10 Video Games Based On Real Life Stories

1. This War Of Mine

war of mine
11 bit Studios

Unlike most war-based video games which place you front and centre of the frontline with an arsenal strapped to your back, 11 bit studios' This War of Mine explores the civilian side of conflict, putting you in the gradually perishing shoes of a group struggling to survive a city under siege.

It's truly the most harrowing 'survival horror' game ever made. War, to paraphrase Sensible Software, has never been less fun.

The game's shell-shattered, fictional setting of Pogoren, Graznavia is directly inspired by Sarajevo, the Bosnian capital which spent 1,425 days besieged at the hands of the Yugoslav People's Army from April 1992 until February 1996. The developers specifically reached out to those who had lived through the ordeal, in the hope of making This War of Mine's experience as accurate - and thought-provokingly horrifying - as possible.

The siege of Sarajevo was eventually lifted shortly after the Dayton Agreement brought the Bosnian War to a close. The conflict might have been over, but those who lived through it were left haunted for life by the experience - an experience painfully recreated in 11 bit studios' unremittingly bleak recreation.

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Editorial Team
Editorial Team

Benjamin was born in 1987, and is still not dead. He variously enjoys classical music, old-school adventure games (they're not dead), and walks on the beach (albeit short - asthma, you know). He's currently trying to compile a comprehensive history of video game music, yet denies accusations that he purposefully targets niche audiences. He's often wrong about these things.