Politics in video games: an overview

Politics in video games: An approach

Politics in video games has become an increasingly relevant topic over the past few decades, driven by both the rising sophistication of games and players’ interest in exploring power dynamics, governance, and strategy. While some games touch on politics superficially, others make it a central element of the experience, requiring players to make decisions that impact entire virtual societies or complex systems of alliances. These mechanics not only add depth but also offer a space for reflection on how political systems operate in the real world.

From classic titles to the latest releases, video games address politics across a wide range of genres, from strategy to nation-building simulators. Through these games, players learn about resource management, the consequences of diplomatic and military decisions, and how ideology and economics shape societies.

Video game genres and their political connections

Politics in video games appears prominently in genres like strategy, simulators, and role-playing games. One of the most iconic examples is Age of Empires, where players control historical civilizations and must balance resource management, diplomacy, and warfare. Here, politics serves as a means to achieve supremacy, both militarily and economically.

On the other hand, titles like Civilization delve deeper into political aspects, allowing players to manage empires over millennia. In this series, politics is critical: players choose between different government systems (democracy, autocracy, communism), which affect population welfare, the economy, and foreign relations. Political decisions can tip the balance between success and failure for an entire civilization, emphasizing the importance of long-term thinking beyond mere military conflict. Similarly, Rise of Nations offers a similar experience, though in a faster-paced format, while still requiring players to make real-time diplomatic, economic, and military decisions.

Management simulators like Tropico take politics to a more detailed level, placing players in the role of either a dictator or democratic leader of a tropical island. In this game, political dilemmas are a daily occurrence: from keeping citizens happy with promises of social improvements to dealing with factions attempting to destabilize the regime. The balance between ruling with an iron fist or adopting more flexible policies highlights the tensions faced by real-world leaders.

In games like Total War, politics and warfare are intertwined, with decisions made off the battlefield directly affecting the strength of an empire. Diplomacy, alliances, and betrayals are key to survival, and players must navigate relationships with both allied and enemy factions to avoid destruction. However, these games go beyond mere military conflict. For instance, Crusader Kings allows players to immerse themselves in a web of dynastic relationships, court intrigues, and diplomatic choices. Politics here is not just about kingdoms or armies but about people and the alliances they build or destroy. In Crusader Kings, a marriage can mean peace—or the beginning of a civil war—making family dynamics as crucial as military strategies.

Meanwhile, Stellaris takes politics to a futuristic setting where decisions impact galactic empires. Here, players not only manage civilizations but must navigate the complex relationships between alien species, interplanetary diplomacy, and the creation of federations or empires. Stellaris offers a deep exploration of foreign policy, showing how a single decision on one planet can trigger a chain reaction affecting the entire cosmos. This macro-political scale sets it apart from other strategy games more focused on a nation’s internal relations.

It’s impossible to discuss politics in video games without mentioning city-building simulators like SimCity and Cities: Skylines. In these games, politics manifests through urban planning decisions that directly affect citizens’ lives. Players must balance population needs, infrastructure, and resources while navigating financial constraints and social conflicts. Cities: Skylines has been praised for realistically simulating the challenges faced by local governments when trying to develop and manage sustainable cities. Through urban planning, players experience firsthand how policies on transportation, housing, or public health can lead to prosperity—or chaos.

Realism and consequences: How accurate is politics in video games?

A key question when analyzing the representation of politics in video games is whether these mechanics are realistic or simply simplified versions of real-world systems. While some games, like Tropico, take a more satirical approach, others strive for greater authenticity. However, it’s important to note that most games simplify political systems into more manageable structures, which makes sense given the need to balance entertainment with gameplay.

Games that focus on politics often simplify complex aspects like international diplomacy, economics, or legal systems. Yet, they still capture certain truths about power and governance. For example, in Civilization, government systems have specific effects on gameplay, but they don’t fully reflect the nuances of political change or the challenges of implementing policies in real life. Politics in video games tends to boil down to binary decisions: war or peace, authoritarianism or democracy.

In terms of interfaces, advanced games like Total War and Crusader Kings have developed systems where political and diplomatic decisions are integral to the flow of the game. These titles allow players to interact with complex networks of political, ideological, and economic relationships, though they still present a simplified version of real-world scenarios. A clear example is how peace treaties or alliances in the game are negotiated quickly, while in reality, these processes often take years of diplomatic agreements and compromises.

Simulators like SimCity and Cities: Skylines offer a more realistic portrayal of municipal politics, but even these titles can’t fully capture the bureaucratic challenges or political resistance that arise when trying to implement urban policies. While the politics may be more local, it remains a key factor in every decision players make, from raising taxes to deciding which public services to prioritize.

This simplification isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it allows players without deep political knowledge to enjoy the experience and gain some understanding of how political decisions can have long-term consequences. However, there is a risk that players may internalize stereotypes or misconceptions about politics, especially when a game presents a biased or reductive view of political systems. This can be problematic when, for example, a player believes that the only way to maintain control in Tropico is through repression, or that democracy in Civilization always leads to economic success.

A space to experiment with power

Video games have proven to be a space where players can experiment with political ideas and governance systems. Although not always realistic, they allow players to explore the tensions between power, diplomacy, and warfare in controlled virtual environments. Whether leading an empire in Total War or building a civilization in Civilization, these games invite players to reflect on the consequences of their decisions and the relationship between politics and society.

At SoftwarePolitik, we will continue exploring how video games tackle political themes in specific titles. From simple to complex games, we will analyze how these virtual worlds reflect (or distort) real-world power dynamics. Which games offer an authentic view of politics? Which ones take a more caricatured approach? Stay tuned for our upcoming articles, where we will uncover the political lessons behind each game.