This creative practice research project responds to the missing medieval visual heritage in Scotland’s built environment, using archives and game development to explore non-visual sources through a visual frame and imagine spaces that have been lost and what they meant to people in medieval Aberdeen. In doing so, it throws light on rich and largely untapped sources of cultural identity and economic growth for the region.

Aberdeen has lost most of its medieval visual and material heritage, but it retains an exceptional written documentary heritage, with city and university archives from the fifteenth century recognised with UNESCO UK designations. In this project, digital game development offers a new way of using this archival evidence to answer historical questions about the spatial and visual environment in the absence of material remains, addressing an underexplored aspect of Scotland’s medieval history with the potential to inform broader understandings of Europe’s urban past.

This project also shapes wider thinking about the use of game development as a way of addressing historical research questions. While there is a thriving field studying approaches to history in games, game development projects stemming from academic historical research have usually occurred as spin-offs subordinate to the main inquiry. In this project, game development will be the core historical research methodology. This offers an opportunity for field-leading impact in the use of history in games.

The project also addresses a need beyond academia. Because of the scarcity of visual and material heritage from the medieval period in the city’s streetscape and in its cultural and heritage institutions, Aberdeen’s rich medieval past is left largely unseen by residents and visitors despite the increasing demand for the city’s heritage stimulated by the growth in cultural festivals and influx of cruise-ship tourists. This project aims to establish skills which help to meet this demand and contribute to the city’s expanding heritage economy while enhancing the city’s cultural identity.

Research questions

• How were urban spaces seen and experienced by people in medieval Aberdeen?
• How can we communicate medieval experiences of space and place to modern audiences when little of the relevant built or material sources survive?
• How can rich documentary and archival source survival bridge this visual gap?
• How can digital games investigate and help to understand these experiences?

Outcomes and impact

These research questions and ambitions will be pursued through the development of a digital game built in dialogue with Aberdeen’s UNESCO-recognised medieval records. The postholder will seek to address the historical question outlined through the development of the game and the methodological questions through an accompanying critical reflection on the development process. This will be a solo development project, supported by an experienced supervisory team, and the postholder will emerge with a broad skillset encompassing historical research skills, game development skills and the ability to work in multidisciplinary networks and establish working relationships across sectors. The core PhD outputs will have impact within the fields of History, the Digital Humanities and Creative Practice. This work, as well as the skills and relationships developed by the postholder, will also have impacts beyond academia, influencing the games sector and enriching the lives of people in Scotland by opening up its medieval heritage and bringing it to a wider audience through a global digital release of the game.

North-Sea Heritage in Transitions Training Programme

Each studentship will benefit from NHT’s bespoke training programme developed by the three partner institutions and in collaboration with international project partner, the University of Stavanger. Further information on the training on offer can be found on our website.

Candidate Background

Strong first degree (first class or 2:1) in a relevant subject (such as History, Art History, Creative Practice, Games or Computing Science).

Experience or demonstrable interest in game development.

Working with game development tools will be essential, so existing digitals skills in relevant areas will be advantageous, with a keen willingness to develop such skills if experience is limited.

Experience or demonstrable interest in historical research.

Working with historical languages (primarily Latin and Older Scots) will be essential, so existing linguistic skills will be advantageous, with a keen willingness to develop such skills if experience is limited.

Enquiries are encouraged, for further information please contact Dr William Hepburn (william.hepburn@abdn.ac.uk)

Promoting equality, diversity and inclusion is core to the AHRC North-Sea Heritage in Transitions Doctoral Focal Award. We actively encourage applications from diverse career paths, backgrounds, and all sections of the community, regardless of age, disability, race, ethnicity, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation and transgender status, amongst other protected characteristics.

We also invite applications from those returning from a career break, professional practice or other roles. We typically require a minimum 2:1 in your first degree (or equivalent), but exceptions can be made where applicants can demonstrate excellence in alternative ways, including, but not limited to, performance in master’s courses, professional placements, internships or employment experience – this will be considered on a case-by-case basis, and is dependent upon approval from the relevant host institution. We offer flexible study arrangements such as part-time study (minimum 50%), however this does depend on the nature of the project/research so will be assessed individually.

Application Procedure

The full application procedure can be found on our website.

Please ensure you follow the application procedure carefully, as we cannot consider incomplete or incorrectly submitted applications.

This project ID is NHT_UOA_WH

Funding Notes

This fully funded, 42-month PhD project is offered through the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) North Sea Heritage in Transitions Doctoral Focal Award.

The studentship provides an additional six months for placements, work experience, or writing up. It is open to UK and international applicants, but international recruitment via AHRC funding is capped at 30%.

Funding covers tuition fees, a tax-free stipend at the applicable UKRI rate (£21,383 for the 2026/27 academic year), and access to a Research Training Support Grant for research activities.

Please note we cannot fund visa costs or healthcare surcharges for international students.

References

• Frankot, Edda, Havinga, Anna, Hawes, Claire, Hepburn, William, Peters, Wim, Armstrong, Jackson, Astley, Phil, Mackillop, Andrew, Simpson, Andrew, Wyner Adam (eds), Aberdeen Registers Online: 1398-1511 (Aberdeen, 2019) https://www.abdn.ac.uk/aro.
• Generation Aberdeen website (https://generationaberdeen.co.uk/)
• Goodson, C., Lester, A.E., & Symes, C. (Eds.), Cities, Texts and Social Networks, 400–1500: Experiences and Perceptions of Medieval Urban Space (London, 2010.) https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315572130
• Hepburn, William and Armstrong, Jackson W., ‘Source Material and the Problem of Authenticity in Historical Game Development’, Digital Culture & Society 11:1 (2025) https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.14361/dcs-2025-0103/html
• Hernandez Manzo, D.S., Munir, V., Isaacs, J., ‘A Virtual Learning Experience in Sustainable Fashion: Escape Room. in De Paolis, L.T., Arpaia, P., Sacco, M. (eds) Extended Reality. XR Salento 2025. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 15741. (Cham, 2025.) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-97775-6_25
• Houghton, Robert, The Middle Ages in Computer Games: Ludic Approaches to the Medieval and Medievalism. (Woodbridge, 2024) https://boydellandbrewer.com/book/the-middle-ages-in-computer-games-9781843848233/