This chapter investigates how the three video games in the corpus build opponents and rewards via popular medievalist motifs. It analyzes how protagonists’ journeys and battles with enemies mirror bigger societal myths of heroism, identity, and moral dichotomies. The approach differentiates between human and inhuman antagonists, contextualizing human enemies within historical wars such as Viking invasions and the Danelaw, while monster creatures, such as draugar, trolls, giants, and dragons, draw from Germanic legend to represent symbolic otherness. The chapter also examines the ethical framing of violence via gaming mechanics and narrative justification, suggesting that historical backgrounds and mythological components support colonial and militaristic ideas. Medieval history and myth are translated into interactive experiences, thereby enabling these games to preserve a dual narrative of reality and fantasy, which helps confirm conventional hero-enemy dynamics while provoking contemplation on their cultural ramifications.

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Into the Virtual Lair: Defeating Evil and Claiming the Prize

  • Enrique Torres-Hergueta

摘要

This chapter investigates how the three video games in the corpus build opponents and rewards via popular medievalist motifs. It analyzes how protagonists’ journeys and battles with enemies mirror bigger societal myths of heroism, identity, and moral dichotomies. The approach differentiates between human and inhuman antagonists, contextualizing human enemies within historical wars such as Viking invasions and the Danelaw, while monster creatures, such as draugar, trolls, giants, and dragons, draw from Germanic legend to represent symbolic otherness. The chapter also examines the ethical framing of violence via gaming mechanics and narrative justification, suggesting that historical backgrounds and mythological components support colonial and militaristic ideas. Medieval history and myth are translated into interactive experiences, thereby enabling these games to preserve a dual narrative of reality and fantasy, which helps confirm conventional hero-enemy dynamics while provoking contemplation on their cultural ramifications.