Kansas is perhaps best known for its unique blend of peaceful rural living and small towns. However, beyond its real-world charm, the Sunflower State has found its way into the world of video games.
Let’s start by saying that the gaming landscape in Kansas is constantly growing. The Midwest Fest esports event continues to evolve and draw in more and more players. This year, we saw players compete in various popular titles such as Apex Legends, Street Fighter 6, and more.
The casino landscape in Kansas is also expanding, with more online platforms now available to enjoy spinning slots, playing blackjack, and other popular games. More offshore and anonymous casinos have become available and players are exploring all avenues available to them.
With the gaming scene in Kansas evolving, we thought it might be a good time to explore some of the most famous games set in the Sunflower State.
The first title that comes to mind is Gun. The popular western-themed action-adventure is set in 1880 and takes place in the American Old West, including Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Kansas. More specifically, this 2005 game portrays early Dodge City, Kansas. The city often serves as a setting for western-themed media, including movies and TV shows. Perhaps the next example is the 1939 movie Dodge City featuring Errol Flynn.
Gun features everything that’s commonly shown in western media, including gunslingers, bandit attacks, horseback combat, dynamite, poker tournaments, and more.
We couldn’t continue this list without mentioning another western-themed game — Call of Juarez: Gunslinger. The popular FPS begins in Abilene, Kansas in 1910 and takes the player to other cities in the state.
The game is famous for featuring various famous Wild West figures such as Billy the Kid, Pat Garrett, and Johnny Ringo among others.
The Sunflower State also served as the setting for the popular Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell game series. More precisely, two of the titles in the series feature gameplay that takes place in Kansas — Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Essentials and Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Double Agent. Missions in these games take place in the state’s Ellsworth Prison where Sam Fisher digs a tunnel to escape with another inmate before reaching the John Brown’s Army’s or JBA’s headquarters in New Orleans.
Another famous video game location set in Kansas is Central City featured in DC Universe Online. The city serves as the home of Barry Allen a.k.a. the second Flas and is situated across the Missouri River from Keystone City.
Central City is described as a city that is always on the run compared to the famous “city that never sleeps” description of New York. While protected by the Flash, the city is also home to various members of The Rogues group such as Captain Cold, Captain Boomerang, Mirror Master, and others.
Of course, these are just some of the games that take place in the Sunflower State with various other titles portraying it as well. It’s also safe to say we’ll continue to see it depicted in new games, especially western-theme titles that’ll arrive in the future.
