Hello, my name is Mark. I study Ancient and Medieval History at university, I do historical re-enactment and I love historical accuracy in my gaming. It's a very clear divide: those who whine about the accuracy and those who who don't care. The most common answer is 'why does it matter? or why do you care?'. And I want to explain why we do care. Why it does matter.
I wasn't always this way; I started out as most other people do; I hated it when self-proclaimed historians ridiculed at the inaccuracies that they saw in films and games. I hated it when someone disregarded a game I enjoyed simply because it wasn't up to their exact standards. And when I entered into my degree, I vowed to never be that way.
Last week, I watched Kingdom of Heaven with a group of my friends and I laughed at it and mocked the version of 'history' it proclaimed. I go to re-enactment events and criticise other societies kit and gossip under my breath about wrong colours and out-of-period helmets. I've become that which I hated. And I've realised why we do it.
The epiphany came whilst I was reading a rather boring article about the inheritance customs of the Normans. The article stressed that William the Conqueror's inheritance to his son was not down to any system set in place, but because he chose who inherited what. And I thought: 'why can't I do that in Medieval II: Total War? I want to choose who inherits the kingdom, rather than letting the game choose my eldest son by default, because that's how William did it. I was disappointed that a game I loved so much wouldn't allow me to follow in the footsteps of a great historical figure.
And that's the root of the grievance. As a gamer, I expect to be drawn into a world and I expect to feel like a part of it. That's basic immersion; that's what all fictional media attempts to do. The problem is that as I learn more history, I expect the same games to live up to my new expectations, and as I learn more and more I notice more and more of what doesn't fit; what's out of place; what isn't accurate. And that breaks the immersion and I no longer feel as snugly in-universe as I did.
Article comments
1 - Jeremy Hill
Mark, come on vent more.... we miss you :(
2 - john cox
games are games , it gives it self away by calling its self a game , play for fun , not historical wrongs , sci fi games are based on history , but only based , and if you cant get that start knitting
3 - WraithIX
@John Cox
Last time I checked, FPS' were marketing themselves with how much 'realism' they offered, as were most driving-based games. 'Realism' in games is neither new, or something to be mocked- it's a benchmark put there by the game developers themselves. If you call something -historical-, it should be just that. Equally if I call something Strategy, and leave out the strategy, I've failed to live up to expectations.
Essentially, it's holding the developer to what they claim- not expecting something unreasonably. Age of Empires 2 even came with a (highly inaccurate) historical encyclopedia- actively educating people that their version of 'medieval history' was ''the truth''.
4 - Felix
Perhaps we need a new warning/disclaimer: "This game/film is historically accurate, with a certain degree of error introduced by playability, exigencies of plot, and how awesome the developers thought it would be"
Any breaks with reality that can't be justified by that (such as Alexander of Macedon beginning in Athens, chainmail or other armour with gaping holes in places people would be aiming for anyway, armour being worn inside out, and other basic inaccuracies that could be solved with a 20 minute trip to the library, or 5 minutes on Wikipedia) are signs that the developers were either lazy (and possibly ignorant), or believe that the average gamer or cinema goer does not know any better.
That last is a rather sad indictment of either the average state of education, or of the opinion in which we, the public, are held.
And the saddest thing is I have seen all of the examples used above- often many in the same work.
5 - herpderpington
At least we can rest assured that the Assassin's Creed series retains its historical integrity.
6 - Moogi
Very enjoyable article Mark. You had me laughing and actually considering the point at the same time. Very well done.
7 - DeathbyLampy
surely a game should seek to be accurate (if at all possible) but only loosely unless it is total war style. for all others mods exist to satisfy your carnal urges