When we need to learn about different periods of history, mostly written and visual sources come to our aid. But in addition to these, games that most people see only as entertainment can also be very helpful in both past and probable/alternative history issues.
Especially in games with a well-designed atmosphere, we can almost enter the world of that game and experience certain points of alternative or known history. To see this even more closely, let’s take a chronological look at the main plays through the chart prepared by Atilla Kabakçıoğlu.
WARNING: You may see “spoilers” from games.
Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey begins millions of years back. (Olds know)
In this science-based game, we go back 10 million years and we can follow the stages of evolution. Although there are some technical deficiencies in the game, the producers manage to provide a scientifically accurate atmosphere and experience.
Although it takes place in primitive times, when you switch from Ancestors to Far Cry: Primal, you seem to have experienced a technological leap.
B.C. There are certain non-historical factors in this production, which takes it to the year 10,000. But you can take a look to get to know the difficulties, creatures and world of the period. On top of that, when you switch to the current Far Cry games, even the simple weapon in your hand will probably seem like a wonder of the world.
We return to Ancient Greece, where civilization is now in its proper place and works on art as we are accustomed to are seen intensely.
The game that takes us here is Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey. It is possible to see many episodes in the game that do not quite match the history. However, we can say that it conveys the Ancient Greek environment well and is historically consistent up to a point.
Although confused due to its geographical location, AC: Origins tells much later than Odyssey.
The date in this game, BC. It marks 49 years. This coincides with the reign of the famous Egyptian Queen Cleopatra. You can already see him in the game.
Apart from this, although the game does not offer a perfect open world, it is possible to see the life of standard people at that time and the different tools/weapons of the period.
We saw Ancient Greece thanks to AC: Odyssey. Now Ryse: Son of Rome takes us back to Ancient Rome.
In fact, most of this game takes place outside of Rome due to the war in the game, but it is an enjoyable production that can be browsed to see the lifestyle, atmosphere, clothes and habits of the period. It is worth noting that historically it is not accurate in many points.
Set in the 870s, AC: Valhalla takes players and gives them the experience of being Vikings.
Meanwhile, we can occupy the settlements in England, see the adaptations of historical characters, and obtain certain historical information, although not entirely accurate. In addition, the map of the game is quite large and there are different communities in different places on this map.
You can give a chance to see both the Viking lifestyle and the 9th century northern lifestyle. The game has a lot of non-historical things to offer other than that, but these are the subject of a broader study.
Assassin’s Creed’s first game, set in 1191 and in the Holy Land, takes place during the Third Crusades.
At the same time, the game conveys real events to the player in a fictional world. Returning to this game in 2023 will be difficult for many, but you can take a look to see how the events are reflected.
When we come to the year 1274, Ghost of Tsushima welcomes us:
Set in the period when Japan was invaded by the Mongols, Ghost of Tsushima is a production where you can see the values, lifestyle, nature and aesthetics of the period. In addition, even when all these historical values are set aside, we think that it is a production that should be tasted in terms of game culture.
Then comes A Plague Tale: Innocence. So what’s the historical event here?
We return to the year 1348 in the game, where we cannot pay attention to the tension of the story. While it’s hard to focus, the conflict between the British and the French shows us some of the 100 Years’ War. Apart from that, the game also provides a close look at the medieval way of life.
Going further, we find AC: Black Flag, set in 1715.
Here, on the one hand, we can see how piracy is on the rise, and on the other hand, we can witness the workings of life in the cities. Meanwhile, different types of ships and islands do not leave us alone.
In the same century, we can see AC: Unity, which deals with the French Revolution.
Therefore, in this game, which took place in 1789, historical buildings such as Notre Dame were tried to be reflected as close to the real thing as possible. But apart from that; There are inconsistencies such as doorknobs that have not yet been invented in the period and wider-than-normal streets.
When you ignore such details, AC: Unity provides a delightful perspective on the France of the period and the way of life in it.
The gem of the game world, Red Dead Redemption 2, makes it possible for you to experience the wild west lifestyle down to the last detail:
In the game set in 1899, you can both see the effects of urbanization and witness the conflict between the locals and those who have just set foot on the island. In addition, the disappearing cowboy lifestyle and the brutality of the American lands are also reflected in a quality way.
In addition, when we say ‘to the smallest detail’, we do not want to be speechless. If you want to see it for yourself, you can check our related content from this link.
When we move to Mafia 1, where urbanization is completely settled, we see different problems.
This time, we realize that the mafia has gained power, corruption has reached its peak, racism continues and the gap in class discrimination has widened. The game offers a close look at 1930s America.
GTA V, on the other hand, is the closest game to the present day on the list.
Although no exact date has been given for this production, it is thought to take place in 2013, the year the game was released. It may not seem unusual to us right now, but one day, others will find the environment of GTA 5 as strange as we find the world of Mafia 1 as strange. In this context, we can say that the game reflects today (or 2013) well, up to a point.
Now we are going to the future: In this context, Cyberpunk 2077 welcomes us with its unusual atmosphere.
Set in an alternate time, 2077 and a dystopian future, the game offers you an unusual atmosphere with its detailed dialogues and living open world. You can take a look at the game, which, despite having an eventful exit, recovered very well. A map with random events will be waiting for you, even outside the missions.
There are also times that we return to 2023 in the game, but unfortunately we cannot visit the city here.
Finally, there’s Horizon Zero Dawn, which takes us to the year 3020, which we couldn’t even imagine at these times.
It is not difficult to see that nature has taken over the man-made structures in the game. But even if we do not know what will happen in the future, the developers of Horizon Zero Dawn have not forgotten to stick to the originals of some famous structures.
Apart from this, forward-looking technological developments have been advanced as realistically as possible without exaggeration, even though we are in a fantastic universe.
There are many other games on the list besides these. You can reach the full list here, and you can check out Atilla Kabakçıoğlu’s post for more information about the list. Do not forget to specify the games you will add in the comments.
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