World War Two Simulated:

Digital Games and Reconfigurations of the Past

This book examines how WWII is simulated with computer games, such as shooters, simulators, and strategy games. It argues that a dynamic emerges in ‘simgames’, especially when players begin with a simgame but looks beyond gameplay for an understanding of how to play the game and how to understand the past.

Chapters

Flight and tank simulators

Simgames like IL2 Great Battles require a focus on flight capabilities and tactics of WW2 aircraft far beyond arcade-style flight sims.

First-Person Shooters

Recent FPS attempt degrees of realism far beyond games like Call of Duty and Battlefield.

Grand Strategy Games

Strategy games provide a different scale along with different ways to engage the past that encourage counter-factual scenarios.

A 'simtext' is any media that requires some form of interpretation, even if it is simply something that helps a player succeed in a simgame. But increasingly these simtexts provide historical context that requires interpretation.