The poor use of shields in video games, and a suggestion for animators

Some gameplay footage from Ryse: Son of Rome recently reminded me of the odd phenomenon in most RPGs and other video games that their characters apparently don t know how to use a shield. They generally have a tendency to just throw their shield arm way back while attacking, thereby making it completely useless. In a historical battle that kind of behavior would have gotten them killed pretty quickly. Of course it s just a game, but why not make it look better while at the same time saving animator