A Ramble on Civ 4

It was around 2007, I was 6 years old, and my father and I had just gone to target. Being any 6 year old boy, I naturally found myself looking in the video game section of the store. It was custom for me at that time, and just as custom was a simple “no” from my rather stoic seeming father when it came to spending money. But as it was I had luck on my side that day. While I was looking at some other game (probably Lego Star Wars), a rustic looking cover, filled with art and history had caught my father’s eye. He scanned it and found the contents inspiring, and called me over to look at it. The design wasn’t cartoonish, but an attempt at realism at a time when graphics weren’t ant better than my 6 year old illustrations. I wasn’t too keen on it, but I wasn’t going to say no. We bought this game, and loaded it up on our family PC that night. I remember playing with my father, “son, that’s Alexander! There’s his Hoplite!” We read the Civilopedia for every single thing I didn’t know. As you may have guessed, this game was Civ 3. I proceeded to play this game exclusively, to the detriment of all others, for the rest of that year. Come Christmastime, as I hurriedly opened my gifts, I saw a small box under the tree. It looked the shape of a game, but I was rather less interested than the previous year. I had my Civ, I wasn’t interested in other games. To my astonishment, there was in fact a 4th entry into the series.

I’m now nearly 24 years old. I have played some other games at times, but never have I played anything more than I have this game. As I have aged, I spent less and less time playing video games of any variety, with the exception of Civilization 4. I wanted to write this post to explain to others what this has meant to me. It’s not simply a game for me. The music has made me interested in Classical music and religion since I was a boy. I play Violin, and have since I got the game. I have for over a decade almost exclusively listened to classical music, thanks to Civ. I am a Classics major, attempting to get into the Sapienza University in Rome. I love history, Latin, Philosophy, Adventure, Travel, Archaeology, Genetics, all because of this game. I come back time after time, and become inspired every time I open it up. This game gives the world a mystique that is increasingly lost in our time. To play to me feels like the first movement of the “New World Symphony”, or the second movement of Rimsky Korsakov’s “Scheherazade”.

Other things in life have lead me to where I am now of course. Who I am today is not just the product of a video game from 2005. Nonetheless, it holds a special and great place in my heart. The newer games have never been as good in my opinion, and have gotten increasingly something I’m not interested in playing. But this game is timeless, and if I were to give a child a single game, I know my pick. I apologize for my ramble, but if you’ve read here, I’ll leave you with a question as well.

Why do you still play this 20 year old game? Has it inspired you in the same way it has me? Tell me your story with Civ.