The Interactive Pasts Conference: Catherine Flick & Tyr Fothergill
6Presentation at the Interactive Pasts Conference, April 5th 2016, Leiden University.
Catherine Flick & Tyr Fothergill (De Montfort University & University of Leicester)
Clucks and Clicks: The archaeology and ethics of human-chicken relationships in video games
"Humans have modified species through directed breeding and other practices which constitute the continuous processes of domestication. These changes have in turn affected the ways in which humans view domestic species, and, as a consequence, the ways in which they treat them. Chickens are a case par excellence with regard to directed breeding: archaeological chicken bones show skeletal changes consistent with those present in some modern breeds. The cycles of human perception of domesticate species have shaped the chickens of the past, the present, and their video game counterparts. Many video game chickens are short-lived and viewed as passive, throwaway creatures—much like broiler chickens. However, this is not consistently the case; the games which were investigated for our study presented a wide range of interactions and relationships. The archaeology and history of relationships between humans and chickens not only contextualise these relationships in the digital realm, but show gaps in understanding, pinpoint areas of social concern, and demonstrate the potential of the digital chicken as an informative construct with the potential to re-inforce positive relationships between chickens and humans outside of video games. This presentation contributes an interdisciplinary approach by using archaeological evidence in critical analysis of video games."