TYPOLOGY OF REPRESENTATIONS OF HISTORICAL EVENTS IN COMPUTER GAMES

Kurushkin Sergey Vasilevich

The article analyzes computer games as a specific medium of historical memory and examines methods of representing historical events in interactive form. The first part provides a theoretical overview of research on the digitalization of historical memory and the role of historical video games in shaping collective historical consciousness, memory politics, and public history. Special attention is given to the concepts of the “public historical infosphere,” procedural rhetoric, historical accuracy, and historical authenticity, as well as to the specific features of nonlinearity, simulation, and counterfactual modeling of the past in games. The second part of the article proposes a typology of methods for reproducing historical events in computer games, including factual (documentary) reconstructions, authentic narrative reconstructions, simulation‑system models of historical processes, hybrid and alternative‑historical scenarios, and memorial or nostalgic forms of game memory. Each type is illustrated with examples from well‑known projects such as the Total War, Civilization, Hearts of Iron, Assassin’s Creed, and Europa Universalis series, Valiant Hearts: The Great War, as well as games that engage with the Soviet past and national identity. In conclusion, the article discusses methodological implications for historical memory research and proposes to view computer games not only as a channel for transmitting “ready‑made” narratives but also as a space for the co‑creation of historical meanings by players.

Keywords:historical memory, digital memory, computer games, historical video games, public history