USA! USA! USA! 'Murica's Heroes: A Look Back at Patriotism in Video Games

Developer: MECC
Date: 1974
Murica Status: YEAH!

Traveling sucked in the 1800's. Before motorcars changed everything, a long trip could be a death sentence for the weakest among us. Nothing drove this point home quite like Oregon Trail. Something - anything - was going to kill you. You could get poisoned from a snake bite, or shit your guts out from dirty water, or drown in the river, or simply starve to death. That's what it meant to be a 'Murican years ago - you had to be a rugged individual, willing to brave wilderness and dysentery for a shot at a better life.

Developer: iD Software
Date: 1992
Murica Status: HELL YEAH!

Wolfenstein 3D set the bar for all 1st person shooters to come, from Doom to Quake to Unreal Tournament to the Bioshock series today. I still remember installing this game with floppy disks when I was a kid. Unfortunately, my computer couldn't handle the 'cutting edge' graphics at the time, so I had to content myself with playing at a friend's house. There's no greater, more 'Murican satisfaction than shooting Mecha-Hitler in the face.

Developer: Koei
Date: 1993
Murica Status: YEAH!

This is a pretty rare SNES cartridge, but if you're a history nerd, try to get your hands on an Emulator/ROM version. Liberty or Death is a turn based RPG of the Revolutionary War. You can play as either the 'Murican rebels or the British empire - will you fight to free the colonies from King George, or will you change history and defeat the colonists? Either way, the game tries to keep things as historically accurate as possible. All the major figures from the war, such as George Washington and Charles Cornwallis, make appearances. To win, you have to balance a budget, recruit men, fight battles, and keep the folks back home happy. Freedom isn't free, that's for damn sure.

Developer: 3D Realms
Date: 1996
Murica Status: F#$% YEAH!

Babes, Bombs, and Bazookas - that's Duke Nukem in a nutshell. Satirizing every action movie cliche imaginable, this game doubled down on its violence, and we laughed in approval. Duke Nukem is the prototypical 'Murican hero. He's a man's man, full of beer, testosterone, and disenfranchised aggression. He takes us back to an earlier, simpler time that never existed, where every problem could be solved by shooting at it. If only it were that simple.

Developer: United States Army
Date: 2002
Murica Status: HELL YEAH!

The United States Army has been releasing different versions and variations of this freeware since 2002. The latest game in the series, America's Army: Proving Grounds focuses on team-based missions, and simulates real life tactical manuevers. Is it morally dicey - for the military to use a 'game' to raise recruitment amongst impressionable young men? Probably. It's also effective - a study done by MIT in 2008 confirms that America's Army has done more for Army recruitment than all other promotional initiatives combined.

Developer: Infinity Ward
Date: 2003
Murica Status: HELL YEAH!

The Call of Duty franchise has caught flack over the years. This is mainly due to the trolls on multiplayer, and what many perceive as creative stagnancy with each passing installment. Lest we forget, however, the original Call of Duty was a game changer, praised for its scope, ambition, and attention to detail. The game dropped us into historically significant, World War II locations, such as Normandy, The Ardennes, and Stalingrad. Call of Duty was a highlight reel of Allied accomplishments, and it allowed the newest generation to step into the Greatest Generation's combat boots.

Developer: Stardock
Date: 2004
Murica Status: YEAH!

The U.S. Presidential Election - what a complex collection of moving parts. It sounds like a perfect idea for a video game! Stardock has released a new edition of the The Political Machine every four years since 2004 - the most recent edition allows you to run a campaign for many real-life politicians, including Barack Obama, Mitt Romney, and even (God forbid) Michelle Bachmann. Will you run a clean campaign, or will you harness your inner Karl Rove and sling mud? Either way, run for the right reasons, and make 'Murica proud!

Developer: Thirteen/WNET New York
Date: 2012
Murica Status: YEAH!

An educational video game about the Underground Railroad? It could have been a poltiically incorrect disaster, but Flight for Freedom, available online as a free download, does a damn good job. You play as Lucy, a 14-year-old slave from Kentucky, who journeys North with the help (and hindrance) of those she meets. Flight for Freedom is structured like a Telltale game - it's all based on the choices you make and the dialogue you choose to say. In the past couple of years, the game has gained popularity in public schools, where it is used as a teaching tool for young children.

Developer: Ubisoft
Date: 2012
Murica Status: HELL YEAH!

Prior to 2012, the Assassin's Creed series focused exclusively on Old World Europe. Then, Assassin's Creed 3 came out, and it stirred the red, white, and blue in our blood. You played as half Native American Connor, who fights with the Continental Army at Bunker Hill and aids General Washington at Valley Forge. The DLC offered an alternative timeline, in which Washington becomes a despotic king. In both storylines, however, you're always fighting for those pure, 'Murican principles - the people's voice, and the right to choose one's destiny.

Developer: Red Storm Entertainment / Ubisoft
Date: 1996-Present
Murica Status: F#$% YEAH!

Tom Clancy's thriller books made him famous, but his video game franchises will make him immortal. Although Clancy died last year, his major game franchises - Rainbow Six, Ghost Recon, and Splinter Cell - continue to thrive. Special Forces and Black Operations are endlessly fascinating. We are suspicious and fearful in our post-9/11 world - our enemies are vague and unquantifiable. We hope - pray - for a secret network of spies and soldiers who fight in that darkness and hold our best interests at heart. Clancy's narratives don't break the mold, but his characters are noble and reassuring. They make us feel heroic, brave, and defiantly 'Murican, every single time.