‘“Akritas” : Playing at Byzantine Borders’

https://twitter.com/MidAgesModGames/status/1278322707785015296

1| #MAMG20 Hi everyone from Ionian University Greece, and we are going to talk about a game in Byzantine era. “Akritas” A joint work of HILAB/ISDLAB, in the context of ANTIKLEIA (https://antikleia.gr) project, with a pinch of teaching history (elementary and high school).

2| #MAMG20 If you spend your school years in Greece you probably hated Byzantine history. Byzantium was always presented a little bit too theocratic, too much conservative, too much… boring. What if we could change this for students? What if students found Byzantium interesting?

3| #MAMG20 Remember Stephen Poole “The purpose of a video game … to offer the gift of play”. So this is what we want the students to do. Play and may be this way get more interested in Byzantine history. So who was Akritas (Ακρίτας)? Who were Akrites (Ακρίτες)? 4| #MAMG20 Akrites (from the Greek άκρη – edge/border)people who were given land in exchange of defending the borders of the Empire. They reached their pick during ΙΧ and X centuries, when Arabs were attacking the Empire. They were both “farmers” and soldiers. 5| #MAMG20 Being both “farmers” and soldiers seem to have an interesting twist for the game. The student will be able to work in either mode. Peaceful one – producing and getting things done – and warlike – let’s attack everyone. 6| #MAMG20 The most known of the Akrites is the one called Digenis Akritas. He was not a historical person, but you can bet he is what any student would like to be in a video game. Like a Marvel-superhero, he even had a fight with Death himself. And that was the only one he lost.

7| #MAMG20 If you are Greek you know the story. It was taught to you in literature courses (Ο Διγενής ψυχομαχεί κι η γη τονε τρομάσσει). https://youtu.be/ICrMwGTYNVs In the “Digenis Akritas” poem, and in a number of folk songs his life, fights and death are narrated.

8| #MAMG20 So, there is a very strong narrative available, one that you expect to find for a video game. Anyway Digenis’ father was Arab (Syrian?) and his mother Byzantine. And it is this double origin that gave him his name (Digenis-from two origins) and made him a superhero.

9| #MAMG20 He fought Arabs, Byzantine outlaws, even an Amazon (Maximo), and he defeated them all. The legend says that he would leap from Asia, to Cyprus and then to Crete, to defend the two islands, and even left his footprint or handprint on them. What a superhero!

10| #MAMG20 What do we expect from all this? Of course, to make, mainly elementary school, students more interested in Byzantine history: “Look at him! He is a superhero! He might be even better than the Marvel ones. After all, he does speak something similar to our language.” 11| #MAMG20 “And what if we could be able to play his final battle with Death? And what if we could win this battle? Seems even more interesting than attacking Arabs or Maximo. I wonder how it was living at that time. May be I should try learning more about the era he lived”. 12 | #MAMG20 Gaming with history and teaching using games (history or any other subject) are greatly valued in the Ionian University, and within the Depts. of Informatics and History. Keep in touch for our latest project BYRON –when gaming is about the Greek Revolution 1821.