Tamriel Archaeology Guild (TArG) is a small, virtual, CRM group who is surveying the online world of the Elder Scrolls (ESO) game. We’re applying real-world #archaeology methods to the virtual world of Tamriel. #PATC5 #scicomm #CRMArchaeology #ElderScrollsOnline #archaeogaming

And I'm Sara Head, btw. M.A in CRM and host of the Archaeological Fantasies Podcast.

I also participate in @ArchaeoRpg, Paranormal Archaeology TM, Pseudoarchaeology debunking, and sass talking on the twitter. http://archyfantasies.com/ 

We drew our inspiration for this from past in-game surveys like @NMSarchaeology led by @adreinhard as well as ethics in games from @GingeryGamer, and others (please see bib in closing tweet) #PATC5 #scicomm #archaeogaming #NoMansSky

#Archaeogaming argues that virtual worlds are both #archaeological sites & artifacts (simplified btw) as they are constructed by humans, for humans, w/ intent & purpose (Reinhard 2019). They are at the same time; tools, habitation, entertainment, & educational #PATC5 #scicomm

ESO is an example of a human-made virtual world. It encourages interaction w/ the world, lore, items, & rewards players. It also has a rich out-of-game community who interact w/ ESO IRL. It also changes, impacting players IRL. #PATC5 #scicomm #ElderScrollsOnline #archaeogaming

With the #Greymoor expansion in ESO, we wondered what would change in the ESO world. How it would impact player interactions and change the zones? So we performed a Phase 1a prior to the release. #PATC5 #scicomm #archaeology #CRMArchaeology #ElderScrollsOnline #archaeogaming

We performed pedestrian survey in 3 Zones; N. Elswyer, Murkmire, & Grahtwood. We mapped everything we encountered that looked "man-made" & recorded all surveys via screen cap recordings. #PATC5 #scicomm #archaeology #CRMArchaeology #ElderScrollsOnline

We needed in-game tools to survey properly, and adapted addons that allowed for Long/Lat points, custom pins with notes, and sharing of data w/ the team #PATC5 #scicomm #archaeology #CRMArchaeology #ElderScrollsOnline #archaeogaming https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JiAPw7oPLctv54BI_-rN7k7PRwfzvVlN/view?usp=sharing

Video recording proved to be v. important. W/O physical objects to collect, Vid became the best way to capture artifacts for cataloging. Screen Caps = Artifacts, & Site Recording. #PATC5 #scicomm #archaeology #CRMArchaeology #ElderScrollsOnline #archaeogaming

Artifact analysis is also vid/photo dependant & reflective of real-world analysis. Humanoid remains were examined. ( @KrystianaKrupa) There are plans for vessel and site analysis as well. #PATC5 #scicomm #archaeology #ElderScrollsOnline #archaeogaming #CRMArchaeology

All custom points have Long/Lat coordinates, which will be used to recreate a map in ArcGIS/QGIS allowing for filtering and layers. This will allow for spatial analysis of sites/artifacts #PATC5 #scicomm #archaeology #ElderScrollsOnline #archaeogaming #CRMArchaeology

Spatial analysis = understanding of how game creators thought about the world they were creating. is it really random or is there a pattern? Is said pattern intentional? if so why/why not? #PATC5 #scicomm #archaeology #ElderScrollsOnline #archaeogaming #CRMArchaeology

However, everything in ESO is intentional. Everything was placed by humans. it serves some visual purpose in the game storytelling. Even something as small as ants on trees. #PATC5 #scicomm #archaeology #ElderScrollsOnline #archaeogaming #CRMArchaeology

As always, now that the Data is collected, we need to process it. We will be making it public and accessible via Google, YouTube, Twitch, and the Web. As with any #archaeology project, public outreach is a must. #PATC5 #scicomm #ElderScrollsOnline #archaeogaming #CRMArchaeology

Big TY to #PATC5 @lornarichardson & @James__Dixon as well as TArG & @ArchaeoRpg, @archaeothoughts, @KrystianaKrupa @amasugiru @adreinhard, & @GingeryGamer
TY for the support and inspiration. #archaeology #scicomm #archaeogaming

Resources/bib link: https://bit.ly/3eqTCMP