ABSTRACT
Historical settings have played a prominent role in digital games for several decades (Mol et al., 2017; Schwarz, 2010a ). In first- and third-person shooter games (FPS/TPS) such as Call of Duty (2003–), Battlefield (2002–), and Sniper Elite (2006–), players are seemingly able to step into the role of a soldier on the frontlines of historical conflicts, particularly World War II. In strategy games such as Civilization (1991–), Total War (2000–), Crusader Kings (2004), Anno (1998–), and Making History (2007–), in contrast, players are asked to take control of and successfully lead a political entity such as a nation-state or city by using various economic, diplomatic, and military means. And in action-adventure games such as Assassin’s Creed (2007–), players can explore historical virtual worlds which are rendered with a high degree of historical fidelity—at least according to the marketing (Shaw, 2015)—ranging from the Greek city-states during the Peloponnesian War and the “Holy Land” during the 12th-century Crusades to the cities of Boston and New York during the American Revolution.
