Telling History in Video Games – A Natural Evolution
Video games are evolving at a more rapid pace than ever, advancing to new heights tech-wise and narratively. In a medium so steeped in competition and combat, it was only natural for imaginations to turn to historical wars when developing games. Now, we have an abundance of games that use history as a backdrop — often ignoring the actualities of the time for a black-and-white defeat Hitler story, or to simply use its old world aesthetic, or for something easy to drop players-as-soldiers into. These games don’t pay the greatest attention to the sandbox of history they are in, and nor are they required to. However, games like Valiant Hearts: The Great War and 1979 Revolution: Black Friday are taking a far closer look into the time periods they are set in, begging the question — can video games be a viable medium for telling history?
There are, of course, the standard Call of Dutys and Battlefields, which may have a WWII or vague Middle Eastern setting that largely serves as some place for players to run about, and they are far removed from what the historical period actually entailed. Undoubtedly, games that are not meant to teach can still be good— quartering off history from any kind of fun is not my conclusion. However, while these games can and will exist, there should also be more games which tell history thoughtfully. This is a relatively untapped territory, and one I believe video games are heading towards.
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“Video games, at their core, are meant to be fun, and often, history is not. There is the tricky question of how to balance a game with conscientiousness…”
A roadblock for this is the lingering connotation of games with irreverence, as some still refuse to see this medium as an art form. Video games, at their core, are meant to be fun, and often, history is not. There is the tricky question of how to balance a game with conscientiousness, but an outstanding example that comes to mind is Papers, Please. With its setting being reminiscent of an Eastern Bloc country during the Cold War, Papers, Please does not possess the typical kind of “fun” one would usually have in a game. What it does have is brilliantly absorbing gameplay, while skillfully portraying a small example of what life would have been like in such a country.
Rather than just using an old war as a prop for a shooter, there are games that show the real human cost of terrible events in history. One game that does this best would be 11 Bit Studio’s, This War of Mine. Inspired by the Siege of Sarajevo, it removes the player from the traditional soldier role to that of a civilian, terrified and just trying to survive. By developing a game focusing on individuals rather than a grand-scale military campaign, the historical people who actually endured the war are humanized; they are no longer just a non-person that a player fires at because they can. The people in historical video games may be NPCs, but the player is reminded that they are also ghosts.
While Papers, Please and This War of Mine show a history, there are games that actively teach it. Both Valiant Hearts and 1979 Revolution provide facts about WWI or the Iranian Revolution respectively, all alongside enjoyable gameplay. There is a line between a good video game and an “Edutainment” game that you can find on a government website, but these two walk it perfectly. Neither force the player to read the texts, but their attentiveness towards their time periods makes their intent obvious. Valiant Hearts tells the story of human compassion during one of the most senseless wars in history, while 1979 Revolution depicts the political and social dilemmas faced by everyday people during the Iranian Revolution. Both games feature engaging gameplay, a nuanced story, and a meaningful use of their time periods — and while they are there, the player is invited to learn a bit about history.
Mistakes will be made, and discussions of historical accuracy vs. artistic license will arise, but these lines are present in any kind of portrayal of history. It will be no different here. The use of video games grants far more accessibility as it gets people interested in what is traditionally thought to be a dry subject. Furthermore, playing a historical video game allows something new, something that I’ve never experienced from flipping through the pages of a textbook or even watching documentaries. While playing 1979 Revolution, surrounded by the roving people in the street, the sights and sounds, I felt as if I was there in Iran, all those years ago. In video games set in history, that is you in there, making those decisions in that environment, under that stress with limited information. You are dodging mortar fire; you are trying to save that life. You are struggling with contradictory political ideas and making those same historical mistakes. Video games allow something incredibly valuable to take place by putting the player directly into the past — they are an entryway to historical empathy and understanding.
A video game telling history is first and foremost a game, but there is hope yet. There are already some out there, using the past in thoughtful and engaging ways — I would just love for an opportunity to fill my games library with more.