Abstract
Videogames containing cultural-heritage have been constructed, consumed and critiqued in increasing quantities over the past 20 years. One of the key concerns expressed in both formal and informal literature surrounding these games has been the concept of accuracy in relation to the represented cultural-heritage. However, limited dialogue between videogame developers, gamers and cultural-heritage professionals has meant that there is surprisingly little primary data regarding how these groups are constructing, experiencing or analysing ideas of accuracy. This paper aims to provide a foundation for understanding how and why accuracy is conceptualised, implemented and assessed in videogames by the developers, gamers and cultural-heritage professionals who are involved in their creation, consumption and critique. To achieve this, the article critically analyses 156 interviews conducted with members of the videogame industry, gamers and cultural-heritage professionals. This analysis uses the concepts of reconstructionist, constructionist, and deconstructionist history to frame responses to the questions ‘what is accuracy in cultural-heritage videogames?’ and ‘does accuracy matter in cultural-heritage videogames – why or why not?’.