Shawnee Tribe Chief Ben Barnes has a deep connection to video games, having spent countless hours in his youth playing titles like *Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri*, which involves colonizing distant planets. So, when Firaxis Games, the studio behind that title, approached him about including the Shawnee leader Tecumseh in their upcoming game *Civilization VII*, Barnes couldn’t believe it.

“I thought, ‘This can’t be real,’” Barnes said, excited at the idea. Firaxis wanted his tribe’s input for the next installment of the popular *Civilization* series.

For decades, millions of gamers around the world have enjoyed *Civilization*, a strategy game where players build vast empires from scratch. Starting with a small settlement, players expand, trade, and develop technology, while managing diplomacy or waging war with neighboring civilizations. The game is famous for its detailed historical context and complex gameplay that keeps fans hooked.

However, society has changed since the early days of the *Civilization* franchise, and so has the awareness around cultural sensitivity and historical accuracy. The game’s core mechanics—exploring new lands, expanding territory, exploiting resources, and sometimes exterminating rivals—fall under a genre called 4X. But this type of gameplay has drawn criticism for its portrayal of Indigenous cultures.

Firaxis faced backlash in the past when they considered adding a Pueblo leader in 2010. After objections from tribal leaders, they scrapped the idea. Even after introducing a Cree leader in 2018, they were met with public criticism in Canada.

To avoid repeating past mistakes, Firaxis knew they needed the Shawnee people’s guidance to respectfully portray Tecumseh. For Barnes, this collaboration was about more than just showcasing Tecumseh’s historical strength—it was also a way for Shawnee people to see themselves reflected in modern culture, especially in the form of a video game.

“It’s about cultural expression,” Barnes explained. “Why shouldn’t we be represented in these games? We deserve to see ourselves in every form of media. This was our chance to make our story shine.”

For Firaxis, this partnership was an opportunity to improve how they represent Indigenous cultures in their games. By working with the Shawnee tribe, they aimed to create an authentic portrayal that would resonate with both gamers and historians. They didn’t just want to represent Tecumseh; they wanted to integrate Shawnee culture and language into the game’s future vision.

Firaxis worked closely with the tribe to ask important questions: What would a futuristic Shawnee university or library look like? How would they describe advanced concepts using their traditional language? The game developers even created new Shawnee words to help bring these ideas to life.

As part of this partnership, Firaxis and its parent company 2K Games are contributing hundreds of thousands of dollars toward preserving the Shawnee language, supporting revitalization programs that aim to keep their culture alive for future generations.

Dean Dillon, a Shawnee actor, was surprised when he was cast as the voice of Tecumseh for *Civilization VII*. When he first auditioned, he didn’t even know he was trying out for such an iconic role. “I just gave it my best shot,” Dillon said. When he found out he got the part, he was ecstatic. “It blew my mind when I realized I’d be voicing Tecumseh.”

Seeing Tecumseh’s face on screen while hearing his own voice was a surreal experience for Dillon. The role gave him a deep sense of pride in representing his culture in such a high-profile project.

*Civilization* has featured Indigenous leaders before—Montezuma of the Aztecs appeared as early as 1991—but back then, developers didn’t put much thought into the historical implications. Characters like Stalin and Mao Zedong also appeared in the game despite their controversial pasts. Sid Meier, the series creator, admits that they didn’t realize how seriously people would take the historical representations back then.

“We thought it was just a fun way to change history,” Meier said. “Maybe we could make Stalin a good guy! But we might’ve pushed things too far.”

The upcoming *Civilization VII*, slated for release in February, will include several changes aimed at improving cultural representation. For example, “barbarians,” a term historically used for non-playable hostile characters, will no longer be included as such. Instead, players can interact with these groups diplomatically.

With over 70 million copies sold worldwide, *Civilization*’s audience has expanded far beyond just the U.S. and Europe. Players from around the globe now want their own cultures reflected in the game. Recent editions have included music and languages from civilizations like the Māori of New Zealand and the Mapuche from South America.

For many nations today, being included in *Civilization* is seen as a badge of honor—a sign that their culture has made its mark on history and modern gaming alike.