Warship games as gateways to naval history

Do games such as World of Warships influence people's understanding of warships too much?

Not necessarily; even partial accuracy can create useful familiarity and motivate deeper reading about ships that are otherwise hard to encounter.

Games such as World of Warships can provide an entry point into naval history without replacing research. HMS Vampire and HMCS Haida illustrate the preservation problem: only isolated examples of important destroyer classes survive. A broadly faithful simulation can therefore supply basic familiarity with ships that most players cannot visit. That interest can lead toward books, museum ships and more exact historical study.