Gaming the Past

Recently I received a Twitter question asking what kinds of historical games are available that do not place the player-agent (the character the player plays as) in the traditional game role of a ruler, commander, or warrior. Here’s my response, slightly reformatted from the thread: A partial list of some cool historical games that have more varied player-agents.

When Rivers Were Trails, (When Rivers Were Trails by indianlandtenure (itch.io)) where the player agent is an indigenous person (Anishinaabeg) in the 1890s forced from their Minnesota home and required to survive a journey to relocate on the west coast of North America.

Paintbucket’s Through the Darkest of Times (THROUGH THE DARKEST OF TIMES | Paintbucket Games )where the player agent is an everyday German resisting the rise of the Nazi state in the 1930s and 40s.

A Plague Tale: Innocence (A Plague Tale: Innocence on Steam (steampowered.com)) where the player agent is a girl escaping with her younger brother from the Plague and bad people in general in a medieval setting

Attentat 1942 (Attentat 1942 | A World War II game through the eyes of survivorsAttentat 1942 | A World War II game through the eyes of survivors) by Charles Games where the player agent is a modern everyday person in the Czech Republic investigating the role of a grandparent, also an everyday person, in the assassination of the Nazi governor of Czechoslovakia.

Charles Games’ more recent game Svoboda 1945 Liberation (Svoboda 1945: Liberation on Steam (steampowered.com)) where the player agent again takes the role of a modern investigator learning about the past and their family’s role in it.

1979 Revolution: Black Friday where the player agent is an Iranian journalist during the Revoluton.(1979 Revolution: Black Friday on Steam (steampowered.com))

My Child Lebensborn (My Child Lebensborn on Steam (steampowered.com))

“Says the developers’ Steam page: “《My Child Lebensborn》is a story driven nurture game based on real events. Play as the adoptive parent of Karin or Klaus, and experience the struggles they go through along them. Balance your time and resources wisely, while helping your child cope with effects of hatred.”

That’s just some of the games available. Let me know if you’d like help finding more.