In 1775 America changed its Facebook status from “In A Relationship with Britain,” to “It’s complicated.” On this day in history, after sweating in a small room in Philadelphia for an ungodly amount of time, the founding fathers decided to go H.A.M. on independence. This year we celebrate two hundred and forty-one years of freedom. To commemorate, Handsome Phantom is cracking open a cold one with the boys, and going through a few of the best games for exploring the tangled, Gordian knot that is the United States of America.
- Civilization
Civilization V is my most played game on Steam, and no I won’t tell you how many hours because I’m a little ashamed of it. I can’t think of many better ways to celebrate America in games than relaxing with a nice beer, or Coca-Cola, and conquering the world. I don’t necessarily mean boots-on-the-ground, nukes-in-the-air, death-robots-on-the-march conquering, although that’s an option.
The Civilization games let you conquer in other ways. Be the dominate culture, spread Mickey Mouse to the four corners of the world. Be a scientific juggernaut and get the first colony ship into space, the final frontier where no one has gone before. Recreate that one of a kind Cold War moment where Neil Armstrong planted his feet on the surface of the moon, flipped a proud middle finger at the U.S.S.R. and said, “these colors don’t run, Mr. Gorsky!”
That… that never happened. At all. Still, you can understand the sentiment. As an added incentive, Steam currently has Civilization 6 on sale for $35.99, which is 40% off. The newest installment in the long running franchise has progressive Theodore Roosevelt at the head of the American civilization. Step into the shoes of the man who got shot, in the chest, and still gave his speech like a champ.
- Assassin’s Creed III
I would never accuse the Assassin’s Creed franchise of being historically accurate. In my opinion the worst handling of a historical subject is Assassin’s Creed Unity and the French Revolution. Yet even that title did something unique as far as historic interpretations go that I’ve never seen offered quite so well. It gives you a physical space. A three-dimensional space, scaled to your character, that looks as close as possible to the setting it represents. You can talk about the anger of the poor in Paris during the Revolution, and explain the horrid wealth discrepancies all day and it might never sink in. When I played Unity, and walked through the smoke ridden, muddy, broken down neighborhoods, and then found myself staring across a wide boulevard of trees and gardens from the top of the Tuileries palace, I understood the anger.
Assassin’s Creed III does the same thing, in a less extreme sense, for the American Revolution. The chaos and bustle of the Boston wharf feels much more alive than even the best primary sources can describe, because I’m seeing it with my own eyes and hearing it with my ears. The Battle of Lexington as portrayed in the game is hectic and smoke ridden, and the devastation of the New York fire of 1776 is nearly palpable. The game’s best narrative moment comes during this scene at the end, a stark reminder of the country’s short comings, but all in all the history in the games is useful only as entertainment or context for real learning. That being said, the ability to be in the physical space of America during the War for Independence is remarkable and may even stir a few patriotic feelings.
Important end note: Assassin’s Creed III is one of a few major release titles to feature an indigenous American protagonist. Not only that, but gamers have the unique pleasure to get to hear a native language spoken extensively on screen. It’s an important moment for representation and a reminder that America has had people on it since before 1609 and the arrival of English colonists at Jamestown.
- Battlefield 1
Battlefield 1 is a game that should be on a lot of to-do lists for anyone who hasn’t played it. World War I is a subject that many times gets glossed over for more popular moments, like the sequel in 1939 that introduced the world to nuclear weapons and Spam (the disgusting canned meat, not the junk in your email). Since 2014 historians have been commemorating the centennial of World War I, like the excellent display at Arlington National Cemetery or Max Brook’s graphic novel about the Harlem Hellfighters. Specifically, 2017 will mark the hundredth anniversary of America officially entering the war, which led to this classic tune becoming a national hit.
Battlefield 1 does history much better than Assassin’s Creed, and probably better than almost any other popular game. It’s unique campaign offers short stories, vignettes, that highlight different aspects of this long and brutal war. The opening segment put gamers in the shoes of an American, a black American, from the Harlem Hellfighters. This distinguished, honorable group of soldiers made an impression on their enemies and their allies, and yet when they came home their right to vote was still being actively suppressed by their own government, and they could be arrested or worse for taking the wrong seat at the bus, drinking from the wrong water fountain, or any number of ridiculous reasons.
The history of America is often taught as white, male history, excluding people of color and women at moments when they have critical or unique roles in a narrative, like the brave soldiers of the Harlem Hellfighters. Battlefield 1 has other great moments of inclusion. The British forces in multiplayer have an Indian medic, representing the 1.3 million Indian soldiers that fought in World War I, many of which fought and died at famous battles like Ypres, Neuve Chapelle, and the failed Gallipoli campaign.
An honorable mention here goes out to most of the Call of Duty franchise and its upcoming World War II game. World at War is a great throwback title for gamers who want to experience the Russian push to Berlin or the Pacific island-hopping campaign. Though it makes me sound like a hipster, when it comes to World Wars, I still think the original is better.
- Rockstar Games
Rockstar Games has dealt heavily in themes exploring the United States and its culture. Their games run the gamut of American iconography. Let’s go chronologically! Red Dead Redemption is my pick for one of the greatest games of all time. The opening sequence on the train taps into the hypocrisy of white America at the time, and how familiar it seems to modern audiences. The vulgar nickelodeon’s, early cartoon shorts that can be viewed in the schoolhouse of Armadillo are crudely hilarious. The cynical view of their fictional Mexican revolutionary, Abraham Reyes, can be as humorous as it is depressing. To top it all off, the vistas of the American West are often breathtaking.
Next comes L.A. Noire, a good game that ultimately felt unfulfilled. The map was a painstaking recreation of Los Angeles in the 1940’s that contained little to do besides the main campaign, which was rich with nods to the noir and detective genre. Noir and the detective stories by themselves represent America so well. The noir genre begins in German expressionist film, seated as it were between the horrors of World War I and the slide into fascism Europe was heading towards in the 1920’s. This immigrant took root in America soil and bonded naturally with an America creation, detective fiction, which many say originated with Edgar Allan Poe in 1841 with his “Murders in the Rue Morgue,” exported out to the world like rock and roll.
The Grand Theft Auto franchise is rife with cultural references. Gangster movies abound in GTA III, the 80’s come to colorful and noisy life in GTA: Vice City. San Andreas is a candy store for early 90’s hip hop. GTA IV tells us about a different kind of American dream, an immigrant’s tale, and a painful example of how intrusive cell phone culture is. GTA V was an insane success, and it provided a snapshot into today’s world with a cruel and humorous tone that Rockstar does so well. Yikes. These dudes have made some great games. Now my hype for Read Dead Redemption 2 is at an all-time high.
Set off some fireworks and have a hot dog, we’re celebrating Independence Day. The movie too if you want, I guess. These are just a few games that take a good look at America, her flaws, her beauty, and her vibrant and complicated history. How ever you commemorate the day, make sure to pour out a little for our fallen citizens and soldiers who sacrificed to make our nation, and give a shout out to the Founding Fathers for coming together to make these United States.
