Medievalism In Video Games

Review by Anna, Zainab, and Brooke Hajj Trail, created by Dr. Tyler Kynn, is a fantastic educational game because it is entertaining, accessible, and incorporates learning elements into the gameplay. Mainstream audiences are unlikely to read a dense historical narrative; instead, Hajj Trail gamifies the pilgrim experience while still conveying the themes of historical sources. In the Manasik ul-Hajj of Yusuf Rumi, the autobiographical guidebook on which much of the game is based, Rumi’s annotations become increasingly concerned with the scarcity…

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Review by Adam, Sam, and Ethan Hajj Trail keeps players engaged in a variety of interesting ways. Firstly, the map is ginormous. Each town has a plethora of amenities that help with each function of the game. The game appears relatively simple, but it does accurately put one in the shoes of someone who is making the long pilgrimage to Mecca; one must consider what key choices to make as you travel from village to village. Should one spend time…

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Review by Jasmine and Laasya On Wednesday, we played Hajj Trail, a text-based adventure game where players embody a medieval pilgrim as they go on the Hajj. We decided to play as the Ottoman princess, traveling from Damascus to Mecca. During our playthrough, we encountered difficulties such as robbery, injury, and lack of water; however, we also visited holy sites in cities such as Jerusalem, Nazareth, and Al-Khalil al-Rahman. In each of the locations, the game provided a short description…

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Review by Karis and Bailey Today in class, we played the Hajj Trail for our in-class group play. The Hajj Trail is a text-based interactive game designed to give players a broader cultural understanding of the Hajj. Through this game, students are able to understand the space and scale of the Ottoman Empire in a visually apparent manner (Dr. Tyler Kynn). Given the Hajj Trail’s emphasis on presenting the Hajj in an interactive and educational simulation, the game seeks to…

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