nity as they learn how to game the battle system in order to achieve progress. Another game that very clearly presents technology as a product of temporal advancement is Sid Meiers Civilisation series. In these games, the player controls the development of a civilisation by managing the resources of a city-state, military strategising, and directing technological research. Technology in these games is presented as a tree leading from primitive technologies such as the wheel' and meditation' all the way to refridgeration, space travel and future tech'.

Narratives of technological progress are so prevalent in video games that it is tempting to read them as essential to the medium, not least because the commercial success of software producers depends so closely on the favour of hardware manufacturers. It is surprising that a game such as Skies of Arcadia, designed to show off]>