Why Do We Love Games That are Focused on the Past?

Age of Empires – the game that pits civilisation against civilisation and gives players a crash course in history, supremacy, and conquest – has just dropped the trailer for its fourth edition. The footage of the game revealed at XO19 showed the game was set in Medieval times and two of the many civilisations featured were the English and the Mongols. This is big news for Age of Empires fans, as a new game – not including updates – hasn’t been released since 2005. But what is it about games that hark back to the distant, distant past that gets us more excited than the history books ever could?

Learning about the past – past civilisations and ways of life – is inherently interesting, but many people struggle to be captured by the desire to seek out such information. That’s what made Age of Empires, originally released on the PC in 1997, strike fans so well. The game begins in the early stages of humanity and cycles through the period of the Stone Age to the Iron Age. The sequel, released in 1999, took place from the Dark Ages to the Renaissance. While the first game taught us about early civilisation and how society formed itself around survival, the sequel focused on battling and conquering others. The third edition brought us up to the colonisation of the Americas. A spin-off, Age of Mythology, is set during Ancient Greece and features mythological creatures and a pantheon of gods and goddesses. Each game imparts wisdom and knowledge on the player without them even realising they are learning.

Of course, our love of games that let us explore the past isn’t relegated to Age of Empires. The decade without a new proper Age of Empires game meant that we have had to get our history fix from other sources. Some of the elements of popular battle royale game Fortnite could be argued to be delving deep into history, while mobile game Clash of Clans also helps to ignite excitement for developing and defending a new civilisation. As the UK online casino slot game Age of Gods – with its many spin-offs including God of Storms, Ruler of the Seas, Apollo Power, and Mighty Midas – shows us, the enjoyment of these kinds of historical conquest games transcends just the PC platform. The series Horrible Histories still sees popularity – especially with the release of their first blockbuster film in 2019. The format enables people to learn about the aspects of history that might appeal to them – from interesting laws and medical treatments to scandalous ascensions to power.

Age of Empires and other games that focus on supremacy, conquest, and creating an imperial society are as popular today as they were when they first launched on PCs. The gameplay is challenging and forces the player to think strategically. The content is interesting and allows people to learn while they play in a very relaxed manner. As the Age of Empires series continues, one wonders what such a game set in the present day might look like.