Fox Cities News

The historical role-playing video game, Pentiment, which was significantly influenced by Lawrence University during its development, has been honored with a 2024 Peabody Award. Edmund Kern, an associate professor of history at Lawrence who served as a consultant to ensure the game's historical accuracy, expressed his delight at the recognition the game is receiving.

The annual Peabody Awards, which honor the most compelling and empowering stories in broadcasting and streaming media, were announced on May 9. An awards banquet is scheduled for June 9 in Los Angeles.

Pentiment is an acclaimed product of Obsidian Entertainment. The game was developed by a team led by Lawrence alumnus Josh Sawyer ’98, with consultation from Kern and another Lawrence alumnus Winston Black ’99. Sawyer sought the expertise of Kern and Black to ensure the authenticity of the game's details.

The Peabody Awards Board of Jurors lauded Pentiment's commitment to historical accuracy as it announced the winners: “Pentiment starts with an unusual premise: an illuminated manuscript artist, and later the daughter of his friend the town printer (an artist herself), must solve a series of mysterious murders that occur over a 30-year period in a small Bavarian town run by the local Catholic Abbey during the early years of the Protestant Reformation. With great historical accuracy, the game intricately weaves period art and print styles into its visuals while delving into the region’s political, economic, and spiritual landscapes, and examining the gender, class, and ethnic dynamics of this period of European history.”

Kern praised Pentiment as "an absolute marvel" deserving all its accolades. He recalled how eager Sawyer was to develop a historically accurate game during their initial discussions about planning. The award committee's recognition of this commitment to historical accuracy was particularly gratifying for Kern.

Pentiment is one among 34 winners announced by Peabody Awards across various categories, including entertainment, documentaries, news programming, radio and podcasts, and public service. The game won in the Interactive & Immersive category, alongside three other winners: The Hidden History of Racism in New York City (Instagram); We Are OFK (PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, Steam); and You Destroy. We Create | The war on Ukraine’s culture (Meta Quest).

Jeffrey Jones, executive director of Peabody, praised all the winners for their compelling and imaginative storytelling across a wide range of mediums and genres.

Sawyer sought the expertise of Kern and Black due to their knowledge of the game's time period and their commitment to historical accuracy. Black provided insight into medicinal practices and related social dynamics of that region of Europe in the early 16th century.

Sawyer's interest in web design, flash animation, video games and role-playing games led him into the world of video game development after majoring in history at Lawrence. His work has largely been focused on developing popular action or fantasy games such as Fallout: New Vegas,Pillars of Eternity, and Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire. When Obsidian was acquired by Microsoft in 2018, it paved the way for creating more niche products available for Xbox GamePass, including a historical role-playing game like Pentiment.