Video games can be many things: entertainment, escape, therapy and more. A history lesson may not be near the top of the list, but I’ve recently learned it in a game called Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 (KCD2).
I invested in the game for an immersive, open-world experience. I had heard good things about the story, which received rave reviews overall. Plus, the setting, reminded me a lot of the Potomac Highlands of West Virginia.
What I got was a deep dive into the history of 1403 Bohemia. My character is wrapped in a plot to help restore King Wenceslas to power by driving his brother, Sigismund, out of Bohemia.
I figured that much was easy enough to get historically accurate, but I soon realized there was much more as I dove deeper into the game.
Turns out, game developer Warhorse Studios painstakingly recreated what it was like to live during that era.
The villagers I visited went about their daily routines. Housewives will kill a chicken, pluck the feathers, and have it cooked for dinner by evening. Farmhands go about their chores, and kids will play with wooden toys.
The towns themselves are not only historically accurate but are also placed on the map exactly where they were, and how most are today, in the Czech Republic. The Trosky region, in particular, is painstakingly recreated. Even the area’s geological features are present in the game.
In addition to Trosky, the area around Kutná Hora (called Kuttenburg in the game) is lovingly recreated.
How immersive is it? I attended the Miss Czech-Slovak Minnesota pageant in April. One of the candidates mentioned the Lhota region. I said to myself, “Yes, the Lhota region. I brought an army deserter to justice at a mill there just last night.”
Games like this are incredible for boosting interest in real-world locations.
A game called Fallout 76, set in a post-apocalyptic West Virginia, bolstered tourism to the state. The developers got a lot right about that region, too, but not to the incredible degree of KCD2.
Here’s hoping the game boosts tourism to the Czech Republic. I certainly know I want to learn more.