If you've read some of my previous posts on the real-world context behind video games, then you know by now that I'm a bit of an amateur historical buff.
I was pretty surprised, then, when History Respawned, a channel I've written about before, put up a video discussing the historical ideas behind Tom Clancy's The Division 2.
Although the game takes place in the near-future, that doesn't stop the host from surmising the game's sociopolitical points, and how the game sometimes gracefully, sometimes not so, balances its tastes and tones.
What's interesting is the host's (named John) idea that The Division 2 presents an alternate history, albeit one rooted in our reality. The devs did in fact consult with public safety experts on how a living city would react to an event like the one in the game, and as such, the game roots itself in historical precedent. What's also interesting is how, with the game taking place in Washington, D.C., its use of setting to demonstrate how a place of law can itself become a lawless state.
Check it out below.
