) to speak at the “AN-ICON” International Workshop in MILAN June 2023. An honour to be invited.

We are now organising the workshop “Real Space-Virtual Space. Aesthetics, Architecture and Immersive Environments,” scheduled on 19th-21st June 2023, dedicated to the dialogue between virtual spaces, architecture and urban planning. We will investigate this intertwining which is more and more relevant at both practical and academic level by adopting a transdisciplinary and multimethodological approach – including aesthetics, phenomenology, media studies, architectural design, urban planning, cultural heritage studies. 

The workshop will be held at the University of Milan and Milano Triennale (https://triennale.org/), the renowned Italian institution dedicated to design and architecture. 

Book ideas for other people to write

Architecture, digital heritage, Digital Humanities
  • A monograph or edited book on fake or misleading heritage and history and the repercussions (and the complications of digital versions)
  • Clear and easy to follow exemplars of digital humanities collections using Linked Open Data with references to the power of GIS
  • Small and big things learnt by designers of virtual worlds and how the Metaverse could learn to avoid making the same mistakes
  • A meta review on architectural criticism and whether it has really progressed that much
  • Why game designers hate gamification (but with a few counter-examples they might actually like)

Escape Room Archaeology

3D and game editors, Academic, Announcements, archaeology, Architecture, Book, digital heritage, Digital Humanities, game, heritage, Open Access, publication, serious games, virtual heritage, ,

Next project: edited collected chapters (free online): DIY archaeology (history, architectural/art history and heritage) escape rooms children/students can create at home or in class (written and illustrated like cookbook recipes). Now, just how to write up the proposal & find the right designers, writers, & experts! 

Assassin’s Creed in the Classroom: History’s Playground or a Stab in the Dark?

3D and game editors, Announcements, archaeology, Architecture, board game, Book, digital heritage, game, serious games

I am very close to submitting to a publisher the edited book (with Dr Juan Hiriart, University of Salford, UK) “Assassin’s Creed in the Classroom: History’s Playground or a Stab in the Dark?” with 18 writers from history, archaeology, architecture, art history, classics, game design, and education. Thanks to Maxime Durand and Ubisoft for helping getting the party started.

Normal service to resume

Academic, Announcements, Architecture, Grant, serious games

This weekend I leave for the “Athens of Finland”, that’s right, the Aalto city, Jvyäskylä, to be a visiting fellow. The University of Jvyäskylä is a partner in the Centre of Excellence in Game Culture Studies (https://coe-gamecult.org). I’ll still have news and posts to update this site with but postings may be irregular (again) for awhile.

To the journals and book editors and conference organizers who seem to regularly ask for my time, I’m sorry, I’m cutting back for the next few months and will only take on assignments close to my heart and/or that I have already promised to complete. I have several book projects and some small commissions that should take precedence.

A view from Aalto’s home in Helsinki. Photo taken a decade ago by me.

update: ‘Rethinking Virtual Places’ Proof Approved

Academic, Announcements, archaeology, Architecture, augmented reality, Book, digital heritage, Digital Humanities, game, publication, Virtual Reality, visualisation, , , ,

I mentioned in the below post that I was on the home stretch with this book (in the Indiana University Press Spatial Humanities series), final proof was approved by me this week. I also noticed it was over 107,000 words. Thanks to Dean and Professor Marc Aurel Schnabel for the comments on the back.

“An essential contribution to a very current topic.” —Marc Aurel Schnabel, Victoria University of Wellington

If anyone wishes to review or consider ‘Rethinking Virtual Places‘ for courses please contact Indiana University Press or email me.

Final touches to next book

Australian Cultural Data Engine-2 year LIEF

Academic, Architecture, digital heritage, Digital Humanities, Grant, infrastructure, Linked Open Data, virtual heritage, , ,

Just been given the green light to be officially on the following #ARC #LIEF grant: “Australian Cultural Data Engine for Research, Industry and Government” (announced in December but took this long):

“…Australian Cultural Data Engine for Research, Industry and Government. The project aims to develop an Australian Cultural Data Engine (ACD-Engine), which will be an open software engineering facility that interacts with leading existing cultural databases in architecture, visual and performing arts, humanities, and heritage to build a bridge to information and social sciences. The ACD-Engine will unify and expand these disparate and previously unconnected systems to allow advanced analysis techniques to be performed. It will deliver innovative and searchable formats that ensure interoperability, improved search, interactive design and interpretation aids that will benefit the policy and planning for national and international alignments between researchers, industry and government.”

This will be my fourth Australian Research Council grant (Chief Investigator)* since 2018. The University of Melbourne leads this grant, it runs for two years.

*Also an expert advisor on 5-year ARC Indigenous Discovery grant.

Playing With The Past 2nd ed.

Academic, archaeology, Architecture, Book, Digital Humanities, PhD,

Are second editions of specialist academic books worth the rewrite? Springer asked me to consider a second edition of Playing With the Past (https://lnkd.in/gXYH5Uy), as 10,000 chapters have been downloaded..but it requires some work to update it.

Apparently, 20% can be rewritten but as most of the main chapters were written in 2003-4, updated before publication in 2011, to update to 2021 will be quite some work. There weren’t so many books and papers in the area when I started! On the other hand it is an opportunity to review what I was trying to determine in 2001-2004 during my PhD candidature. And I would love to replace the original cover. Decisions, decisions!

digital games and intangible heritage

3D and game editors, Academic, archaeology, Architecture, digital heritage, game, heritage, serious games, UNESCO Chair, virtual heritage, visualisation

If you have or know of digital games that helped in the “regeneration” of intangible heritage, as well as related organizations, projects and websites or organizations, please let me know…I have been asked to present on this topic on Monday 5 July to overseas gaming companies and academics..

Here was my initial beginning list (woefully incomplete but will soon expand):

Heritage organisations

  • UNESCO Chairs … I am investigating, most lists of Chairs and Networks are a little out of date and a few seem to have changed or expanded their remit.
  • Historic Urban Landscapes [UNESCO-associated]-none I know of use digital games but I think that would be useful…
  • ICOMOS none I know of but it is a huge association.
  • Europeana/CARARE/ARIADNE are more into digital archives/preservation?

Game organisations

Universities Research or Courses

Games

I am going to include Never Alone. There are at least 6-12 in my head that I need to review to see if they really were “regenerating” intangible heritage..

“Rethinking Virtual Places” can be ordered in September

Academic, Announcements, archaeology, Architecture, augmented reality, Book, digital heritage, Digital Humanities, game, publication, serious games, Virtual Reality, visualisation, , ,

Out in November, purchasable in September. Contact IUP for reviewer copies “Rethinking Virtual Places” (in the IUP Spatial Humanities series) https://iupress.org/9780253058355/rethinking-virtual-places

3D and game editors, Academic, Architecture, board game, Conference, Digital Humanities, game, heritage, publication, virtual heritage, visualisation, workshop, , , , ,

“Workshopping Board Games for Space, Place, and Culture” revised chapter, authored with Juan Hiriart, for “Playing Place” (edited by Medina Lasansky and Chad Randl, MIT Press) sent off today. Each chapter has a 1000 word limit, I believe. Took me some time to trim this! Great to work with Juan on a chapter, I think our different strengths blend well. When (or if?) the book appears on MIT Press I will add another post, the list of authors and topics looks really good, possibly essential reading if you are into boardgames, or are not, but want to know why so many people are …

Workshopping Board Games for Space, Place, and Culture

Conveying built heritage values and historical knowledge through boardgame design may seem an odd decision. Communicating space, place, and culture through play is a challenge let alone through a medium inherently incapable of evoking the direct experience of inhabitation and architecture as a spatial art. Boardgames are engaging, social, quick to make, and fast to learn, intuitive or nuanced. From the complex to the spontaneous, boardgames can be effective, visceral tools for cultural immersion, challenging cultural assumptions and preconceptions, encouraging discussion and collaboration between players, provoking insight and enjoyment with simple props or intricate rules.

The following explains our experience hosting participative design workshops with historians, archaeologists, and heritage professionals. In small groups of three to four people, participants determine the design decisions, discussing and solving problems that often arise in an iterative process where historical research, game design, and play-testing both blend and butt heads.

New book cover

3D and game editors, Academic, Announcements, archaeology, Architecture, augmented reality, Book, design, digital heritage, Digital Humanities, game, heritage, publication, serious games, virtual heritage, Virtual Reality, visualisation

Was one of two book covers possible and I think due to some email confusion they didn’t choose my preferred cover but I really appreciate permission by Dr Anthony Masinton to use his rendered image. The publisher of Rethinking Virtual Places will be Indiana University Press, via their Spatial Humanities Series.

Organic Design in 20thC Nordic Architecture

Architecture

Just received a big compliment from a US academic/architect I respect on my (Nordic) organic architecture book, Organic Design in Twentieth-Century Nordic Architecture. Chuffed. The foreword is by Professor Adrian Carter, Bond University, inaugural Director of the Utzon centre, Aalborg, Denmark.

Ideas that led to the 1991-3 thesis that led to this 2019 book actually helped me in terms of thinking about place in virtual environments

Sorry I have not had time to insert the 150 images or so into the free preprint book version on research gate: https://researchgate.net/publication/331240106_Organic_Design_in_Twentieth-Century_Nordic_Architecture

Image