Progress of humanity, through the medium of Sid Meier's Civilization

Thinking that you're going nowhere? Think that nothing is being achieved these days? Do you look back into the past and wish that we'd have the same amazing discoveries that Copernicus, Newton, Darwin, Einstein and countless others professed and wish the same was happening today?

I used to feel like that, years ago. What many people today I look on don't realise is that you must look for the information that can make you proud of your species/nation or whatever takes your fancy. I guarantee a short visit to the BBC News science/technology website section will present some new kind of discovery that would lift your heart and make possible new kind of ideas and innovative thinking. There is so much knowledge being added to human science every day it is hard to filter the more significant advances over others. Science does not sell either, so there is not much inviting the press to report on science, except if they can create unhelpful ignorant worries about generating lethal black holes...

Advances in the past decade in nanotechnology, optics, robotics, computing, genetics and many more areas are astounding. I'm wearing socks right now that were engineered with nanotechnology. 

I tend to keep such an attitude over a human civilisation as a whole thanks to Sid Meier's Civilization games. Starting in 5000BC you have one settler unit and you create a city. Over the milennia you research new techonolgies, settle new cities, organise your people, choose your style of rule and, of course, build your armed forces to defend your people and territory (from barbarians and other unfriendly civilisations) . It's what everyone could use to learn about our common human civilisation and the workings of the modern state, very broadly, of course. It does give a useful insight into where humanity has been and where we are now. It gives hope to think that we are just another temporary phase until new technologies define the next age. I would term our age now the 'space age'. I hope this century will prove me right!




Being a student of international relations, the amount of power the game gives you is what we could only dream of. It gives a very interesting sandbox. If you were in charge of your civilisation, what would you be like? To win the game you can choose either a military, diplomatic, economic or technological victory. In our world it seems the US went on to win all of those things at the end of the Cold War... minus the military part.



My preferred method is economic, or the technological victories. To win economically you must be the richest nation and be the first to build the World Bank wonder. However, over the ages you must balance your economic growth with military spending and technology to keep on a par with other players. No point being the richest player if you can't protect your money! Erm, I mean people!


A tech victory is to be the first civilisation to launch a human colonisation ship and send it to Alpha Centauri, another star system.


Military victory is conquest of other civilisations' capital cities and global territorial domination (controlling 2/3 of the surface). Diplomatic victory is to be allied with many states and be the first to build the United Nations wonder.



I really think that Civilization deserves to be studied by IR theorists, and understand different people's strategies in playing it. I think it would be of huge significance to psychology experts too. Would a common human nature prevail? Would everyone react similarly to an unprovoked attack on their most economically significant city? Would players always or mostly go it alone or seek grand military alliances? Would we see the hallmark of the old British European doctrine? Balance of power?


And then if you're good enough you get to the point where you can develop nuclear weapons. These wipe out your cities in one turn. Would Jervis' Nuclear Revolution prevail here? If there was an atomic monopoly would we see an echo of American atomic diplomacy in the late 1940s?


Bottom line is, Civilization, to me, is an inspirational tale of the human story. As long we all don't end up nuking each other to kingdom come.