MIAMI, Okla. — Shawnee Tribe Chief Ben Barnes grew up spending countless hours playing video games, including the 1999 hit, “Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri,” where players colonized distant planets. So when Firaxis Games, the same studio behind that game, reached out to the Shawnee Tribe with an idea to include their famous leader Tecumseh as a playable character in the next “Civilization VII” game, Barnes was thrilled.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Barnes said. “They actually want us to be a part of the next Civilization game?”

Since its first release in 1991, the Civilization series has become a major player in the gaming world, known for its complex and addictive gameplay. Millions of players have enjoyed building civilizations from scratch, selecting historical leaders like Cleopatra or Gandhi, and guiding their societies through trade, diplomacy, science, and even warfare.

The game genre, known as 4X (explore, expand, exploit, exterminate), is all about expanding empires and sometimes involves themes of colonization. Over the years, this has raised concerns about how certain cultures, especially Indigenous ones, were represented. For example, in 2010, Firaxis dropped plans to add a Pueblo leader after tribal objections. And in 2018, the inclusion of a Cree leader led to backlash in Canada.

This time, Firaxis understood that if they were going to represent Tecumseh properly, they needed to work closely with the Shawnee people. For Barnes and his tribe, this wasn’t just about featuring Tecumseh in a game—it was about seeing themselves reflected in popular culture in a way that empowered them and honored their heritage.

“It’s about showing our cultural strength,” Barnes said. “Why shouldn’t we be in a game like this? We should see ourselves in every form of media.”

For Firaxis, this partnership was a chance to correct past mistakes and create a more authentic experience. The collaboration involved asking the Shawnee tribe for input on everything—from how their future buildings might look to creating new words in the Shawnee language for futuristic concepts.

The project also led to something bigger: Firaxis and its parent company 2K Games are now donating hundreds of thousands of dollars to help revitalize the Shawnee language through programs and facilities. This was especially meaningful to Barnes, who has long been concerned about preserving the Shawnee language for future generations.

Shawnee actor Dean Dillon got involved by auditioning for a part that required him to speak in the Shawnee language. Little did he know he was auditioning to voice none other than Tecumseh himself. When he got the news, he was overjoyed.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Dillon said. “Hearing my voice come out of Tecumseh’s face in the game—it was surreal.”

While previous Civilization games have featured Indigenous leaders like Montezuma of the Aztecs, game developers at the time didn’t put much thought into how these figures were portrayed or the weight of their historical significance. In fact, past games even included controversial figures like Stalin and Mao Zedong without fully considering their real-world impact.

“We didn’t realize people would take it as seriously as they do,” said series creator Sid Meier. “We’ve learned a lot over the years.”

The upcoming “Civilization VII,” set to release in February, is already making changes. For example, instead of labeling certain groups as “barbarians,” players will now have the option to engage diplomatically with those who aren’t part of a major civilization.

As Civilization has grown into a global phenomenon—selling over 70 million copies worldwide—players from around the world have pushed to see their own cultures and histories represented in the game. Recent editions have added music and spoken languages from many different civilizations, including the Māori of New Zealand and the Mapuche of South America.

“It’s become a point of pride for nations to be included in Civilization,” Meier said. “We’ve even had countries lobbying us to be featured.”

As gaming continues to evolve, so too does Civilization’s approach to history and culture, aiming to create more thoughtful and accurate representations for its millions of fans around the globe.