Richard Reborn
Neomedievalism as Performance in Dragon Age: Origins (2009)
Abstract
In the first half of this essay, I suggest that Dragon Age: Origins presents similar neomedieval political maneuvering to that which appears in Shakespeare's plays; thereafter, as I transition into the second half of this article, I suggest that, in addition to being a work of neomedievalism that draws on Shakespeare's depictions of the Middle Ages, the game, due to its format, is ultimately also a form of neo-early modernism. As a roleplaying game, Dragon Age enables the player to, like an actor in an Elizabethan performance, engage with political intrigue in a neomedieval world that features echoes of Shakespeare's history plays'; these echoes invite consideration of which aspects of the bard's work remain relevant in the 21st century. Through analyzing this game, I ultimately suggest that roleplaying videogames with neomedieval content should be categorized as examples of both neo-early modernism and neomedievalism.