Scientific Direction HCDH

• 04/22-01/23 Guest researcher at SFB 948 'Heroes-Heroisations-Heroisms; Topic: “Involved reception and the role of intermedial (game) characters as a challenge for hero research.”; University of Freiburg
• April 2018: Completion of PhD with the thesis: "The legibility of heroes. Ambiguous signs in the 'Bataille d'Aliscans' and in Wolfram von Eschenbach's 'Willehalm'."
• 2014-2017: PhD studies. Faculty of Philosophy, Department of German Medieval Studies, University of Tübingen
• 04/2015-08/2016: Acquisition of the certificate ‘Digital Humanities’, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Tübingen
• 05/2013: Acquisition of the First State Examination with distinction, University of Tübingen
• 10/2007-5/2013: Teacher training in German Studies / Theology (WPO 2001) University of Tübingen

Semiotic encodings (medieval heroic epic, courtly novel); inter- and transmediality in medieval studies; digital humanities; game studies

• Aggressor, Manager, and Tool: Reflections on the Conqueror Figure in Medieval Literature and Digital Games
  as part of the conference 'Historical Conquest, Colonization, and Resistance in Video Games'
  University of Heidelberg (2024)
• Meet ParzivAI and McgAIver - LLM Fine-Tuning Made Practical
  as part of the workshop series 'Applied Generative AI in DH' AGKI-DH [together with Thomas Renkert]
  University of Graz (2024)
• The Heidelberg Center for Digital Humanities as a Hub for Research and Teaching. Brief Overview of the Creation of a DH Center from 2020-2024
  as part of the CLARIAH-AT Summer School on the topic 'From Archive to Algorithm'. Digital Humanities in Practice
  Paris-Lodron University of Salzburg (2024)
• Showcase of the open-source LLM template for ParzivAI developed in cooperation with the HSE
  First public demonstration of the alpha version of a Middle High German chatbot with adaptive RAG
  University of Heidelberg (2024)
• Media Change and German Medieval Studies – Transmediality as a Bridge between Medieval Narrative Worlds and Digital Games
  as part of the workshop 'Bodies and Spaces of the Virtual'
  Institute for Realia Studies, Krems an der Donau (2024)
• (Not) Playing by the Rules. Spatial Scripts of Sacredly Marked Spaces from the Middle Ages to Computer Games
  as part of the conference 'Church History and Game Studies? Explorations of Religion and History in Digital Games' [together with Antonia Imbeck],
  University of Mainz (2024)
• Nothing Matters - Observations on the Functioning of the 'Rejected Alternative' in Medieval Literature and Digital Games as part of the workshop 'Virtual Narrative Worlds' at the Collaborative Research Center 1576 'Virtual Lifeworlds',
  University of Bochum (2023)
• Playing the Hero Only Once - Reflections on the Transmediality of Exorbitance and Its Immersive Potential as part of the workshop 'More-Than-Human Heroizations. Representations of a Phenomenon' at the Collaborative Research Center 948 'Heroes-Heroizations-Heroisms',
  University of Freiburg (2023)
• Poster presentation on the Heidelberg Center for Digital Humanities (HCDH) as part of the 3rd NFDI4Culture Plenary,
  Mainz Academy of Sciences and Humanities (2023)
• Conceptions of space and their interactions with heroine figures in computer games and medieval literature in the context of the workshop 'Der Raum und seine Held*innen' at the SFB 948 Helden-Heroisierungen-Heroismen [together with Antonia Imbeck], University of Freiburg (2022)
• Transmediale Mediävistik - zur Rolle von digitalen Spielen und der Aktualität 'klassischer' Konzepte [Transmedial Medieval Studies - on the role of digital games and the topicality of 'classical' concepts] in the context of the 15th Federal Congress of the Centres for Teacher:in Education and Pofessional Schools of Education, University of Heidelberg (2022)
• Reverse engineering of medieval literature using digital games? Immersive Mechanisms as a Component of Specific Information Giving about Central Figures at the Workshop 'Involving Reception' at SFB 948 Helden-Heroisierungen-Heroismen, University of Freiburg (2022)
• Things and Disappearance. Reflections on the Transmediality of Thingness and the Functioning of Invisibility in the context of the workshop Aesthetics of Things, Thing Memoria and Thing Semiotics of the DFG Network Things in Medieval Literature, University of Jena (2022).
• The Heidelberg Forum Digital Humanities (HFDH) - Structure, tasks and perspectives in the context of the event 'Data Hour' of the Competence Centre for Research Data, Heidelberg University (2022)
• Guest of the panel discussion on “The Green Knight” at the event 'Medienmetamorphosen', University of Innsbruck (2021)
• Immersion as an intermedial phenomenon in medieval literature and modern games. Paper presentation at the event 'The Middle Ages in Modern Games', University of Winchester (2021)
• Digital Humanities at Heidelberg. Emerging tasks and perspectives of the Heidelberg Forum Digital Humanities. Lecture in the context of InfoDiTex - Interdisciplinary Forum of Digital Humanities, University of Heidelberg (2021)
• Alyze as Ritual Master. How to correctly disregard communicative and ritual rules. Lecture in the context of the workshop "'Medieval' Heroines". From Text to Reception: Various Aspects of 'Female' Figures, University of Tübingen (2021).
• Semiotic Coding of heroic figures. Transmedial connections and constants between medieval literature and digital games. Lecture in the context of the event "Interactive Digital Narratives", University of Freiburg (2021)
• Dubious actions coming to light. The role of 'talking' gems as indicators of virtuousness. Lecture at the International Medieval Congress, University of Leeds. (2019)
• The greedy clergy, its pious judge and duplicity.  Reflections on a theological persona auctoris of Walther von der Vogelweide, its cloister and church criticism. Lecture at the 18th Symposium of the Mediävistenverband e.V., University of Tübingen. (2019)
• Everything is different, boy. Reflections on the humanisation of a hero based on the game series 'God of War'. Workshop in the context of the teaching research project 'Middle Ages goes Pop' of the ILK, University of Marburg. (2019)
• Inter- and transmediality of (magical) things. Guest lecture in the context of the teaching research project 'Middle Ages goes Pop' of the ILK, University of Marburg. (2019)
• Concepts of (literary) virtuality. Talk together with PD Dr. Nicole Falkenhayner in the context of the SFB 948 Helden- Heroisierungen-Heroismen', University of Freiburg. (2018)
• Two rings to break them all. On the destructive agency of the rings in Shadow of War and in medieval Iwein. Guest lecture in SFB 948 'Helden-Heroisierungen-Heroismen', University of Freiburg. (2018)

• Since September 2024: Senior Scientist in the project “The Aggressor: Self-Perception and Perception of Others of an Actor Between Nations”
• Since July 2024: IWR Research Member (Interdisciplinary Center for Scientific Computing)
• Since October 2013: Board Member of the TRN “Heidelberg Editions and Text Analysis” (HEDIT) (Heidelberg University)
• November 2020 - June 2024: Member of the DFG research network “Network Open Middle Ages” organized by Dr. Luise Borek (TU Darmstadt)
• Since 2019: Games Working Group
• Since October 2019: Editorial member of the academic blog “Middle Ages. Interdisciplinary Research and Reception History”
• Since June 2018: Editorial member of PAIDA – Journal of Computer Game Research
• Since 2016: Member of the Association of Medievalists

I. Editorship

• Die Dechiffrierung von Helden. Aspekte einer Semiotik des Heroischen vom Mittelalter bis zur Gegenwart, Bielefeld 2020 (=Populäres Mittelalter, Bd. 1), 286 S.

II. Monographs

• "helden. heroes. héros", Special Issue 10 (2023): Raum, (digitale) Medien und Rezeption: inter- und transdisziplinäre Brückenschläge zu Held:innenfiguren, DOI: 10.6094/helden.heroes.heros./2023/RMR
• Die Lesbarkeit von Helden. Uneindeutige Zeichen in der ‚Bataille d'Aliscans‘ und im 'Willehalm' Wolframs von Eschenbach, Stuttgart 2018.

III. Essays

• Short essays in „Kompetenznetzwerk Digitale Edition“ (KONDE)-Weißbuch (2024), hrsg. v. Selina Galka und Helmut W. Klug unter Mitarbeit von Susanne Höfer im Projekt "Enlarging 'Weißbuch Digitale Edition'" [zus. mit Peter Färberböck]:
  • Digitale Edition von digitalen Spielen. hdl.handle.net/11471/562.50.283. PID: o:konde.243
  • Digitale Spiele. hdl.handle.net/11471/562.50.284. PID: o:konde.244
  • Digitale Spiele als Quelle. hdl.handle.net/11471/562.50.286. PID: o:konde.246
  • Spielmechaniken. hdl.handle.net/11471/562.50.287. PID: o:konde.247
  • Transkription von digitalen Spielen. hdl.handle.net/11471/562.50.285. PID: o:konde.245
  • Videoaufzeichnungen. hdl.handle.net/11471/562.50.288. PID: o:konde.248
• Raumkonzeptionen und ihre Wechselwirkungen mit Held:innenfiguren in Computerspielen und mittelalterlicher Literatur. In: e-Jorunal "helden. heroes. héros", Special Issue 10 (2023), S. 49-60 [zus. mit Antonia Imbeck]. DOI: 10.6094/helden.heroes.heros./2023/RMR/06
• I am your monster no longer. Reflections on the Humanization of a Heroic Figure and the Role of Semantic Items in GOD OF WAR IV. In: Friedmann, Joachim (Hg.): Narratives Crossing Boundaries. Storytelling in a Transmedial and Transdisciplinary Context, Bielefeld 2023, S. 63-94. DOI: 10.14361/9783839464861-00
• Art.: „Videospielheld“. In: Compendium heroicum, hg. v Ronald G. Asch, Achim Aurnhammer, Georg Feitscher und Anna Schreurs-Morét, publiziert vom Sonderforschungsbereich 948 „Helden – Heroisierungen – Heroismen“ der Universität Freiburg, Freiburg 28.11.2022. DOI: 10.6094/heroicum/vshd1.0.20221128
• Immersion, Virtualität und Affizierung in mittelalterlicher Literatur und digitalem Spiel. In: Paidia – Zeitschrift für Computerspielforschung (12/2021).
• Immersion as an intermedial phenomenon in medieval Literature and Modern Games. In: The Midde Ages in Modern Games: Conference Proceedings (vol. 2), ed. by Robert Houghton, Winchester 2021, S. 4-8.
• Die Dinge und das Verschwinden. In: MEMO - Medieval and Early Modern Material Culture Online 8 (2021), Salzburg 05/2021. DOI: 10.25536/20210803. [zus. mit Franziska Ascher].
• Art.: „Zeichenhaftigkeit“. In: Compendium heroicum, hg. v Ronald G. Asch, Achim Aurnhammer, Georg Feitscher und Anna Schreurs-Morét, publiziert vom Sonderforschungsbereich 948 „Helden – Heroisierungen – Heroismen“ der Universität Freiburg, Freiburg 29.12.2020. DOI: 10.6094/heroicum/zhd1.0.20201229.
• Dubious Actions Coming to Light: The Role of ‘Talking’ Gems as Indicators of Virtuousness. In: MEMO - Medieval and Early Modern Material Culture Online 7 (2020), Salzburg 12/2020. DOI: 10.25536/20200706.
• Der Klerus und die Doppelzüngigkeit. Überlegungen zur kirchenkritischen persona Walthers von der Vogelweide. In: Mittelalter. Interdisziplinäre Forschung und Rezeptionsgeschichte 3 (2020), S. 28-42. DOI: 10.26012/mittelalter-25277.
• Spielen lernen – Religionspädagogik und Game Studies im Gespräch. In: Katechetische Blätter (2/20), S. 141-147 [zus. mit Lukas Ricken].
• Spiele verstehen – Werkzeuge der Computerspielanalyse. In: Katechetische Blätter (2/20), S. 148-154 [zus. mit Lukas Ricken].
• Zum Umgang mit einem ungebetenen Gast. Der Held am französischen Königshof in der ‚Bataille d’Aliscans‘ und im ‚Willehalm‘ Wolframs von Eschenbach. In: Die Dechiffrierung von Helden. Aspekte einer Semiotik des Heroischen vom Mittelalter bis zur Gegenwart, hg. v. Florian Nieser, Bielefeld 2020 (=Populäres Mittelalter, Bd. 1), S. 171-188.
• Is everything different, boy? - Überlegungen zur Humanisierung einer heroischen Heldenfigur in God of War (IV) (04/2019). In: Paidia – Zeitschrift für Computerspielforschung, Zugriff 25.04.2019.
• Aktualisiert erneut veröffentlicht in: helden.heroes.héros 7.1 (2019), S. 19-29. DOI: 10.6094/helden.heroes.heros.
• Two rings to break them all. Zur agency des neuen Rings der Macht in shadow of War und der zwei Ringe im mittelalterlichen Iwein (09/2018). In: Sonderausgabe Paidia – Zeitschrift für Computerspielforschung: Vom ‚Wigalois‘ zum ‚Witcher‘. Mediävistische Zugänge zum Computerspiel, hrsg. v. Franziska Ascher u. Thomas Müller, Zugriff 25.04.2019.
• Aktualisiert und neu veröffentlich in: Klein, Benedikt / Theiß, Alissa (Hg.): Mittelalter goes Pop!. Geschichtsdarstellungen in populären Medien und Formaten, Marburg 2020, S. 45-70 [im Druck].
• Das getilgte Ding. Arofels Schild im 'Willehalm' Wolframs von Eschenbach. In: Beiträge zur Geschichte der deutschen Sprache und Literatur 139/3 (2017), S. 329-344.

IV. Interviews (in German)

• Helden ohne Glanz: Dekonstruktion von Heldenbildern. Interview im Podcastformat 'Behind the Screens', Ep. 89, 18.04.24, 

  https://behind-the-screens.de/2024/04/18/helden-ohne-glanz-dekonstrukti

  …
• Heldenkonstruktion. Interview im Podcastformat 'Behind the Screens', Ep. 73, 13.07.23, 

  https://behind-the-screens.de/2023/07/13/heldenkonstruktion-podcast-e07…

• Heldenkonzeption. Interview im Podcastformat 'Behind the Screens', Ep. 69, 28.04.2023, 

  https://behind-the-screens.de/2023/04/28/heldenkonzeption-podcast-e069/

• Im Gespräch: Florian Nieser. Helden in Sage, Spiel & Gesellschaft. Interview im Podcastformat des Projekts ‚Spielvertiefung‘, 14.04.23, 

  https://www.spielvertiefung.de/post/auf-einen-whisky-florian-nieser