An Enlightening Video Game?

I know the chances of many of the readers who grace this blog being gamers are pretty low. However I am clever enough to know you are out there. Lauren and I, ourselves are closet gamers when we're not sipping our champagne, gossiping, or the billion other things we have on our to-do lists. I've often been thinking, why aren't there enough games set in the 18th century? And before any laughing snarls come out of the true gamers who have stumbled upon this post I would like to direct you to other video-game junkies who are asking the same question.

At the beginning of the month, BitMob posted, 4 Places Rockstar Should Set Their Next Game. Two of those suggestions were in the 18th century, one setting being England. Listen to this convincing plea,

"This period also encapsulated the heyday of highwaymen, robbers on horseback who were often romanticized in stories...This rich history of folklore from the time would make this an incredibly interesting setting for Rockstar to explore. The Grand Theft Auto series and Red Dead Redemption have successfully paid homage to cinema history, and by setting a game during 18th-century England they could do the same thing for the written word."

Sign me up!

I have found a few video games set in the era, mostly war strategy games and pirate crusades. I guess attempting to bring a monarch's downfall with gossip and rumors while putting together the perfect masquerade costume hasn't come out yet. A girl can dream... In the meantime here is what I have found. Do you know of any good games set in our most favorite of centuries? What would you like to see in terms of a game set in the 18th century?

East India Company PC Strategy

Empire: Total War PC Strategy

Anno 1701 PC and DS RPG

Pirates of the Burning Sea PC MMO

The soon to be released Harker, which looks pretty cool, XBox Action

Age of Empires III PC RTS (I used to love Age of Empires, I'm tempted to buy this one!)

Am I Not A Man And A Brother?

Josiah Wedgwood was not just famous for being quite the potter, he was also known for being a fervent abolitionist. He managed to use his artwork to bring attention to the cause he was so passionate about. In 1787 the Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade formed, their logo was a slave in chains kneeling with the words, "Am I Not a Man and a Brother?" underneath. Wedgwood took the seal and created it in cameo-form, making a large amount to be distributed.

Luckily, the enlightened appeal was a big hit. Ladies would set the medallions in bracelets or set them in hair pins. Wedgwood's cameo was the 18th century version of the Livestrong bracelet, it was fashionable to show your support for a cause.

Like many fashions for a cause, though, the medallion's longevity meant a loss in meaning for many wearers. However, Wedgwood's effort did help in the abolitionist movement and in 1807 Parliament voted to abolish slave trade.

Country Homes: Croome Court

Location: Worcestershire
Famous Inhabitants: Maria Lady Coventry
Website: National Trust Croome Park

Yay or Nay? Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel

Enough of all these pleasing Russians! Ekaterina Ivanovna Nelidova continued with the tradition of pleasing everyone with her frock, earning her a Yay. Time to skip off the Russian runway and check out what the Danes have to offer. But can they give us the glitz and glamour we crave?


Johann Georg Ziesenis paints the Queen of Denmark (1766) as she shows off her son in her conservative gown and sheer shoulder shawl. Yay or Nay?

[Frederiksborg Castle]