Historical video games fall into a unique genre. While most video games simply aim to entertain the player, those directly based on historical events and characters are capable of being both a source of entertainment as well as holding educational value for the players. While different historical games vary in the degree of their educational value, it is clear that some games are far more educational and informative than others.
Franchises like Civilization and Total War tend to follow history far more closely than many “Hollywood”-style historical games, like big blockbuster franchises Call of Duty and Assassin’s Creed. These big franchises are among some of the best-selling in all of gaming but they also tend to be the least accurate historically. So, we’re posing the question - Are these franchises damaging at all to the reputation of historical video games?
Focus on Action over History Itself
Perhaps the biggest issue with franchises like Call of Duty and Assassin’s Creed is that they tend to focus much more on action and gameplay, with history serving little more than a backdrop for the action to take place in. Many franchises can balance the two quite well, but more often than not, these particular games push history into the corner in order to focus much more on combat and action.
While this isn’t always true (some of the earlier entries into the Call of Duty franchise balanced action and history much better), most of the games from both of these series offer little historical insight or context. And while it’s true that some of the more recent Assassin’s Creed titles have included modes that better immerse players into the historical environment, they offer more of a visual journey than a scholarly one.
Filled with Historical Inaccuracies
Maybe the most glaring issue with these games is that they are filled to the brim with inaccuracies and alternate history. Assassin’s Creed has long been guilty of featuring historical inaccuracies, from misrepresenting major historical figures to the attire being mismatched to the period. But all of this is somewhat forgiven because most players don’t play these games for their historical lessons. However, it should be acknowledged that they are not remarkably accurate. The same goes for Call of Duty. The games contain plenty of twists on history, including a Nazi zombie mode that blends the historical period with a fantastical concept. It feels as if the series has abandoned attempts at feeling historically authentic for many years.
How Badly Do They Damage the Genre?
But at the end of the day, how big of a deal are these problems? Honestly, not very. While they may grate on the historical research inside us, the core audience that plays these games don’t do so to have a history lesson. They play them because they are fun, and we understand that entertainment value often needs to trump historical accuracy. Call of Duty, for example, has long been known for its online multiplayer, which features hardly any connection to history aside from maps fitting with the period that the game is set.
Arguably, these games don’t really damage the genre of historical games as they hardly fit within the said genre. And that’s completely fine.
–
At Epoch Xperience, we specialize in creating compelling narratives and provide research to give your game the kind of details that engage your players and create a resonant world they want to spend time in. If you are interested in learning more about our gaming research services, you can browse Epoch Xperience’s service on our parent site, SJR Research.
–
(This article is credited to Ben Price. For as long as he can remember, Ben has always loved playing, discussing, and writing about video games. Since receiving his B.A. in English, he now writes about them for a living.)