ABSTRACT
The settings of massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) are, in many cases, worlds that draw heavily on a mixture of historical medieval societies (usually European or Japanese) and the traditions of other computer games, fantasy literature, and offline games (e.g., Dungeons & Dragons and similar ‘sword and sorcery’ games). According to one survey site, more than 85 percent of MMORPGs can be classified as part of the fantasy genre (as opposed to science fiction, for example). 1 Among this group are the most populous games of this kind, including World of Warcraft (2004–10) and Aion (2008), as well as notable others, such as Everquest (1999) and Rift (2011). 2 All of these could reasonably be characterized as ‘medieval fantasy.’ Of particular significance in the construction of these ‘medieval’ settings is the treatment of science and technology, especially contemporary (modern) science and industrial technology. As one might expect of a pseudomedieval environment, computers and cell phones are not in ready supply, but fantasy MMORPGs do accommodate and adapt to ideas of science and technology in various ways that can feel uncomfortable against the medievalized background otherwise portrayed.
