One hundred years ago, these gamers wouldn't be pumping the enemy full of lead via a video game controller.
"Everything is realistic. It's incredible," said Kaden VanEaton, 18, a senior at Thunder Ridge High School in Kensington, Kansas. "Just like wow, that could have been me over there. I don't think I would have been able to do that."
No, they'd be there in the middle of World War I, in the trenches, gun in hand, doing the real thing.
Battlefield 1 is a first-person shooter video game that places the player in the middle of The Great War. Since it's based on real events, it has gamers coming to Kansas City's National World War I Museum and Memorial to learn about how the war changed the world.
"The wonderful thing about history is that when it is told well - regardless of whether it is in a museum gallery or whether it's on your own gaming consul - it's incredibly interesting," said Lora Vogt, a curator with the museum. "With this particular game, it's a great opportunity to get folks looking at and learning about the history of WWI."
Which is why the museum says it's not important what gets people interested in WWI, but the fact that they are interested in the first place.
"Good games and good stories have always interested people," said Vogt. "Whether or not it was the Oregon Trail game when I was growing up or the current Battlefield game, the great story engages the mind. Hearing about gamers who are planning to come to the museum to see the real stuff because they were inspired by the game is wonderful."
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Terra Hall can be reached at terra.hall@kshb.com.
