History and Video Games
History has always been a fundamental source of inspiration for video games. Countless titles over the years have used various historical periods as their setting, allowing us to relive — in a more or less realistic way — the events of a given era. Even if many people hated studying it at school, history actually holds great fascination and should never be forgotten, because it allows us to understand the mistakes made in the past so as not to repeat them in the present and build a better future. Thanks to their interactive nature, video games can be an excellent way to engage with history and make it more interesting.
Assassin's Creed
One of the first games that comes to mind is certainly Assassin’s Creed. Throughout its long saga, which now comprises dozens of games, the title has taken players to explore very different eras, from ancient Egypt to the Italian Renaissance, right up to feudal Japan. The developers have always treated each chosen historical period with great care and have worked with expert historians to be as accurate as possible; inside the games there was even a kind of encyclopaedia with trivia and in-depth information.
GOD OF WAR
God of War is an action-adventure saga developed by Santa Monica Studio and published by Sony starting in 2005, which today counts five main chapters. The story follows the Spartan warrior Kratos and allows players to explore both Greek and Norse mythology in an entertaining way. Throughout the series the narrative evolves, moving from revenge against the gods of Olympus to a more mature story centred on the relationship between Kratos and his son Atreus, set in ancient Scandinavia and the realms of Norse mythology.
red dead redemption
Rockstar Games’ masterpiece is set in the Wild West. Even though the region where the game takes place — Lemoyne — is not real, the late 1800s lifestyle shown through Arthur Morgan’s adventures has been recreated with great care by the developers. The title places great emphasis on making the setting as accurate as possible to the era it references.
Ghost of Tsushima
The Sony exclusive created by Sucker Punch has the merit of having adapted one of the most interesting events in Japanese history. The game is set during the Mongol invasion of Japan in 1274, ordered by Kublai Khan (grandson of the more famous Genghis Khan).