What role do historians have in the gaming industry? How do you balance historical authenticity and accuracy when mixing entertainment and market forces? 

Join us for a presentation and Q&A from Raphaël Weyland (in-house historian, Ubisoft, Assassin’s Creed Mirage) and Tyler Kynn (professor, Central Connecticut State University, creator of The Hajj Trail). Light refreshments will be provided following the presentations. 

Additionally, from 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM there will be open play of Assassin’s Creed Mirage and The Hajj Trail in ProtoSpace™ on level 2 with special game demonstrations from both creators from 10:00 AM until 11:30 AM in room 2751 on the Data Visualization Wall.  

Raphaël Weyland 
In-house Historian, Ubisoft 
Assassin’s Creed Mirage 

Raphaël is a historian working at Ubisoft Montréal (AC Mirage, For Honor). He holds a Ph.D. in History from the Université Montréal and the CAU-zu-Kiel, with a specialty in the ancient Mediterranean and Iranian worlds. He has worked as a university lecturer, a tour guide and a radio speaker. He has published Le Moyen-Orient: des Croisades aux Ottomans (Septentrion) in 2021.

Tyler Kynn 
Assistant Professor, History Department 
Central Connecticut State University 
Creator of The Hajj Trail 

Tyler Kynn is an Assistant Professor of History at Central Connecticut State University. Tyler‘s research explores the hajj in the early modern world, examining both narrative and archival material related to questions of Ottoman sovereignty and power in the Hijaz. Their current book project is entitled A Season for Empire: The Hajj in the Early Modern World. Tyler is also one of the co-creators of The Hajj Trail, a classroom tool and digital simulation of the seventeenth-century hajj journey coded via the Twine platform. A sequel to The Hajj Trail, entitled Seyahat: A Journey to Mecca, is currently being worked on using the Unity Engine in order to present the stories of The Hajj Trail in the visual style of Ottoman painting.

Alexis Christensen
Associate Professor (Lecturer), World Languages and Cultures
University of Utah 

Alf Seegert
Professor, Department of English
University of Utah 

Nathan Wainstein
Assistant Professor, Department of English
University of Utah 

Michael Christopher Low 
Director, Middle East Center
Assistant Professor, Department of History
Environmental Humanities Research Professor 
University of Utah