Assyriogaming refers to the intersection of

Assyriology Assyriology (from Greek , ''Assyriā''; and , ''-logia''), also known as Cuneiform studies or Ancient Near East studies, is the archaeological, anthropological, historical, and linguistic study of the cultures that used cuneiform writing. The fie ...

—the study of ancient Mesopotamian civilizations, languages, and cultures—and

Game studies A game is a structured type of play usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator sports or video games) or art ...

, particularly in gamified learning experiences and digital media. A niche subfield of archaeogaming, Assyriogaming focuses on how ancient Mesopotamian societies, including

Sumer Sumer () is the earliest known civilization, located in the historical region of southern Mesopotamia (now south-central Iraq), emerging during the Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age, early Bronze Ages between the sixth and fifth millennium BC. ...

, Akkad,

Babylon Babylon ( ) was an ancient city located on the lower Euphrates river in southern Mesopotamia, within modern-day Hillah, Iraq, about south of modern-day Baghdad. Babylon functioned as the main cultural and political centre of the Akkadian-s ...

, and

Assyria Assyria (Neo-Assyrian cuneiform: , ''māt Aššur'') was a major ancient Mesopotamian civilization that existed as a city-state from the 21st century BC to the 14th century BC and eventually expanded into an empire from the 14th century BC t ...

, are represented in video games. This includes the accuracy of historical settings and narratives, the depiction of mythology, and the integration of cuneiform inscriptions and linguistic elements.

Examples in Gaming

Several video games incorporate Mesopotamian themes, either by directly referencing historical events or drawing inspiration from ancient texts and artifacts: * Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2003) – Features

cuneiform Cuneiform is a Logogram, logo-Syllabary, syllabic writing system that was used to write several languages of the Ancient Near East. The script was in active use from the early Bronze Age until the beginning of the Common Era. Cuneiform script ...

inscriptions, analyzed for historical accuracy.Gibson, D.L. (2022). Analysing ancient cuneiform inscriptions in the video game Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (https://intellectdiscover.com/content/journals/10.1386/jgvw_00063_1) *

Assassin's Creed Origins ''Assassin's Creed Origins'' is a 2017 action role-playing game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. It is the tenth major installment in the ''Assassin's Creed'' series and the successor to ''Assassin's Creed Syndicate'' (20 ...

(2017) – Includes references to

Mesopotamian mythology Mesopotamian mythology refers to the myths, religious texts, and other literature that comes from the region of ancient Mesopotamia which is a historical region of Western Asia, situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system that occupie ...

and artifacts. *

Age of Empires ''Age of Empires'' is a series of historical real-time strategy video games, originally developed by Ensemble Studios and published by Xbox Game Studios. The first title in the series, ''Age of Empires'', focused on events in Europe, Afri ...

(1997–present) – Depicts Babylonian and Assyrian civilizations with historically based gameplay. * Total War: Pharaoh (2023) – Explores Near Eastern powers, including interactions with Assyria and Babylon. *

The Forgotten City ''The Forgotten City'' is a mystery adventure role-playing game developed by Australian developer Modern Storyteller and published by Dear Villagers with additional support from Film Victoria. It is a full game adaptation of the critically ac ...

(2021) – Primarily set in ancient

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

but incorporates Mesopotamian mythological elements.

Academic and Cultural Significance

Assyriogaming aims to enhance public engagement with ancient history by making Mesopotamian civilizations accessible through interactive storytelling. While many games may take creative liberties, their use of Mesopotamian themes can foster interest in Assyriology and ancient studies. Discussions surrounding Assyriogaming often intersect with archaeogaming, a field that explores the relationship between archaeology and digital media. Scholars assess the accuracy of historical representations while also acknowledging the potential of games to introduce ancient civilizations to a broader audience.

References

{{Reflist Assyriology Video gaming