I would prefer you to go with the first one, although it has slight less graphic card then other one but won't make enough difference to your gaming experience...and though RAM is good too.
The laptop with 16 GB of RAM is the best choice it will the most future proof for atleast a decade or more.
I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.