When Ubisoft invited me to a preview of the upcoming exhibition at the British Museum, entitled Samurai, I was a little surprised. Of course, Assassin's Creed: Shadows follows the franchise's legacy of being some of the most well-known and best-produced historical games of all time, but I half believed that the likes of the British Museum wouldn't deign to engage with video games and the community surrounding them. What I saw in the exhibition made me realise just how important historical games are for connecting people to stories that they wouldn't normally have an interest in - stories of ancient cultural practices and peoples.
The exhibition was split into three parts. The traditional period of Japanese history from 1601 to 1615, which is most closely associated with the Samurai warriors, took up the first section, while the second section focused on peacetime life as a Samurai until the demise of the class in 1869. These two sections were profoundly unique, with full sets of armor, katanas, paintings, and artifacts on loan from 29 lenders, as the exhibition's curator tells me.
I truly think that anyone would find delight in these sections, even if you haven't played Assassin's Creed: Shadows, Ghost of Tsushima, or any of the other best Samurai games. For someone like me, who has, it's particularly special to see. The curator highlights how she wanted to "interrogate the mythologization" of the period, with an emphasis on life as a female Samurai, and the inclusion of black Samurai, which was also really refreshing.
I was eager to see how the third and final section, the post-Samurai era that we find ourselves in now, would be presented. After a confrontation with the giant statue of Darth Vader (apparently, his mask was based on Samurai armor), I became immersed in the third section's large screens, depicting a number of Samurai-related modern media, including Assassin's Creed: Shadows. I was struck by the scale of it - the game was projected onto giant flags in the air, which was a sight to see.
Its inclusion in the exhibition, after all the incredible original artifacts I'd just seen, stuck with me. Connecting the world of Samurai media, including videogames, to the incredibly hallowed aura of the armor, weapons, and everyday objects I'd just seen made the exhibition's impact much more profound. It's often hard to see it, but we are making history with everything we do and love at this time - we are the third chapter in this story. It's why Assassin's Creed: Shadows and other historical videogames are so important. It helps a new generation understand and connect with our predecessors.
This is particularly true of this game - seeing the inclusion of female and black Samurai in the exhibition reminded me, despite the debate some gamers felt they had to have, how much of how well Assassin's Creed: Shadows handled its main characters, Yasuke and Naoe. We should still care enough about these aspects of history to include them in our stories, because what we make now has a duty to both honor the past and pass down our knowledge of it. Erasing people who lived in Japan at this time, due to their race or gender, does nothing to aid in this mission. Not only this, but inclusion opens doors for future generations, who finally get to see what people like them have done to build the world we live in now.
Of course, while I come at this from a gaming perspective, many of the journalists present were from traditional media outlets with little exposure to the gaming world. My hope is that this exhibit is also good PR for videogames. Our Assassin's Creed: Shadows review shows that the game is good enough to represent our community, and maybe we'll start to see the inclusion of more videogames in serious historical settings soon.
Even if this isn't the case, there are some silver linings. Firstly, more AC is on the horizon in the form of Assassin's Creed Jade, hopefully encouraging new gamers to delve in and explore a brand new world. And secondly, when the kids come to see the exhibition for Star Wars and AC, their parents will see the best side of gaming and how it can educate, represent, and inspire anyone.