I may be a writer of alternate history, but I am also an avid gamer. In fact, the reason why I even started writing my alternate history series The Kaiser’s Machines and the recently released A Designer With No Name stemmed from a board game (which happens to make it on this list in its digital format).
Inspiration comes from a variety of places. And one of the best places I’ve experienced not just thinking about what-if scenarios but actually playing them out is with video games. Now, as I covered in my mini-series on the subject, alternate history isn’t a clear-cut and dry term. It’s more nuanced, in my opinion. For that reason, some people may disagree with this list, but nevertheless, here are my top four alternate history video games.
#1: Hearts of Iron
This grand strategy game has been around since the early 2000s. I did not discover it until Hearts of Iron IV. But what I love about this game is how it gives you the option to start earlier or later in World War II and leaves you with the ability to take control of various nations and deviate from our timeline. Imagine the United States went fascist and allied with Germany, or what if Nazi Germany had become communist? The latter is something I intend to explore, though much earlier in the century to follow on the heels of The Kaiser’s Machines.
#2: Command & Conquer: Red Alert
I remember sneaking onto my brother’s computer many nights to play this game, amassing a force of Mammoth tanks as the Soviets. Or, my personal favorite action in most WWII-style RTS games is dropping paratroopers onto the battlefield. In the same vein as what I said above, the story is a what-if scenario involving the erasing of Adolf Hitler from history. As such, the Soviets become the main enemy for an alternate World War II. You should be able to find this one on Origin if you so desire to play it.
#3: Crimson Skies
Not a very well-known game, I think these days, Crimson Skies was an aerial shooter initially inspired by a board game (a common theme you will see for my next choice). The creators envisioned a balkanization of the United States in the 1930s, the collapse of the railway and highway systems, leading to zeppelins and airplanes as the primary mode of transportation. So you have aerial pirates fighting local militias in the broken-apart United States. What more could you ask for out of an alternate history game?
#4: Scythe
Starting out as a board game as well, this game has a digital counterpart that you can play on Steam. It also inspired the RTS game Iron Harvest, which I admittedly haven’t played yet. But during the pandemic, many board games were converted into digital versions. So I jumped at the opportunity to play and really enjoyed the concept. It’s an alternate version of the 1920s and focuses on five factions in Eastern Europe fighting for fame and fortune around an enigmatic factory. The artwork created by Polish artist Jakub Różalski, creator of the 1920+ world, inspired me to create The Kaiser’s Machines.
That’s my top 4 list! In the meantime, check out my latest release, A Designer With No Name: Prequel To The Kaiser’s Machines, on Amazon. Also, consider joining my newsletter to stay up-to-date with the latest content on the blog and new releases.
Photo Credit: Ivan Khivrenko, Concept Art for unreleased World War III
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