From Da Vinci to Hitler - Historical Figures in Video Games

There are certain historical figures who bring a very specific image to my mind. When you say Albert Einstein, I see a wild looking, mustached, white haired man. When you say Abraham Lincoln, I see a bearded man with a top hat. Because of course, Einstein was never young. And good old Abe never took that hat off, and had a beard his whole life.

Ok fine, maybe they were/did. But it’s still true that we tend to associate a specific image with a name.

The new Assassin’s Creed game sets out to change our view of at least one historical figure, even if it’s through historical fiction. And in honor of Assassin’s Creed II coming out, I thought it would be interesting to find other games that depict historical figures in ways that we don’t usually think of.

Ezio of Assassin’s Creed II has a few people who help him on his journey through old Venice. Among them is Leonardo Da Vinci. Instead of showing him as the old, bearded artist we are used to, the game depicts him as the eager young inventor that he once was. Throughout the game, Da Vinci provides Ezio with weapons and new inventions like his flying machine (aka the hang glider, which was one of Da Vinci’s inventions that was actually tried and tested). This deviation from the typical image of Da Vinci is entirely intentional, as this video suggests. Because even people who lived long ago were young at some point or another.

Ok so maybe I wouldn’t quite call this historical fiction (then again, how are we to know what went on in Chopin’s head before he died?) and this image of Chopin is a bit of a stretch, but the playable part of Eternal Sonata is not supposed to show what actually happened in Chopin. Remember, we know from the beginning that this is his dream as he lays in his deathbed. But throughout the game, there are little breaks from the playing that let you sit back and listen to Chopin’s music, while text on the screen tells you about his life and history. And if you take it a step further… the entire game is an analogy of what happens in Chopin’s real world and real life.

Hitler has been in many video games (notable mention: Wolfenstein’s Robo-Hitler). In Persona 2, Hitler is rumored to have escaped at the end of World War II, and be hiding in Antarctica. These rumors bring him back and, of course, it’s up to you to kill him. As if it’s not enough that Hitler comes back to life, he just happens to also be a demon, one that takes on the shape of Hitler because it represents evils that people commit collectively, not just individual sins.

Atlantica Online is an MMORPG that incorporates the history and mythologies of different culture from around the world into the game. Take Columbus, for example (he’ll buy equipment from you).

You will find historical figures from around the world in Atlantica Online, from Van Gogh (Atlantica takes the step from historical fiction to merely historical here, telling about his life and works…. in the form of a dungeon), to Julius Ceasar. William Shakespeareteaches you book crafting skills. You can recruit a descendant of Paganini to travel and fight with you.

I wonder who will be the next big name we see featured in a video game..