Shawnee Contribute to New Video Game
The Shawnee people will have input into the content of the video game Civilization VII.
2K Games/Firaxis Games
The Civilization series lets gamers play as famous historical figures. Civilization VII includes Shawnee leader Tecumseh.
Video game company Firaxis has teamed up with the Shawnee Tribe to develop programmer Sid Meier’s Civilization VII, the latest in the popular gaming series that lets players build civilizations from the ground up. The Shawnee people helped ensure that the game’s portrayal of their history is as respectful and accurate as possible.
Civilization VII is the latest in a series in which gamers build a civilization while playing as famous historical leaders like Cleopatra and Napoleon. The Civilization games have been a hit since the first one debuted in 1991.
But over the years, Firaxis has been criticized for the way the games portrayed some historical figures, including Indigenous peoples. In 2018, when the company included the Cree people in Civilization VI: Rise and Fall, a Cree leader in Canada complained that the portrayal was disrespectful and not accurate.
“We learned a lot as time went on,” Meier told the Associated Press. Meier and Firaxis resolved to do better. So when they considered including 19th century Shawnee leader Tecumseh in Civilization VII, they asked the Shawnee Tribe for their input.
Shawnee Tribe Chief Ben Barnes was thrilled.
“I was like, ‘This can’t be true,’” Barnes told the Associated Press. “Do they want us to participate in the next version of Civilization?”
© Jeremy Hogan—SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images
Shawnee Tribe Chief Ben Barnes, shown here at a 2019 Indigenous Peoples’ Day gathering, hopes Civilization VII will educate people.
Barnes has been a gamer since he was a kid. He has fond memories of playing Alpha Centauri, another Sid Meier game. Barnes saw the partnership as a chance to educate people on the history of the Shawnee. Game developers asked Barnes and other Shawnee people questions about their history, culture, and traditions. They took what they learned and incorporated it into the game.
“[We aim to] make sure it’s an authentic, sincere recreation” of Shawnee culture, game producer Andrew Frederiksen told the Associated Press.
2K Games/Firaxis Games
This is a screenshot from the new Civilization VII video game.
Barnes says the partnership is also an opportunity to help ensure the future of the Shawnee culture by representing it within the game.
“For us, it’s really about cultural expression,” he said. “Why not us? Why not? Of course we should be in a video game title. Of course we should see ourselves reflected in every media. So we took advantage of the opportunity to make our star shine.”
