Summary
Video games are predominantly played for fun,relaxation, or adrenaline-inducing competitive experiences. However, having a good time doesn’t mean that players can’t simultaneously learn, and quite a few games are great for learning about history.
While some games teach by example, presenting players with historically accurate worlds, others have codices that are filled out as the game progresses and players can read these at any point. A few games even have dedicated modes or tours for learning about real history.
Kingdom Come: Deliveranceis one ofthe most historically accurate games ever made, perfectly depicting a small area of medieval Bohemia in the year 1403. The first way in which players can learn about history is by exploring the open world and soaking in all the details. From the vibrancy of the clothes to the whitewashed and decorated walls,KCDdepicts therealMiddle Ages as opposed to the drab and dirty depictions of other games and Hollywood.
As players come across new buildings and characters, they will also unlock codex entries that are beautifully presented in the style of medieval manuscripts. Each of these can be read at leisure and informs players about a particular aspect of medieval life.
For a realistic and fittingly brutaldepiction of World War 1, look no further thanVerdun, an FPS title based on the major battle of the same name. While the gameplay is nevertheless more fluid than the real conflict it is based on, the game mostly sticks to trench warfare and pays incredible attention to detail.
With maps based on real locations from the Battle of Verdun, evolving uniforms from specific stages of the war, and of course, authentic weapons, players can get a feel for the history. Even a feature such as artillery dropping on the most skilled player shows how anyone could simply be unlucky.
WhileValiant Hearts: The Great Waris predominantlyknown for its heartbreaking story, it is also a good game for learning about a wide variety of aspects of the First World War. This comic book adventure uses an art style based on political newspaper comic strips of the time, and yet still manages to convey the horror and despair of the period.
With less focus on gameplay than othergames set during wars,Valiant Heartscan take players on a journey that encompasses more of the realities of life. Nevertheless, it still features real historical battles that players will learn all about.
Crusader Kings 3is a grand strategy game that sees players take on the role of a medieval ruler. While the game technically plays out as an alternate history, almost all the starting characters in 867, and especially 1066, are real individuals from history. From these, players can learn all about noble families, heraldry, important dates, and medieval geography.
Throughout the game, players willlearn plenty of medieval history fromCK3thanks to all the events that randomly trigger, as well as activities such as hunts and pilgrimages that players can host. While the game does have its share of historical inaccuracies, most of which are necessary sacrifices for the sake of gameplay, players will learn about so much, including religion, technology, and all the various cultures.
For learning about Ancient Greece, there is no better video game thanAssassin’s Creed Odysseyfor two main reasons. While the gameplay is far from authentic and instead plays out like a low fantasy RPG, the world itself is packed full of historical details. Most impressive of all arethe monuments such as the Parthenon, which have been lovingly recreated as they would have been seen at the time. For example, statues are depicted as vibrantly painted, a detail for which the game was praised.
If this is not enough, however, the game also has dedicated history tours that can be accessed from the main menu. There are thirty of these in total, covering topics such as daily life, religion, art, philosophy, and famous cities. Each tour offers players a fantastic view of the subject, such as the Acropolis or the creation of pottery, with accompanying text and narration full of educational content.
MORE:Assassin’s Creed: The Most Historically Accurate Games In The Franchise, Ranked
