Call for Papers
Playing Antiquity
Video Games, Teaching and Historical Knowledge
Full manuscript deadline · February 28, 2027 Expected publication · June 2027
AI & Antiquity: Journal of Teaching and Technology in Ancient Studies invites submissions for the inaugural 2027 issue of Playing Antiquity: Video Games, Teaching and Historical Knowledge, its annual thematic series devoted to video games and the ancient world.
Originally announced as a standalone special issue, Playing Antiquity now inaugurates a recurring series. The scope and deadline of the 2027 call remain unchanged.
Topics of Interest
We invite research that approaches video games as teaching tools, technological interpretations of historical processes, and forms of reception of Antiquity. Possible topics include, but are not limited to:
✓ Video games in teaching, historical literacy, and classroom practice
✓ Game mechanics, interfaces, simulation, and historical interpretation
✓ Historical accuracy, authenticity, player agency, and counterfactuality
✓ Politics, warfare, economy, religion, and social hierarchy as playable systems
✓ Representations of gender, identity, slavery, landscapes, and monuments
✓ Player communities, modding, reception, and public history
✓ Artificial intelligence, procedural content, and historical simulations
✓ Serious games, museums, interactive reconstructions, and digital projects
Submissions need not concern artificial intelligence or involve classroom teaching. We also welcome theoretical, methodological, and comparative studies where games are examined as ways of interpreting the ancient world.
Contributions may examine games such as Assassin's Creed, Total War, Imperator: Rome, Imperivm, Praetorians, Age of Empires, Civilization, Ryse: Son of Rome, and Expeditions: Rome, as well as other commercial, educational, experimental, or player-created experiences. This list is illustrative, not exhaustive.
Submission Formats
We welcome research articles, reflective essays, teaching reports, classroom case studies, digital project presentations, interviews, and relevant reviews of games, books, platforms, or pedagogical resources.
Important Dates
Full manuscript submission deadline: February 28, 2027
Expected publication: June 2027
Ready to Submit?
Please consult the journal's Editorial Guidelines for formatting requirements, peer-review procedures, and ethical AI disclosure policies. Submissions should engage substantively with Antiquity and its interpretation.