Video games, history, and historical accuracy: balancing entertainment with education

Ilmiev Roman Imranovich ORCID: 0009-0007-8714-7580 Postgraduate student; Department of History of the Institute of Humanities; Moscow City Pedagogical University 129347, Russia, Moscow, Prokhodchikov str., 1, sq. 84 ilmievri@mgpu.ru Other publications by this author

Chuprova Tatiana ORCID: 0009-0006-9536-8597 Independent researcher 02906, Germany, Goerlitz, Waldhufen, Niskier Strasse, 27 t.chuprova.new@gmail.com

In the modern world, video games have become an integral part of society's life and culture. Their popularity is constantly growing, and the audience is becoming more diverse, both in terms of age and social status. Research conducted in 2024 showed that the global gaming community is over 3.381 billion people, of which about 446 million people (14%) are in Europe. ^[20]. In Russia, depending on the time devoted to video games per day, this figure is estimated from 25 to 60 million people ^[3]. In addition, statistics tell us that, regardless of age, 27% of the surveyed people are ready to devote from 1 to 5 hours a day to games, and 18.5% - from 6 to 10 hours, and only 16.5% do not play video games at all ^[34].

There is no single reason why people play video games. According to recent studies, 69% of people play for entertainment, 36% of people play to keep their wits sharp, and 27% of respondents said that games give them the opportunity to create and explore new worlds ^[21]. In today's world, games allow people to feel more relaxed and less anxious. And although video games are often criticized due to the alleged decrease in social activity, 53% of players believe that the passion for computer games helps them feel less isolated and lonely, since many games involve group activity and cooperation to successfully complete the content. In recent decades, social interactions have undergone significant changes: new means of communication allow people to communicate not only within the working and family environment, but also to establish friendly ties with people in other cities and abroad.

In the public field, the fascination with computer games is associated with an increase in aggression, but researchers note that in recent years violence among young people has been decreasing, despite an increase in violence in games ^[16]. Indeed, there are studies that show a short-term increase in aggression, but it is limited to 15 minutes. No long-term negative psychological consequences from such a hobby have been found in recent studies ^{[17, pp. 1220-1234]}.

In addition to influencing the lives of individual players, the existence of computer games helps scientists. For example, Eve Online actively cooperates with scientists and universities, becoming a platform for many researchers in various fields. And this cooperation is not always limited to the opportunity to observe the behavior of players, which is undoubtedly important for sociologists ^[14]. Sometimes, with the help of developers, players can become participants in the so-called "citizen science", when through small tasks that do not require specialized knowledge, they contribute to the study of diseases ^[7].

Along with the growing popularity of video games, the demand for games based on historical plots has also increased ^[32]. In modern games, scenarios based on real historical events, phenomena and personalities are often found. For a high-quality immersion in the historical era, game developers accurately recreate art objects and historical monuments. As a rule, these are games in such genres as adventure, role-playing, simulation and strategy. However, the question of how reliably history is recreated in them remains open. It is here that the interaction of developers and historians plays an important role, whose task is not only to recreate the historical atmosphere, but also to convey an objective presentation of historical facts through gameplay. Therefore, this study focuses not only on the analysis of historical plots in video games, but also on the assessment of the role that historians play in creating content. To do this, we use methods of analyzing literary sources, interviews with video game developers and historians, as well as a comparative analysis of real historical facts and how they are presented in video games. Games known for their historical plots were selected as objects of analysis: Assassin's Creed, Sid Meier's Civilization, Crusader Kings and "The Troubles". Their choice is due to several reasons:

1. Popularity and commercial success. The Assassin's Creed, Sid Meier's Civilization and Crusader Kings video game series occupy leading positions, have a significant fan base and have a noticeable impact on the perception of history in the media space.
2. Historical narrative. All these projects are based on historical plots, events and personalities. They offer immersion in various historical eras, which makes them suitable objects for exploring historical accuracy and authenticity.
3. A variety of game genres. Games belong to different genres, therefore they represent different approaches to the interpretation of history, which allows you to explore more aspects.
4. Educational potential. In addition to the entertainment value, these games have significant educational potential. The Discovery Tour* mode in Assassin's Creed offers interactive tours of historical eras, while the encyclopedia in Civilization provides detailed information about cultural and historical aspects.
5. Discussions and research. These games often become the objects of critical research and discussion among scientists and gamers who are interested in history.

The criteria for analysis in this case are the detail of historical events and historical authenticity, the involvement of professional historians in the development of video games, as well as cultural and social understanding of the era.

K.V. Yablokov partially devoted his dissertation research to the problem of historical accuracy and authenticity ^[13]. Back in 2005, he noted that computer games are a historical and cultural phenomenon, thanks to which it became possible to interpret, form and broadcast historical information. There are many articles and several monographs devoted to this topic, both by domestic and foreign experts, but as a rule they are descriptive in nature, including the problems faced by video games in terms of their historicity, but rarely these studies address the issues of involving historians in the creation of game content. Among the authors are D.M. Belyaev and U.P. Belyaev ^[1], M.V. Kamankina ^[5], S.Y. Cherny ^[10], Y. Yula ^[12], D.K. Razman ^[31], K. Rollinger ^[15] and others. Interest in this topic increased in the early 2020s.

What is historical accuracy? According to the concept of D.K. Razman, two ways of representing historical events and phenomena in video games can be distinguished: historical accuracy and historical authenticity ^[31]. A table of criteria has been developed for ease of perception (Table 1).

Table 1.
Differences in historical accuracy and historical authenticity.

Video games, along with film products, literature and visual arts, have a significant impact on the perception of history and the formation of public history. Games based on historical events allow players to plunge into certain epochs and feel like a part of the past. They can arouse interest in the study of history by offering an interactive and fascinating way to immerse yourself in the historical events and culture of a certain time. However, there is a danger of distortion of historical facts and negative perception of national cultures if historical accuracy is not respected. In this regard, historical accuracy is of key importance for the formation of a correct perception of history. Errors, omissions or simplifications can lead to mythologization and the creation of alternative historical events ^{[4, p. 32]}.

For historians, participation in the creation of video games becomes an important task to ensure the accuracy and correctness of the depiction of historical events and facts.

It is worth noting that historical accuracy often turns into historical authenticity, and this is the deliberate intention of developers and narrative designers^*, since it can be difficult to do otherwise. This is most noticeable in strategies where the game begins in a historically accurate world, and then, under the influence of various decisions and factors, the game world turns into a historically authentic one. That is, the main features of the era are preserved, but its content is changing. The Crusader Kings ^[27], Sid Meier's Civilization ^[28], and Assassin's Creed ^[29] game series are prime examples of such games.

The first military computer strategy Computer Bismarck from Strategic Simulations was released back in 1980. It was based on the last battle of the battleship Bismarck in 1941. Despite its novelty and uniqueness, the game proved to be commercially successful and played an important role in popularizing strategies.

Modern games have gone far ahead due to the development of computer technology, and therefore are largely limited solely by the developers' intention. So Crusader Kings III, released by Paradox Interactive in 2019, immerses players in the medieval world of Europe, Africa and Asia. Since the player is invited to immerse himself in the world from the point of view of the ruler, he will focus on the management of the dynasty, political intrigues and unique solutions typical of different cultures (for example: crusades against Muslims and pagans, Reconquista, the formation of the Holy Roman Empire and the Koni Sultanate, Viking expansion, invasions of nomadic tribes, etc.). The first stage of the game takes place in a historically accurate environment: territories, events and characters correspond to their time. For example, starting the game in 867, you can meet Rurik, descendants of Charlemagne – Louis II the Younger, Charles II the Bald, Lothair II, Ludwig II of Germany, Emperor of Byzantium Basil I the Macedonian and many other real historical figures and legendary rulers.

Religious and cultural components play an important role in the game. Therefore, the inhabitants of Europe mostly profess Christianity of different faiths, the inhabitants of Near Asia and North Africa – Islam, and Slavic tribes and Eurasian nomads – paganism. And this is only a small part of the Abrahamic, Oriental and pagan beliefs. Each nation in the game has its own culture with a specific set of cultural pillars: such as language, aesthetics, heritage and traditions. In total, the game features over 190 cultures.

Despite the efforts of the developers, the game has serious problems with the historical accuracy of cultural and religious elements. This is primarily due to the fact that they did not involve representatives of the professional historical community in the creation of their video games, but relied on their own strength. For example: Romanians, Albanians and Hungarians are mistakenly classified as Slavic cultures, and Turks are included in the peoples of the Turkic language group, excluding Azerbaijanis and Turkmens, who are assigned to the Iranian language group. Such mistakes deprive the game of historical authenticity at the initial stage. But this does not detract from its cultural significance, even though the game developers have allowed themselves many historical liberties for the sake of an exciting gameplay. It is worth noting that the historical games of Paradox Interactive formed the basis of the educational course "Playing with The Past", which includes classic lectures and discussions, as well as game sessions. The aim of the course is to help students better understand historical periods by experimenting with their social, political, economic and technological aspects through interactive modeling ^[24]. And this would not have been possible without creating such a flexible and thoughtful game world.

Another game included in this course was the representative of the Sid Meier's Civilization series from Firaxis Games. This series of games presents turn-based strategies where the player becomes the leader of one of the many historical civilizations and leads it through the centuries: from the ancient world to the near future. The technological and cultural tree contributes to this. In the last game – Sid Meier's Civilization VI – the trees are divided into 9 epochs, each of which has its own unique features (in the ancient world – pottery and animal husbandry; in antiquity – ironworking and philosophy; in the Middle Ages – education and divine law, etc.).

The main goal of the game is to build and develop their civilization, the player must achieve world domination through research, diplomacy, wars, culture or scientific progress. At the start of the game, the user chooses one of more than 50 civilizations, each of which has unique bonuses and leaders.

The Civilization series of games has had a significant impact on the popularization of historical knowledge. Thanks to her, many people had the opportunity to get acquainted with world history, cultural achievements and significant historical figures. Its distinctive feature is that its creator, Sid Mayer, when entering the University of Michigan, planned to become a professional historian. However, during his studies, he became so interested in computer technology and programming that he decided to change his educational direction to computer science ^[8].

Civilization stimulates interest in further exploring history beyond the game world. One of the key elements contributing to the educational value of the game is Civilopedia, an in—game encyclopedia that provides extensive information about various aspects: mechanics, units, wonders of the world and nature, works of art, personalities, real historical events and phenomena. And despite the fact that the series of games does not claim historical accuracy in terms of game wagering, Civilopedia is a reliable source of information designed to encourage the user to further study the history.

A different point of view is reflected in D. Ford's research, where he examines the game Civilization V from the point of view of postcolonialism. Analyzing its structure and rules that contribute to the imperialist narrative, the author notes that the player, building a civilization, is waging wars, thereby actively and often unconsciously using imperial narratives. Despite the popularity of the game and its use for educational purposes, there is a significant difference between in-game actions and objective reality. In addition, the game presents the story from the perspective of the Western world. For balance, the author suggests combining the use of the game with a critical discussion ^[19].

An example of successful collaboration between developers and historians can be found in the Assassin's Creed series of games from Ubisoft. The developers of Assassin's Creed are known for their approach to historical context and active collaboration with historians and experts in various fields to create a historically authentic game world. This collaboration includes consultations on architecture, culture, daily life and important historical events of the relevant period.

For example, the events of Assassin's Creed: Unity unfold in 18th-century Paris, and the developers paid special attention to recreating Notre Dame Cathedral, as it is the largest building in the game. For two years, Carolyn Miuss worked on his virtual copy: she even turned to historians for help to find out which paintings were hanging on the walls at that time. Her work was so successful that after the fire in the cathedral in 2019, her works were going to be used for reconstruction ^[6].

However, even despite this, historical accuracy was not fully respected in the game: there were no spires on the cathedral during the French Revolution. Nevertheless, the developer added them, since modern players could not imagine Notre Dame without them. In addition, stained glass windows were not added to the game: they are copyrighted.

During the development of Assassin's Creed: Origins, which takes place in Ancient Egypt, the developers involved 7 historians and Egyptologists to convey the atmosphere and details of this period as accurately as possible ^[11].

By creating Assassin's Creed: Odyssey, the developers assured the players that the staff of historians had been expanded and replenished with specialists in the history of Ancient Greece, while not naming the exact number of these specialists. D. Browers, Doctor of Historical Sciences, in a series of his publications, having familiarized himself in detail with the game, revealed many anachronisms and historical inaccuracies ^{[18; 30; 33]}. He notes that the visual style and characters of the game, including clothing and architecture, often resemble modern ideas about Ancient Greece, rather than reflecting real historical data. Using the example of the depiction of the Spartans and the Battle of Thermopylae, the historian points to the use of motifs and elements borrowed from modern interpretations in the game, such as Zack Snyder's film "300 Spartans". In addition, the game includes elements of modern Greek, although its sound and pronunciation differ significantly from ancient Greek. This creates an authentic-looking but historically inaccurate atmosphere.

At the same time, D. Browers praises the Discovery Tour mode, which is designed for training and does not contain combat, allowing you to explore the game version of Ancient Greece. The "guides" are the "father of history" Herodotus and the beloved of Pericles, hetaera Aspasia. D. Browers asks a logical question: "Is the game successful as an educational tool?", and gives an answer to it: "Yes and no. As I said earlier, Assassin's Creed: Odyssey is not perfect, especially when it comes to how the developers reacted to the Bronze Age, but even if 1% of all players are interested enough to familiarize themselves with the real history and archaeology underlying the game in order to meaningfully interact with the ancient world, I would he said that the game had completed its task."^[18]

Assassin's Creed Valhalla, which tells about the conquest of England by the Vikings, can also be subjected to similar criticism. For the sake of tolerance and inclusivity *, representatives of the black race were included in the plot, but since they were not part of the main plot of the game, society was able to forgive this liberty to the developers. The same cannot be said about the Japanese and Assassin's Creed: Shadows, which takes us back to the period of feudal Japan at the end of the XVI century.

According to the plot of the game, one of the main game characters is a samurai of African descent Yasuke. Japanese players could not tolerate such an insult and launched a petition calling for the cancellation of the development of the game (Change.org . URL: https://clck.ru/3ByAXK ). Its author Shimizu Toru accuses Ubisoft of misinterpreting and insulting Japanese history and culture, noting: "Recently, the lack of historical accuracy and cultural respect has become a serious problem for Ubisoft" ^[22]. Toru points out that the main character of the game was not a real samurai and probably was not even a warrior. He is mentioned only a few times in the annals as a servant of Oda Nabunaga. It is also interesting that Yasuke's biography was built by one person – the Englishman Thomas Lockley, an employee of Nihon University (Tokyo, Japan) ^{[25; 26]}. It turned out that for ten years he had been making edits to Wikipedia, and later referred to this information in his book "African samurai: The true story of Yasuke, a legendary Black warrior in feudal Japan", which formed the basis of the game.

Such liberties and interpretations of history could be forgiven to the developers, as the disclaimer* in their products warns us that the game series is "a work of fiction inspired by historical events and characters." But there is one caveat: the developers themselves note in numerous interviews that their works still claim historical authenticity.

Developers of Russian historical games also face problems of authenticity in games. One example is the computer game "Smuta" by Cyberia Nova, which focuses on the events of the Time of Troubles in Russia. In an interview, the developers noted that at all stages of the creation of the game they work closely with historical consultants, and therefore pay careful attention to recreating architecture, household items, clothing, weapons, etc. The head of the historical consulting department was T.N. Shevyakov, Candidate of Historical Sciences. He noted that the game tried to convey "not only political factors", but also other problems faced by the society of the XVII century: the little Ice Age, and the associated frosts and cold snap, crop failure, famine, disease, desolation of villages and towns, etc. ^[35].

At the development stage, the game had some deviations from historical facts: they concerned both the details of the environment and the elements of the plot. With the release of the game, many of them have been eliminated. However, some simplification and drama remained in the plot, which is why some game events cannot be called historically accurate.

Like the developers of Assassin's Creed, the developers of Smuta followed the path of introducing educational modules into the game, creating interactive modes and virtual tours of Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod and Yaroslavl ^[36]. An interesting aspect of the "Troubles" is the presence of real historical characters and events in the game, which creates the effect of deep immersion in the era.

The main complaint against the "Turmoil" among the Russian gaming community was not the historical component of the game, but the weak technical elaboration, dialogues and the task system, while the study of the game world was performed very efficiently.

Comparing Assassin's Creed and "Troubles" as games of the same genre, we can say that they are products with a very high level of study of architecture and historical locations. Both games provide an opportunity not only to look at historical figures, but also to actively interact with them. In addition, they strive for a high-quality depiction of cultural elements, although sometimes anachronisms can be observed at a more detailed level. What really distinguishes these games from each other is the approach to development and the balance between gameplay and respect for historical authenticity. And if Assassin's Creed tries to maintain this balance, shifting towards the gameplay, then the developers of the "Troubles" have "played around" with the story.

Conclusion. Historical knowledge has long been disseminated not only through academic sources and educational institutions: in recent decades, video games have joined various multimedia channels. Their role in modern culture cannot be underestimated. Games represent a qualitatively new tool for transferring historical knowledge and stimulating interest in studying the past, offering a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in historical epochs and historical events. All this makes the study of history more exciting and accessible. But it is important to emphasize that video games influence the perception of history in the media space much more strongly than the data of researchers presented in scientific journals. Therefore, the responsibility lies on the shoulders of game developers associated with historical epochs and personalities. It is important to recognize that historical accuracy in their products is key to preventing distortion, mythologization, creating historically authentic educational content and a positive perception of the culture of different peoples. In public history, video games are becoming an important component of cultural discourse. They not only tell a story, but also actively involve players in its study, forming new ideas about the past.

Public history is a way of presenting and interpreting history that goes beyond academic research and educational programs. It covers culture, media, exhibitions and other forms of public presentation of historical events. Video games play a significant role in this context, as they contribute to the creation and dissemination of a popular image of history, which may differ greatly from the academic view. If historical facts are distorted in games or stereotypes prevail, this can lead to the creation of erroneous ideas about the past. Historical accuracy and respect for culture are becoming important factors in creating media products that promote an objective perception of history. In this regard, the role of historians in the development of video games is very relevant and extremely important. Developers are responsible not only for the product they create, but also for how they promote it in the media space. There is nothing wrong with creating games that are loosely related to the historical era. But then it is important to emphasize that the final product has nothing to do with reality, so as not to mislead the players. People are often attracted to stories based on real events, and many content creators sin by promising people a real story, but only offering their own idea of it. And the example of Assassin's Creed: Shadows shows that society is not ready to tolerate all liberties.

The collaboration of developers and historians helps to create more complete and educational products that contribute to a deeper understanding of historical processes among players. The difficulties and conflicts that arise when creating historical video games are an integral part of such cooperation, especially in the context of the lack of a common point of view on certain historical events and phenomena. While historians strive for maximum accuracy in the transmission of historical facts and events, developers often face the need to simplify or change these facts in order to create an entertaining gameplay.

The commercial component is also important. For example, historical consultants may insist on accurately recreating the architecture, language, or clothing of the era, while developers may consider this excessive detail that does not affect the overall perception of the video game by players and increases the final cost of the product.

Significant problems arise when such conventions lead to distortion of the main events. Based on this, the question arises: is a historical video game a digital representation of the historical reality of the past or is it an independent digital product? It is difficult to give an exact answer. Video games based on historical events can reliably convey historical data in the general and superficial context of the game. Nevertheless, upon closer examination, it can be seen that the developers are moving towards historical authenticity. Thus, the educational value and historical validity of video games vary depending on the goals of the developers and the preferences of the audience. And these aspects should be taken into account when analyzing video games in order to better understand their role in spreading historical knowledge and influencing the perception of history by a wide audience.

Speaking about the educational potential of historically accurate video games, it is worth noting that they play a significant role in shaping public perception of history and collective memory. They provide an opportunity not only to observe, but also to interact with historical events and personalities. This interaction makes learning about history more exciting and memorable, especially for young people who are growing up in the digital age, which has become an integral part of our lives.

To achieve a balance between the entertainment and educational aspects of the games, it is recommended to integrate educational elements into the gameplay, including historical annotations, architectural objects, paintings, sculptures, etc., as presented in the aforementioned games.

In conclusion, it is worth noting that the deliberate falsification of history in the media, be it video games, films or books, raises serious questions about cultural and historical responsibility. Recognition and respect for historical facts and cultural traditions are key factors in creating meaningful and meaningful works that can contribute to a better understanding of our common past.

Thesaurus

1. Disclaimer – a statement or warning that serves to limit liability, clarify the context, or provide important information about the content.

2. Gameplay is the totality of all actions, mechanics and interactions that a player performs during the game.

3. Narrative designer is a specialist who is responsible for the development and integration of the story, plot and dialogues in a game or multimedia project.

4. Discovery Tour is an educational mode that allows players to explore historical eras without elements of combat and missions. It offers interactive tours and detailed historical materials, helping to better understand and explore the cultural and historical aspects of the periods depicted.