Schedule: 12:00 pm - 1:15 pm EST / 5:00 pm - 6:15 pm UK
Format: Live online
This is a standalone single session on cultural representation in games and other media. Topics that engage with the history of Islam, Muslims, and history of Islamic cultures and civilisation can be sensitive. Even if you’ve done your research, even if you have the best intentions, visual and narrative elements (such as those pictured on the cover of Broderbund's 1989 Prince of Persia video game, shown here) may be perpetuating outdated or problematic messages that you didn't intend for your game or creative project. Such images have a long history in so-called western visual culture.
This is a practical session, which introduces some of the key historical and social contexts, along with do's/don'ts and clear advice on avoiding potential problems and issues when representing historical Islamic societies in games/entertainment.
These sessions will not be recorded and will require a minimum of 4 registered participants to run.
Registration is limited to eight participants. Participants receive a certificate upon completion of the class.
We also offer this training for game design & development schools and industry teams. Email info@digitallabivcc.com with group size, ideal times and dates for a private session, any additional requests (certificate of attendance, etc), and contact name and email and we'll follow up directly.
"I was especially interested to hear about inaccuracies and biases in video game design related to Islamic art and architecture"
"It was a great opportunity to refresh my memory, and Sarah did an excellent job summarizing a massive and complex history of Islamic art and architecture clearly and engagingly.'
"I am really conscious of cultural appropriation and it was important for me to get some understanding of the common pitfall when representing cultures other than the one I originate from"
"Despite this one being a short class, I feel like it covered a lot of different topics with depth and I have a much better understanding of how to approach Islamic culture and different historical periods, and most importantly what not to do and what to keep an eye on when creating worlds inspired by the legacy of Islam"
Meet your instructor
Lead Educator
Sarah is a specialist in medieval Islamic art and history and the material culture of medieval al-Andalus (Spain and Portugal). She is currently a Postdoctoral Associate in Medieval Islamic Art, Art History and Archaeology at the University of Maryland, having previously worked at the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore. Sarah's experience is grounded in her work on the DLIVCC consultancy and collaboration with Ubisoft, and our internal games projects, including our R&D collaboration with Ubisoft World Design Director Maxime Durand. In addition, she brings 10+ years in the classroom, research with medieval Arabic language sources, and ongoing work in archaeology. These provide her with unique approaches to teaching the art, architecture, and archaeology of early Islamic empire for students and professionals in games and entertainment.
"The instructor Sara was amazing, great energy, great teacher and excellent pacing."
"Everything was great, the information was presented clearly. The instructor had thought of everything we might need to know."
"I really enjoyed how Sarah explained Said’s concept of Orientalism before delving into other aspects of game development and Orientalist tropes. It was fascinating to learn about the problematic representations of Islamic civilizations in games and the significant work DLVICC has undertaken to address these issues within the gaming industry."
"I enjoyed the practical perspective that was put forward. I feel that Sarah really understand where game developers come from and how the gaps in their knowledge can lead to mis-representations being carried out. Meeting other developers working on different approaches was also really interesting. Furthermore, beyond, the actual topic of the session, this made me realise that I need to do a bit more research on my own cultural background for the game I am currently developing (French early XXth century Paris)."
"The class followed a structure that was easy to follow and covered the most important pitfalls to keep in mind when writing stories or developing games based on Islamic cultures. I appreciated getting to know the other attendees and learning more about the Digital Lab. Despite this one being a short class, I feel like it covered a lot of different topics with depth and I have a much better understanding of how to approach Islamic culture and different historical periods, and most importantly what not to do and what to keep an eye on when creating worlds inspired by the legacy of Islam. I will definitely participate in future classes and activities."
Image: Prince of Persia (1989 Original Art by Robert Florczak)