MIAMI, Okla. — Shawnee Tribe Chief Ben Barnes grew up playing video games, and one of his favorites was the 1999 classic *Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri*, where he spent countless hours building a colony on a distant planet. So when Firaxis, the studio behind that game, approached him years later with a proposal to feature their famous tribal leader, Tecumseh, in the upcoming *Civilization VII*, Barnes couldn’t believe it.

“I thought, ‘This has to be a dream,'” Barnes said. “Are they really asking us to be part of the next *Civilization* game?”

*Civilization*, first released in 1991, has become one of the most beloved strategy games in history. It introduced a whole new way of gaming, letting players build empires from scratch, negotiate with other civilizations, and grow through science, trade, and culture. Players get to choose from historical leaders like Cleopatra and Mahatma Gandhi to guide their empires.

This franchise has been a top-seller for decades, but the world has changed a lot since it began. As technology evolved, so did our understanding of cultural representation and the importance of portraying history accurately. Not everyone is thrilled about being part of a game that focuses on settling land and exploiting resources. The game’s “4X” genre—standing for “explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate”—has raised concerns in the past.

Back in 2010, Firaxis scrapped plans to include a Pueblo leader after backlash from tribal leaders. And when they added a Cree leader in 2018, it sparked controversy in Canada.

This time around, Firaxis knew they had to do things differently. To represent Tecumseh and the Shawnee people properly, they needed input directly from the Shawnee community.

For Chief Barnes, this was more than just adding Tecumseh to a game. It was an opportunity for the Shawnee people to see themselves represented in a new way in popular culture. “It’s about showing the strength and identity of the Shawnee,” Barnes explained. “Why not us? We deserve to be in video games and everywhere else. We embraced this chance to let our culture shine.”

For Firaxis, working with the Shawnee was also a chance to learn from past mistakes. In earlier versions of *Civilization*, Indigenous cultures were often mishandled or oversimplified. This time, the developers worked closely with the tribe to ensure Tecumseh’s portrayal was authentic and respectful.

Game producer Andrew Frederiksen said this required months of collaboration with the Shawnee people. They asked questions like: “What would a Shawnee university or library look like in the future?” They even created new Shawnee words to describe futuristic concepts.

Sid Meier, the legendary creator behind the *Civilization* series, said this partnership felt unique. It stemmed from conversations with Chief Barnes about the challenges of preserving the Shawnee language. As part of the project, Firaxis and its publisher 2K Games are contributing hundreds of thousands of dollars toward language preservation programs for the Shawnee.

Shawnee actor Dean Dillon was also excited when he found out he would be voicing Tecumseh in the game. During his audition, he had no idea he was auditioning for such an iconic role. “I just gave it my best shot,” Dillon recalled. When he got the call saying he’d landed the role, he was overjoyed. “It blew my mind! Seeing Tecumseh’s face with my voice coming out of it was surreal.”

While *Civilization* games have featured Indigenous leaders before—like Montezuma from the Aztecs—the early versions didn’t give much thought to historical accuracy or cultural sensitivity. Meier admitted that early on, they included figures like Stalin and Mao Zedong without fully considering their real-world implications. “We didn’t think people would take it as seriously as they do,” Meier said.

Over time, though, they learned better. In *Civilization VII*, for example, they’ve removed the term “barbarians” for non-playable hostile characters. Instead, players can engage diplomatically with these groups.

As *Civilization* grew in popularity around the world, selling over 70 million copies globally, players wanted to see their own cultures reflected in the game. Recent editions have expanded to include music and spoken languages from dozens of civilizations around the globe, from New Zealand’s Māori to South America’s Mapuche.

Meier noted that it has now become an honor for a nation to be included in *Civilization*. “We’ve had different countries reach out to us wanting to be part of it.”

As *Civilization VII* approaches its release date in February, it’s clear that this is more than just another game for many fans—especially for those finally seeing their history and heritage reflected in such a meaningful way.