The long-awaited video game Ironsmith Medieval Simulator is now available on PC, highlighting the popularity of the medieval genre in the gaming industry. The game gives players the opportunity to become medieval ironsmith and features techniques from the Middle Ages. Players can create tools, items, weapons, and armor in the manner of a medieval blacksmith, trade to earn gold and obtain raw materials.
The medieval theme has enjoyed immense popularity in literature, TV, and movies as well as video games. Another form of entertainment that uses medieval themes is online casinos. Slots such as Lord Merlin and the Lady of the Lake, the sequel to the Rise of Merlin slot, provide medieval fans with the opportunity to play slot games for real cash. This demonstrates the popularity of medieval themes and how the story of Merlin and other characters from Arthurian legend is used to attract fans and appeal to new players in different sectors of the entertainment industry.
Medieval literature
The medieval theme has been a popular topic in literature since the Middle Ages and has been defined by a series of revivals. Alfred, Lord Tennyson, published Idylls of the King, a collection of poems about King Arthur in 1859. Modern revivals of Arthurian legend include The Fall of Arthur, an unfinished poem written by J. R. R. Tolkien. Merlin, the eponymous king’s advisor, first appeared in medieval literature and remains highly popular to this day.
Medieval themes in TV shows and movies
There are other modern forms of entertainment that use Merlin as a character. Examples include the 1998 series Merlin, which won 4 Prime time Emmy Awards and starred Sam Neill as the title character, and the 2020 movie Arthur & Merlin: Knights of Camelot, starring Richard Short and Tim Fellingham.
Classic film has often featured medieval themes, such as Knights of the Round Table, a 1953 film starring Robert Taylor and Ava Gardner. Modern takes include King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, a movie directed by Guy Ritchie and featured Charlie Hunnam, Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey, and Jude Law. Clearly, medieval themes provide a rich source of story lines, which is demonstrated by the many movies about King Arthur and Merlin.
Medieval video games
There have been countless medieval video games featuring battles, wars, and conflicts. One of which is Medieval Dynasty, a role-play simulation set in Europe during the Middle Ages. The game combines several genres from strategy and role-playing to simulation as players navigate a medieval world inhabited by enemies, wolves, and bears.
Medieval-themed video games also provide players with the opportunity to build new worlds from scratch. This is highlighted by games such as Going Medieval, which is set towards the end of the 14th century. The medieval population has been wiped out by the plague, so players must rebuild their own society and create castles to defend their population against attacks.
Mobile games such as Forge of Empires work on the same principle. As players progress through the game, they reach the Early Middle Ages in the fourth age, which features medieval buildings typical of the time.
So, we can see that medieval themes, with battles, myths, and legends, are particularly well suited to movies and video games and the multitude of games is likely to see further innovations in the future as players show no sign of losing interest in the medieval genre.