I'm a historian by trade, well a grad student 2 years away from becoming Dr. Studakris, to be exact. Regardless, I've always had an interest in historically based games. Age of Empires, the original Call, Civilization, etc. All were dang fine games, and their game mechanics aren't really up for discussion. However, in a market saturated with WWII games, I've always wondered if game companies were aware of this little tidbit.

Did you know what there was a World War before World War II? And it hold just as much, if not more, hooks for really fascinating games?

World War I is rife for games in numerous genres. You want diplomacy? Heck, there were loads alliances and counter-alliances stemming from backdoor deals between nations. An arena for FPS deathmatches? Consider trench-warfare. Nifty uniforms? We got the Kaiser in a spiked helmet. Ethical dilemmas? Use of mustard gas. Crowning moments of awesome? Occasional cavalry charges were called in the early days of the war. As in, horses in no-man's land. Sure, they were ultimately futile, but dang, would that look cool. Not awesome enough? The 369th Infantry, the "Harlem Hellfighters." Still not enough awesome for you? Frank York. Chances for America to be #1, kick butt, and give Republicans the war-fuzzies? Shoot, the war only lasted a few months once the US entered the picture. Sure, the war jaded a whole generation and caused Hemingway to waste his time at bull fights, but hey, it was one heck of a war.

With the 100th anniversary of the war's beginning only a few years away, I hope some aspiring game company decides to embrace the massive potential in a WWI game. Seriously, the doughboys need some love.