Deep Play? Video Games and the Historical Imaginary

Video games earned $43.8 billion in revenue in 2018, and many of the most popular and enduring games in recent years are set in historical environments. They are a form of popular art that sheds light on the mentalité of our era. As this article argues, the act of participating in history in virtual forums frames the public’s view of history. This article examines how recent video games focused on the Nazis shape public understanding of the Third Reich, as well as how they stage who and what matters in history and assume how historical change occurs. Historical video games connect the past to present, shaping historical memory and contemporary political debates simultaneously. Video games are a form of “deep play” that build knowledge of the past and present, but that knowledge must be broadened through historians’ attention to structural forces and disadvantaged groups. Historians should understand how video games shape the wider public’s knowledge and philosophy of history, and they should develop strategies to bring the virtues of play into their own research and teaching.