Welcome to the Paradox Interactive School of International Relations
Our first lesson is about how you can use rising world tensions to your nation's benefit
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You can’t be serious right?
Yes and no. Most video games are woefully insufficient for teaching actual history and especially games such as those published by Paradox Interactive which are inspired by history but ultimately still a sandbox for the player.
However, I do genuinely believe that video games are quite good at demonstrating concepts in fields such as international relations, military theory, geopolitics, and economics. Not only are they good at demonstrating these concepts but they allow players to interact with them in a simulated environment which can often replicate contemporary or historical events. It is by no means a substitute for actual study of these fields on a rigorous level but much like wargames, they can offer value for understanding how and why events come to pass.