“Layers of history”: History as construction/constructing history in Pentiment

Wright, Esther 2024. “Layers of history”: History as construction/constructing history in Pentiment. ROMchip: A Journal of Game Histories 6 (1) , 191.

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Abstract

This article makes an intervention into the growing body of literature concerned with historical video game paratexts, with a focus on Obsidian Entertainment’s Pentiment (2022). The game is remarkable for its ludonarrative and paratextual engagement with the complexities of history, particularly mediating the role of power and memory, and the consequences of the limited evidence of the past left behind. Focussing on various paratextual materials that accompanied and preceded Pentiment’s release, this article explores the “layered” approach to deploying historical discourses in the game’s promotion and critical reception. It does so by categorising different elements of this discourse into three conceptual categories – history of, history around, and history in – noting where and why they intersect, and to what effect. It also explores Pentiment’s comparative novelty as a mainstream game which takes a more critical approach to remediating historical knowledge, yet attempts were still made to construct a sense of the game’s “authenticity”. Ultimately, this article sustains the argument that we should take video game paratexts seriously, incorporating them as a vital part of our consideration of historical video games to arrive at more nuanced understandings of the way they represent and negotiate memory and knowledge of the past.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	History, Archaeology and Religion
Subjects:	D History General and Old World > D History (General)
ISSN:	2573-9794
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	4 April 2024
Date of Acceptance:	1 April 2024
Last Modified:	09 Nov 2024 02:00
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/167639

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