Computer Game Turns You Into a Real Archaeologist!

From Dig It Games, Roman Town is a computer game that claims to turn players into real archaeologists.  Players will excavate, analyze, and explore just like the professionals.  While I don't appreciate the claim that a computer game can simulate the full experience of being an archaeologist, the game does contain some features that most other archaeology-themed games don't cover.  You can:

• Manage a team of diggers to excavate the site
• Learn scientific methodology and real archaeological techniques (although they didn't elaborate what they mean by real archaeological techniques)
• Analyze your finds in the lab - sort and classify your find and reconstruct rare artifacts piece by piece (there's that adjective "rare" - does every artifact have to be described as "rare"?)

My complaint with this game is that it claims to simulate the archaeological experience simply by clicking around on your computer.  I mean, sure, the game was created by a professional archaeologist, but he didn't include every single procedure he had to do in his profession, right?  Where is the paperwork you have to do before going to a site?  If this was completely accurate, you might not even find a worth-while artifact during your excavation.  But this game makes it out to be that you'll find a rare artifact on every dig, guaranteed.  I'm sure this game has good educational value, but its claim to make you into a real archaeologist is just not true.

I found a demo video of the game, and it looks like a decent game for kids - fun to play and interesting.

So although Roman Town won't turn you into a real archaeologist, it will give you a pretty good impression of the field and teach you the method and techniques in the trade!

Archaeology: Collect Artifacts, Avoid Looters, and Sell to Museums...Right?

Archaeology: The Card Game is a variant of games like rummy and is fast-paced, fun, and easy to play.  In the game premise, players are archaeologists digging in the Egyptian desert.  I find this theme more than a little bit stereotypical for a game titled Archaeology, but at least with the sarcophagus on the cover of the box, no buyer could not possibly be confused as to what this game is about.  This charming game has simple rules and is light and entertaining for a whole range of audiences.

The main goal of the game is to collect complete sets of artifacts (ranging from parchment scraps to talismans to Pharaoh masks).  Actually, this is one of the more accurate versions of archaeology I’ve seen in games so far.  Archaeologists in this game have to work hard to find pieces of an artifact—instead of a perfectly preserved vase, there are shards of pottery for players to gather.  The more pieces unearthed, the more valuable the discovery.  Players then sell these sets to the museum for maximum profit.  I think this objective of the game is very revealing of the public’s general impressions of the role of archaeology—If archaeologists’ only purpose is to discover treasure and make money, then to me, they start to seem a little more like looters then qualified scientists. 

Speaking of looters, pillaging artifacts is actually a built-in feature of the game!  Mixed among the regular treasure cards (they’re actually called this in the instructions!) of the deck are six sandstorm chards and eight thief cards.  However both these robbers and natural disasters are viewed as dangers for archaeologists and are one of players’ main challenges.  Interestingly, although the Archaeology relies on sandstorms and thieves to make the game interesting and exciting, it also presents the issue of looting in a very negative light.  Perhaps, after battling to protect their valuable cards from the “thieves” Archaeology players will finish their game with a firm hatred of these artifact-destroyers, so archaeologists can hope.  

Indiana Jones and the Costume with a Muscle Chest

It's almost Halloween, and naturally I'm assuming that you're planning to go as the scariest thing you can think of, that being an archaeologist, at least ever since you developed your rather irrational fear of trowels. Of course, if you attempt to dress as an actual archaeologist, donning a T-shirt bearing the logo of your sponsor on the chest and a dusty pair of jeans, with a shovel in one hand and a clipboard with meticulous notes in the other, people are going to assume that you are just the latest psychopath, who looks just like the rest of us but happens to bury people alive and write down the location, and that is just unacceptable. So, the next most logical step is to dress up unmistakably as everyone's favorite archaeologist.

You're Indiana Jones.

Look at your man. Now back to me. Now
back at your man. Now back to me. I'm
an archaeologist. Now I have a
muscle chest.

Yes, you too now have the opportunity to plunder loot, shoot Nazis, crack that whip, and get the girl just like the best of archaeologists. This Indy costume comes complete with khaki pants and open-chested shirt to show off your newly acquired Indy muscles. You read that correctly: the costume includes a muscle chest to help all aspiring archaeologists to show off how buff they are. Because I might have missed something, but I'm pretty sure that is one of archaeology's main focuses. Naturally, the trademark fedora tops it off, to give the proper rakish treasure-hunter vibe. Interestingly, the costume includes neither whip nor gun, Indy's most trusted tools as he globe trots in search of the latest mythical and dangerous artifact, but based on the photo, they must be recommended. Also interestingly, the costume does not come with even a mention of a shovel, pick, or trowel, nor paperwork that Indy really should have filled out before ditching his class to hop on a plane to Nepal. But we're getting picky here. This is an Indiana Jones costume, and Indy has better things to do with his time. Like save his hat. And use his whip to swing across death traps on his way to finding a golden idol.

Anyways, the point is that you might not end up looking much like a real archaeologist (note the blatant absence of trowels), but at least, like Indy, you can look good while plundering loot. Only your loot is candy. And his is the Ark of the Covenant.

Jewel Quest: Representation of Archaeology or Advertising Ploy?

There are many online games that are based on or inspired by ancient cultures.  Some of these games establish digital worlds where viewers can experience early civilizations and learn from the past.  Other games rely on adventure themes where romanticized archaeologists heroically chase down artifacts or answers to mysteries (preferably while wearing a stylish fedora…).  This example, Jewel Quest, uses neither of these approaches toward online presentations of archaeology. 

Jewel Quest is a simple online puzzle game where you arrange the jewels on the board into groups of three or more.  For every match, the sand tiles under the jewels turn to gold and more jewels drop down to fill their places.  Fighting the clock, the goal of the game is to turn every tile to gold and unlock the next level. 

In many respects, this game includes hardly any archaeology at all.  It requires no knowledge of the field of archaeology to succeed in the game and leaves the player with no additional information or understanding about ancient worlds or cultures.  In fact, the entire premise of the game could be (and has been) recreated without form of archaeology.  Harvest-Day, 4 Elements, and Fishdom 2 are all examples of other matching games easily available online.  All three are perfectly addicting in their own rights and are nearly identical to Jewel Quest.  

Since all of these games are so similar, they must each have their own special element to interest potential players—whether that enticement is through delicious looking fruits, a fantastical fairyland, an underwater world, or a daring archaeological adventure is completely flexible.  I thought it was interesting that the majority of these puzzle games actually use some connection to adventure, treasure, or ancient cultures to draw their audience.  (Cradle of Rome, Call of Atlantis, and Bejeweled 1 through 3 are only a handful of the games I found that easily fit in this category.)  

It seems to me, that Jewel Quest’s success is built on the general public’s attraction to archaeology.  However, most of these connections between Jewel Quest and archaeology (gold, jewels, and an Indiana Jones style archaeologist) are mostly exaggerated or completely false.  This simplification of the role of archaeology reflects the public’s false perceptions about archaeology and ancient cultures.

Advertising Jewel Quest, MSN Games invites players to “Explore mysterious jungle ruins full of ancient artifacts and buried relics.  But prepare to think fast and act carefully, because it takes more than luck to claim the Mayan gold!”  In reality, most of these elements are limited or non-existent in the actual playing of Jewel Quest and are only there to spice up an ordinary matching game.  However, something about this marketing ploy combined with the basic elements of Jewel Quest is successful—I know I for one, greatly enjoyed the process of “researching” Jewel Quest for this article and will probably continue playing!

History of Aztec Ball Game for Kids

I stumbled across this webpage when searching for games played in the past.  The entry on the Aztec ball game was clearly meant for kids.  Information about the game was simplified and filtered for children.  This line from the website works to connect the past to the present for kids by comparing it to concepts they already understand: "The best players were treated like super stars, similar to the way we treat our best athletics today."

What wasn't mentioned was the consequences of losing the game: sacrifice.  Clearly the authors didn't want to scar kids' minds too much.  The whole entry had a very optimistic ring to it, illustrated by this line: "The game was exciting because you always had a chance to win no matter how far behind your score was at any one time."  But that's why sports are any sort of interesting at all!  This sentence describes any generic sport, really.

So why are things that may be considered a little violent not suitable for kids?  If we analyze how much kids are already exposed to violence in the form of movies, video games, and cartoons, isn't it okay for them to learn that the losers of the ball game were sacrificed?  It was an important part of Aztec culture and we really shouldn't just pick and choose what we want to learn about them.

Look at how happy the Aztec ball players are!  It's such a fun game... that's played to the death.

Playmobil: Mr. Archaeologist and the Tomb Raiders

I had a lot of Playmobil growing up. I mean a lot. Like boxes and boxes of the stuff. And in all honesty, I can say that had I seen either the Archaeologist set or the Tomb Raiders set, I probably would not at all minded to get them, because they both look like there are some serious adventures that could stem from either one.

Mr. Archaeologist finds that the best way to study
ancient Egypt is with a gun and lots of snakes.

Let's begin with Mr. Archaeologist. In all honesty, this is a better portrayal of archaeology in toys than I've seen in most places. Mainly, I say this because he comes with a wonderful selection of tools such as shovels, picks, and trowels. This guy has nine different tools to use with digging. Nine tools. Take note, kids: archaeology has a lot to do with digging. Furthermore, Mr. Archaeologist has a camera, which just might mean he's hoping to record something about what he unearths and learn a little more. So he has nothing to write down notes on. It's a start, though, it's a start.

On the other hand, you do have to wonder why Mr. Archaeologist needs a gun to do his work. Presumably it's to fight off the soon-to-be discussed Tomb Raiders whose sole aim is profit, rather than, say, shooting the newly reanimated mummy, or local bureaucrats who want to point out to Mr. Archaeologist that he actually didn't get the proper permits to dig here.

Mwahaha, treasure treasure treasure!

Mr. Archaeologist also comes with a lovely mummy and a couple urns (because all archaeology is Egypt), and a frightening collection of snakes and scorpions (Why did it have to be snakes?). Notably these buy into some pretty heavy stereotypes of archaeology, but I'm going to count this in Mr. Archaeologist's favor, considering he still has more tools to dig up his artifacts than he has artifacts. Mr. Archaeologist may also be dressed in khakis and a hat, but at least his hat is a little more dorky and a little less suave than a fedora, proving that stereotypes, while still invoked, can at least be somewhat toned down.

Now, opposing Mr. Archaeologist, we have the Tomb Raiders. Kids know the Tomb Raiders are bad. They have dark, scowling eyebrows that prove they are mean. (Mean people scowl a lot.) And while we could spend all day discussing the racial stereotypes appearing here and whether it's valid to portray the bad Tomb Raiders as Middle Eastern, this blog is about archaeology and history, and the good news is that Playmobil is at least showing that stealing ancient artifacts throws you firmly in line with Team Villain. The Tomb Raiders have more treasure than Mr. Archaeologist, demonstrating they aren't focused on anything but their own betterment. The juxtaposition, then, shows very simply good methodology and bad methodology for collecting ancient artifacts. Maybe kids won't get the nuances, but they hopefully get the basic message.

Of course, let's be honest. If I'd had these sets as a kid, I'd definitely be playing the most with the camels.

How We Play

The central tenant of toys is entertainment first, and whatever else comes along with it (such as, say, education) is a wonderful perk. We can't exactly expect toys depicting archaeology or the ancient world to be exactly accurate, because it's an unfortunate fact of life that most kids don't want to spend their play time filling in an application for a permit that will allow them to acquire a temporary license to spend the next ten days very, very carefully shoveling dirt. (If you were a child like that, I applaud you, but I'm going to venture that you're in a minority here.)

Lesson One: This is not archaeology. It's paleontology.
We're not dealing with paleontology.

Games like to be fun as well, but it's a little easier to sneak those educational tidbits in. Dig like an archaeologist! Answer trivia on the ancient world! The difference between games and toys, it seems, is that games force some semblance of structure, and so if they want you to be educated, then you're just going to have to be educated. With toys, you aren't held back by the same constraints. If you want, you can have your caveman and his pet pterodactyl get in a spaceship and save the princess. You'd be factually wrong, but you can do it.

Then there's the other stuff, costumes and decorations and books and who knows what else. If it's got something to do with human history and it's supposed to be fun, it probably applies to what this blog is about. In fact, we might even address the inverse, where we look at how toys and games and stuff of the ancient world are portrayed in the media.

Because that's what this blog is all about. It's about archaeology and the toys, games, and other random stuff that go with it. We're going to look at examples and pick them apart as to what is good with them and what, unfortunately, is not. And hopefully have fun in the process.