November 6, 2013
Art history professor publishes on 'Assassin's Creed II'
Douglas N. Dow, associate professor of art history, published an article, "Historical Veneers: Anachronism, Simulation, and Art History in Assassin's Creed II," in Playing with the Past: Digital Games and the Simulation of History, edited by Matthew Wilhelm Kapell and Andrew B.R. Elliott, New York: Bloomsbury, 2013, pages 215-231.
In the article Dow explores how historical inconsistencies in the video game's simulation of the cityscape of Renaissance Florence affect how a person experiences the city today. Rather than reject the game as inaccurate, the essay suggests that the creative re-interpretation of history in the game resembles how 15th century Florentines configured their own historical understanding.