Historical Storylines in Video Games: Between Reconstruction and Interpretation

How video games portray history, and what that means for popular culture.

Historical video games have become one of the most widely used ways people engage with the past. They blend chronological narratives, visual reconstruction, and gameplay mechanics that shape how mass audiences picture events, eras, and historical figures.

On video games as a tool of historical imagination — in this DeTalks article.

Accuracy vs. Gameplay Convention

Researchers at the journal Game Studies treat historical video games as a form of public history, since they convey ideas about the past outside of academic settings. Through historical games, developers construct one version of the past through rules, missions, and reward systems.

In research, historical video games are mostly treated as a distinct genre, in which some projects lean toward simulation, aiming to recreate historical processes as accurately as available research allows.

Sid Meier's Civilization

For instance, the "Civilization" series is a turn-based strategy game in which the player guides a civilization's development from earliest times to the present. The game requires expanding territory, building and developing cities, adopting new technologies, conducting diplomacy with other states, and taking part in military conflicts.

The game map is randomly generated and made up of different terrain types that affect the economy. Victory can be achieved through several paths — military dominance, scientific progress, or cultural influence, for instance. The player shapes their own historical trajectory, turning the game into an interactive model of human civilizations' development.

Humankind

In another game, Humankind, the player can start as a small tribe in the Stone Age, then progress through the Ancient world as Babylon, antiquity as the Maya, the Middle Ages as the Umayyads, and the modern era as the British. Each culture adds its own unique mechanics affecting the development of the economy, technology, diplomacy, and warfare, making every campaign different from the last.

The player also takes part in pivotal historical events, makes major decisions, and achieves scientific discoveries, develops natural resources, and builds massive structures. Battles take place on a real-world map in a turn-based tactical strategy format, letting players command armies and use special abilities.

Empire Earth

The "Empire Earth" series is a real-time strategy game spanning nearly half a million years of human history, from prehistoric times to a hypothetical future. The player guides a civilization's development through different eras — from the Stone Age to antiquity, the Middle Ages, the industrial age, and the modern era.

Its core mechanics include city-building, resource development, technological advancement, and troop management, letting players recreate changes in economies, social structures, and warfare across millennia.

The first game in the Empire Earth series (2001) offers a base campaign with numerous historical missions. The expansion The Art of Conquest (2002) adds new scenarios for Rome, the US, and the United Federation of Asian Republics.

Empire Earth II (2005), meanwhile, expands the games' mechanics, and its expansion The Art of Supremacy introduces new peoples, including the Maasai and the Egyptians, each with their own campaigns.

Empire Earth III (2007) differs from previous installments with a global map similar to Civilization's, but its campaign lacks a storyline, giving players more freedom in strategic planning.

Different Models for Engaging With the Past

Another category of games uses historical context as a backdrop for fictional or mythologized storylines. In particular, some historical storylines span multiple eras.

For a precise historical immersion, historical games offer a range of approaches — from recreating key events and eras to constructing alternate scenarios for how civilizations might have developed.

Rome: Total War

For instance, Rome: Total War (2004) takes the player to the Roman era, starting in 270 BC, and covers Rome's conflicts with Carthage, the Gauls, and the Diadochi states. Each player chooses one of three powerful families — the Julii, the Scipii, or the Brutii — and manages military campaigns, diplomacy, and state development. Rome: Total War combines global strategy on the map with tactical battles on the field.

Call of Duty 2

Call of Duty 2 is a 2005 shooter that immerses the player in World War II, offering four campaigns: American, two British, and Soviet. The player takes part in the Battle of Stalingrad, the North African campaign, and the Normandy landings. The game blends military history with dynamic gameplay and an interactive battlefield experience.

Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault

In Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault (2004), the player takes on the role of US Army soldier Thomas Conlin and follows his combat path through the Pacific theater, including Pearl Harbor, the Battle of Guadalcanal, and Tarawa. The game recreates World War II events with a high level of detail and tactical depth.

Educational Potential

Historical video games also carry educational potential, since the gaming experience makes the past more accessible and understandable to players. This format lets people engage with historical processes not passively, but through decision-making, strategic planning, and direct participation in key events.

In strategy games, for instance, where the player guides a state's development across different eras, you can see how technological innovation, diplomacy, or military campaigns shaped the fate of civilizations.

The gaming experience doesn't replace academic study, but it can serve as a starting point for deeper historical learning, helping players better understand the cause-and-effect relationships between historical events.