Paradox Interactive is pushing to do some positive changes in their games, as they revealed Victoria 3 and a new update to Prison Architect called Second Chances.
Paradox Interactive announced Victoria 3 at the recent PDXCON, along with many other announcements. Chief among these games with V3 is Prison Architect: Second Chances. It seems these expansions are accounting for the current social dynamics.
Victoria 3 to change its approach to history
Paradox announced Victoria 3, a grand strategy game series that will follow Victoria I and II. There’s not much information on what Paradox will add, but it will likely follow its predecessors on its general scope. There are, however, positive changes.
For starters, the game will change the way it perceives sovereign powers in the 19th and 20th century. For context, Victoria 2 listed sovereign nations at the time as “civilized” and “uncivilized.” In the current stream of thought, this is not acceptable.
In the upcoming game, the game will still put labels on various countries and empires. They will, instead, call these powers as “recognized” and “unrecognized”. These details might be small, but they are important steps in improving the message.
Players won’t be limited to using major powers either like the England, the Ottoman Empire, or even Portugal. Every nation that existed during this time were playable, including smaller colonies from Asia and Africa.
Apart from small changes like this, unrecognized nations can also fight back against colonizers. Much like in real life, it won’t be a simple task but the option is there.
Prison Architect will add positive game mechanics
On the other side, Paradox Interactive also announced the expansion to their massively hit title Prison Architect. This time, the game is going well beyond the idea of incarceration with their expansion called Second Chances.
Prison Architect: Second Chances will focus on prisoner rehabilitation and the reducing recidivism rate. They are looking for better ways to implement this, so there’s a lot on their plate.
In the current social landscape, the idea of private prisons have become a touchy subject. Second Chances is looking to create a more positive atmosphere with several improvements.
Education, animal therapy, mentorship, and even skills training are a few things they are looking at. The new mechanics encourage players to form a better future for their prisoners through reform. The humane approach should help players change attitudes.
The positive improvements that Paradox Interactive is doing for its games is a refreshing touch. For those interested in their other titles, a lot of information from PDXCON is available on their official channels.
Featured image courtesy of Paradox Interactive/Youtube Screenshot