ANTHROP 2PC3 Lecture Notes - Macguffin, Stone Age, Our Hero
12 Jul 2014
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Document Summary
Archaeology in videogames: archaeologist as trope, protagonist, archaeological find as mcguffin, plot device/game. Our hero: archaeologist as the main character, profession drive plot, tend to be very bad archaeologist. The archaeologist adventurer trope: the representation of video game archaeologist is about as accurate as a video game about plumbers. The good: makes archaeology look adventurous and exciting, might entice games to learn more about the discipline. The bad: reinforces negative stereotypes of the profession, colonial discourse, depicts indigenous peoples in stereotypic and derogatory ways, primitiveness, white-man"s burden. Indigenous people unable to protect objects on their own, they need the help of the white man. Artifact as mcguffin: artifact used as plot device, protagonist seeks the artifact, item being searched for by the explorer is called the mcguffin, curses and aliens, archaeological encounters. Game structure and narratives: use of archaeological data/ interpretation to structure game-play.
