Whereas it’s now accepted by many who video video games are an artwork type, it nonetheless is likely to be onerous to consider that one is featured in an exhibit at the identical museum that’s house to Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa”: The Louvre in Paris.

However this week, Xbox and World’s Edge Studio introduced a partnership with what’s arguably essentially the most prestigious museum in the world for its new exhibition, “Mamluks 1250–1517.”

For individuals who are unaware of how the gaming studios hook up with this side of the Egyptian Syrian empire: The Mamluks cavalry are among the many many items featured in Xbox and World’s Edge Studio’s “Age of Empires” online game franchise. The cavalry is a fan favourite alternative in the sport centered round traversing the ages and competing towards rival empires, significantly in “Age of Empires II: Definitive Version.”

Offered at the Louvre till July 28, the exhibit “Mamluks 1250–1517″ recounts “the fantastic and distinctive historical past of this Egyptian Syrian empire, which represents a golden age for the Close to East throughout the Islamic period,” per its official description. “Bringing collectively 260 items from worldwide collections, the exhibition explores the richness of this singular and lesser-known society by way of a spectacular and immersive scenography.”

This marks the primary time a online game franchise has collaborated with the Louvre Museum, with installations and occasions that happen each in individual at the museum and on-line by way of the “Age of Empires” sport:

“World’s Edge is honoured to collaborate with Le Louvre,” head of World’s Edge studio Michael Mann stated. “The ‘Age of Empires’ franchise has been bringing historical past to life for greater than 65 million gamers around the globe for nearly 30 years. We’ve all the time believed in the good potential for our video games to spark an curiosity in historical past and tradition. We regularly hear of lecturers utilizing ‘Age of Empires’ to show historical past to their college students and tales from our gamers about how ‘Age of Empires’ has pushed them to study extra, and even to pursue historical past academically or as a profession. This chance to convey the superb tales of the Mamluks to new audiences by way of the Louvre’s exhibition is one we’re excited to be a a part of. We hope that by way of the wonderful work of the Louvre’s group, the legacy of the Mamluks could be shared around the globe, and that individuals take pleasure in their tales as they arrive to life by way of ‘Age of Empires.’”

“We’re delighted to welcome ‘Age of Empires’ as a part of the exhibition Mamluks 1250–1517, by way of a distinctive partnership that blends the pleasures of gaming with studying and discovery,” Souraya Noujaim, director of the Division of Islamic Arts and chief curator of the exhibition at le Louvre Museum, stated. “It’s a means for the museum to interact with numerous audiences and provide a new narrative, one which resonates with modern sensitivities, permitting for a deeper understanding of artworks and a larger openness to world historical past. Past the sport, the museum expertise turns into an alternative to maneuver from the digital to the true and uncover the true historical past of the Mamluks and their distinctive contribution to common heritage.”

See video and pictures under from the “Age of Empires” in-game occasion and the in-person exhibit at the Louvre.