Playing History: Historical Accuracy and the Video Game Frontier

There’s no way around the fact that history can be extremely boring. For some, if history is not served with flash and entertainment, it will remain a dusty book in the hands of a crotchety, pretentious teacher. Even more discouraging to aspiring historians are those who balk at the idea of a history lesson. It’s the classic scenario where a child is partaking in an engaging and entertaining activity and the parental figure has the brass to destroy the fantasy with reminding them that what they’re doing is educational, too. The child doesn’t care and would most likely rebel at the concept of having fun and learning at the same time. Thus, history remains a hidden gem in the world of entertainment. But, it’s not just child’s play.

Just as films have timelessly utilized history as the base to many plots, so to is the gaming world tapping this resource. Whether they are consciously aware of it or not, those who play such gaming consoles as Xbox 360 or PS3 are often playing a game that has some historical background. A popular first-person-shooter, Call of Duty has commonly been based on the events of the Second World War. As a member of a fictional platoon, the user partakes in historical battles, using the same weapons and gear and wearing the same fatigues as those donned by the men who fought in the war.

A more pertinent example, however, is the stunning composition of the recently released Assassin’s Creed by Ubisoft. With historical accuracy as a prerogative, this game has used history as the foundation and source to recreate a world that existed over 800 years ago. As most historical films go, the term historical-fiction must apply. Yet, the world around you in this captivating game is so striking, it’s shocking that the game hasn’t lost popularity for being labeled as an educational experience.

As the player, you are, for the most part, Altair, a member of the short-lived Assassin (Hashshashin) sect of the Shiite Muslims. The Assassin’s formed in c.1090 with the intent of eliminating political-religious figures of the Sunni sect who, as the Assassin’s felt, had usurped power. As a member of this sect you are charged with the task of eliminating nine historical figures, one of which includes Robert de Sablé, Grand Master of the Templar Knights. The nine targets are based on prominent figures of the Holy Land during the Third Crusade (c. 1191). Richard the Lionheart has just recaptured Acre and is fighting the forces of Saladin to gain entry into the heart of the Holy Land and to Jerusalem. Your task is to restore peace to the Muslim world and assassinate those who have seized power and are exploiting the people and land.

Now, literary license has been exercised to link these men’s deaths to the Assassins within the plot. However, player’s of the game will not be focused, for the most part, on these kinds of details and, giving the users of the game a little credit, will most likely be able to deduce for themselves the fiction in the plot. This is fine. Odds are those playing the game will forget the plot and the historical suggestions it made very soon after they have finished the game. However, it’s the vivid backdrop and the constant bombardment of scenery and fantastic images that will leave their mark on the users memory.

For this reason, Ubisoft is to be commended. All too often, games, movies and the like claim historical accuracy, but stop there. However, with Assassin’s Creed, the creators went that extra mile to bring to the game a complete recreation of the historical setting of the Holy Land in the twelfth century. Using historical documents, the creators of the game designed the cities of Acre, Damascus and Jerusalem as near to how they may have looked at the time. The main character moves about the city, interacting with thousands of individuals and the powerful scenery that includes both countryside and intricate urban architecture. The end product is a complete game that has three spot-on recreated cities within which the user may explore for hours.

Whether the user is cognitive of the historical accuracy or not is irrelevant. In most instances, a game or movie like this leaves the participant with a sense of knowledge of the past. After using a game that has a historical element, the user often bases their understanding of a particular aspect of history on the experience they had with it. Therefore, with Assassin’s Creed the user has unwittingly digested a piece of accurate historical information through merely acting within the game. After playing Assassin's Creed, the user will most likely think that what they just experienced is quite possibly how, for example, Jerusalem looked 800 years ago. With Assassin’s Creed, the experience will be fairly accurate.

This is the world of the public historian. Sometimes we must bring the history to the audience rather than have them seek out the history. Through mediums in digital history, we can bring history to an audience that demands the transference through entertaining means. In the case of Assassin’s Creed and other historically based video games, the audience is indirect, but there nonetheless. If the audience is going to assume that they’re experience is with legitimate history then let’s strive to make sure it is.