What games contribute to public naval history

Have World of Warships and similar games been a disaster for naval scholarship?

No. They bring more people into naval history and make ship forms easier to inspect, although their interpretations and details are not always correct.

Games can introduce people to naval history even when their historical details are imperfect. World of Warships provides quick visual access to ships from a particular period and can encourage further interest. That wider audience is a benefit in this assessment of the game's influence. Its presentation remains fallible, so visual familiarity should not be treated as proof that every historical detail is correct.