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Do games distort or increase our understanding of history?

• Message 1.Β 

  Posted by Nickiow (U13798335) on Thursday, 9th April 2009

  Im a big fan of Axis and Allies (anniversary edition) which is a grand stratergy ww2 game, rather than a simulation.
  
  
  
  Now its really a rather good game, both face to face and over the net and actually has a very good feel to the period.
  
  However it struck me that the casual gammer gets a view of history, expanded by watching films, and comes away with a view of history complety different from that they would get through reading books etc.
  
  So does games give history a distorted slant. because of how they portray history through game mechanics?.
  
  Is it a bad or good thing?, certainly once intrested in the subject they may be inclined to increase there understanding, but im constantly shocked by how many AA players that think Japan could take Australia in real life etc.
  

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• Message 2

  , in reply to message 1.

  Posted by Vizzer aka U_numbers (U2011621) on Thursday, 9th April 2009

  Acknowledged, affirmative and agreed Nickiow.
  
  The 1990s classic 'Command & Conquer: Red Alert' had me convinced that Joseph Stalin really took his orders from Kane.
  
  
  

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• Message 3

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  Posted by Andrew Host (U1683626) on Thursday, 9th April 2009

  
  
  Anything that can spark an interest in (genuine) history is a good thing surely?
  
  Yuri's Revenge was better...
  
  
  Cheers
  
  
  Andrew

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• Message 4

  , in reply to message 1.

  Posted by Nik (U1777139) on Thursday, 9th April 2009

  Hi Nickiow, Hmm... while I have never played this game (and has been long since I last played) I am positively positioned towards strategy games despite agreeing 110% with your remark that games' mechanics mean that the player can win eventually playing... with WWI Japanese against WWII US (kind of saying)!!!
  
  Strategic games are the "thinking player"'s games and really I believe they develop to some extend the analytical skills of the player. And while they usually present both fighting sides as nearly equal (so that opposing players have equal advantages / disadvantages in the gaming experience), that is something well known to players and so not many of them will assume that this was not the reality.
  
  Now out of these players some might not be interested to search further, thus might remain with slightly distorted ideas (but that will not be any more distorted than someone who reads a bit more books but rather superficially). Some other might be attracted to search a bit more in depth reading and comparing material. I believe their gaming experience will be to some extend an aid rather than an obstacle. In any case such games are known to convince quite many to read a bit more about the actual events.
  
  I think such games are much more advantageous than movies.

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• Message 5

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  Posted by Old Hermit (U2900766) on Thursday, 9th April 2009

  With many games we can level the same criticism we do at Hollywood; the British are either written out of World War II and when they are mentioned in historical games they're always the villain.

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• Message 6

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  Posted by VF (U5759986) on Thursday, 9th April 2009

  Company of Hero's is fab, I especially like the second part (opposing fronts) as you get to play the British.Digging in and holding bridges using 17pdrs has has been my staple plan!
  
  Historyline 1914-1918 was another great game (though very old) based on WW1,as was Dreadnoughts (I would kill to get a copy of that)as you got to refight WW1 naval battles(my proudest achievement was playing Cradock and beating Von Spee at Coronel and walloping jerry at Jutland!
  
  Hearts of Iron is ok,but very old and to be honest I just used to cheat!
  
  VF

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• Message 7

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  Posted by Nik (U1777139) on Friday, 10th April 2009

  Last strategy-game I played was Civilisation but that was very general, not based on any historical events and with another scope. It had however some historic-like maps. I played once that of Alexanders the Great's times and for fun I took Persians and it looked more like Cyrus' times than Alexanders' - yet it gave me a rough idea of how difficult is to continue campaigns in long-distances far from your center.

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• Message 8

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  Posted by VF (U5759986) on Friday, 10th April 2009

  A lot depends on how good the AI is these games.In Hearts of Iron I used to cheat (Ifound out the codes for cash,steel,coal,etc) So by 1939 I had a vast army in Nothern France,Belgium and Holland.
  
  So far so good!The initial German attack failed miserabley.
  
  What I didnt expect was for the (computer controlled) French to up sticks and leave two sectors pretty much unguarded!
  
  What happened next was a fiasco.The (suspiciously good) Germans sped straight through the gap right round my flanks pocketing me (spookily enough) in the very north of France,half of Belgium and Holland.
  
  I still havent worked out why the French decieded to upsticks and go elsewhere!
  
  
  Vf

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• Message 9

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  Posted by Old Hermit (U2900766) on Saturday, 11th April 2009

  I'd appreciate those codes! Always seem to fail miserably as the British in Hearts of Iron as I can never work out how to hold France.

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• Message 10

  , in reply to message 9.

  Posted by VF (U5759986) on Saturday, 11th April 2009

  No problem Old Hermit!
  
  
  
  
  If for whatever reason they do not come up Ill post them tommorrow!
  
  
  Vf

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