Field Notes (3): Depicting Archaeology as Colonial Practice

The Indiana Jones Video Games

Field Notes: Highlights digital tools, articles, books, and resources for historiographical video game design and production.

In his chapter “Indiana Jones in Videogames—Depicting Archaeology as Colonial Practice” (2024), Sebastian Hageneuer explores how the Indiana Jones video game franchise depicts the practice and positionality of archaeology and the archeologist, recognizing the pervasiveness of colonialist and imperialist tropes. While Hageneuer’s argument has significant weaknesses, the chapter illustrates how video games can reflect and perpetuate stereotypes and outmoded perceptions of formerly colonized peoples and their cultures.

Hageneuer argues that the Indiana Jones (IJ) media franchise is based on an imperialistic view of archaeology. His contribution lies in identifying the repeated use of colonial tropes in the video game franchise, which creates a sense of authenticity. These tropes include the search for treasures, pseudo-scientific knowledge, puzzles and riddles, and exotic locations.

Immersion and Knowledge Transfer

The immersive nature of these games, combined with a compelling visual narrative, encourages players to accept the colonial meta-narratives as fact. Players control the Indiana Jones character, executing actions that enact imperialistic and destructive ‘archaeology.’ To support his assertion of causality, Hageneur cites Daniel Giere (2019), who argues that players with more prior knowledge about the historical setting of the game are more critical of these kinds of depictions, while those with less historical knowledge are more likely to accept them uncritically.

Gender Dynamics and Game Mechanics

Hageneur observes that female characters in these games are portrayed as damsels in distress, needing rescue from the male hero. This reinforces conventional gender roles and reflects broader narrative issues within the IJ franchise.

Hageneuer further questions the deterministic structure of the IJ games, which gives players almost no freedom to act ethically, as unethical actions are often required to progress. The repeated use of narrative tools (seriality) across the franchise reinforces the colonial meta-narrative.

Concluding Thoughts

The Indiana Jones video game franchise depicts 20th century archaeological practice in ways that promote the persistence of colonialist and imperialist ideologies. These problematic narratives are transferred to players through serial repetition, especially those without prior knowledge of the relevant history or archaeological practices.

Despite weaknesses, the chapter effectively highlights the problem and concludes with examples of video games that offer alternative ways of interaction and immersion. Ubisoft’s ‘Discovery Mode’ in Assassin’s Creed and the game Heaven’s Vault are notable examples. These special gameplay modes allow for ethical decision-making and non-exploitative exploration of historical and cultural themes.

References

Giere, Daniel. 2019. Computerspiele - Medienbildung - historisches Lernen. Zu Repräsentation und Rezeption von Geschichte in digitalen Spielen. Forum Historisches Lernen. Frankfurt am Main: WOCHENSCHAU Verlag.

Hageneuer, S. (2024). Indiana Jones in videogames—Depicting archaeology as colonial practice. In L.-J. Richardson, A. Reinhard, & N. Smith (Eds.), Routledge handbook of archaeology and the media in the 21st century. Routledge.