Battlefield 1: Learning from History

The upcoming release of Battlefield 1 will signal the franchises return to its historical roots, and the first time a triple-A gaming franchise has used World War 1 as its setting. The Battlefield series got its start with the highly successful Battlefield: 1942. Taking place during World War II, the game allowed players to fight against each other in a recreation of the D-Day invasion at Normandy and many other historically based scenarios. The game also utilized weaponry and vehicles from the war to give players a more authentic feeling. The Medal of Honor series mastered this and the highly successful, and critically acclaimed Call of Duty franchise also got its claim to fame using World War II as the foundation of its first games.

As Battlefield and Call of Duty have battled one another for sales and players, they pretty much exhausted every major narrative from World War II in the process. To continue their success, both have taken their games from the modern battlefield, into the realm of science fiction warfare. By doing so both franchises have completely missed the opportunity to develop an interest of history among their young fans.

My grandfather served in the Navy during World War II. He was a Merchant Marine and sailed in convoys as they rushed to bring equipment and supplies to the Soviet Union. As I was growing up, He told me stories of how the ship he was serving on was torpedoed and sunk by a German U-Boat in the North Atlantic, and how after they were saved by a passing ship, the one that saved them was also sunk. This story and others like it peaked my interest in history, and specifically World War II at a young age. I wanted to learn as much as I could about what my grandfather and millions like him experienced during the war.

  

Fortunately I had the luxury of growing up during a time when Medal of Honor, Battlefield and Call of Duty were all using World War II as a setting for their video games. My grandfather’s stories provided the fire for my interest, and these games provided the fuel to sustain it. The interest in history generated from these games has pushed me to learn more about not just World War II, but also the American Civil War, The Spanish American War and how the United States got its start during the American Revolutionary war. War is not usually the most beautiful historical topic but it opened the door to me learning about other historical subjects, such as ancient Greece, Rome and Medieval Europe. These games have even influenced my decision to go to college where I am currently an undergraduate history major, with a minor in archaeology.

I know that my experience is not universal among gamers who have grown up playing the same games, but how many like me have missed the chance to have their own historical flame ignited?

The realm of science fiction has given franchises like Call of Duty a space (no pun intended) to expand their games content more than World War II could ever provide. Made up futuristic technology allows game developers to create new ways players can engage in competitive multiplayer scenarios. It makes more sense to have a soldier wearing an EXO suit, running along walls and shooting lasers in the future then it does during the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.

Thankfully the developers of Battlefield 1 have decided to ditch the script entirely and open up World War I as a new setting for their game. This move has been met with both enthusiasm and skepticism. It still remains to be seen if they will fully remain true to the weaponry of World War I, which may be hard to do seeing as they are competing with a fast paced, science fiction Call of Duty game. But what can be seen is that they are opening the door for gamers to experience one of the most destructive and important wars in modern history.

Time is a cruel and many children will never have the opportunity to speak to a grandparent who was a veteran of World War II and none, including myself, have talked to a veteran of World War I. Game developers have the unique ability to re-create history that is engaging and rewarding in a way that conventional media cannot. Fiction is definitely present in many World War II video games, and will undoubtedly be present in Battlefield 1 but the overall content of the game should remain true to historical accounts.

My hope is that Battlefield 1 will kick start the resurgence of triple-A video games that rely on historical events to fuel the minds of young people so that the stories of the past will not be lost in the future.