Status: In preparation
Expected publication: Winter 2026/2027
Author: Maurice W. Suckling
Abstract
Historical game design is the practice of creating games that represent, interpret, and engage with the past. This entry will survey the field from both scholarly and design perspectives, arguing that historical games are not merely vehicles for historical content but forms of historical rhetoric that advance claims about historical processes, actors, and outcomes. Drawing on recent work in historical game studies, the entry outlines three analytical frameworks for understanding historical game design: scope and scale, which concerns the temporal, spatial, and thematic boundaries of representation; actors and factors, which examines the relationship between human agency and broader structural forces; and ends, ways, and means, which explores how game objectives, player actions, and available resources shape historical interpretation. The entry concludes by considering critical game design approaches and the challenges of balancing historical fidelity, playability, and meaningful engagement with the past.
Keywords: Historical game design; Historical simulation; Historical rhetoric; Critical game design; Scope and scale; Actors and factors; Ends, ways, and means
Maurice W. Suckling
Associate Professor at RPI, NY, is a scholar of games and historical representation whose research focuses on historical board games, simulation, and critical game design. He is the author of Paper Time Machines: Critical Game Design and Historical Board Games (Routledge, 2025). He is also the designer of numerous historical board games, including Chancellorsville: 1863 (Charles S. Roberts Award Winner) and Crisis: 1914 (Charles S. Roberts Award Nominee).