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The Gambia is reduced to an empty tile, coloured red of course. This means that nations like Ghana and Nigeria are shown only as the British settlement cities of Accra and Lagos, respectively. Naturally, there is also necessarily limitations on what the game can represent. There is something grating about seeing a European nation freely thriving off the resources of a nearby weaker African neighbour. Resources are key component of the vanilla game just as in this scenario. That said, there are limitations associated with the game that at times give me pause for thought. I don’t pretend to fully understand all its intricacies and can only describe my own experiences with it. There is something grating about seeing a European nation freely thriving off the resources of a nearby weaker African neighbour.Īs my friends will likely attest, I am far from an expert at this game. The idea of King Leopold II as a ‘playable’ character for example will make anyone who knows the history of Belgian activity in the Congo wince. However, there is also some discomfort in this. It places these civilisations on (relatively) equal footing to their European counterparts and so forces the player to see them this way as well. This gives Africa a sense of autonomy and prevents the scenario from being too western-centric. It was right for the game to include indigenous African civilisations like the Zulu and Ethiopia. Already, there are points to be made in favour of and against this game. The scenario in the game allows to play as any one of twelve ‘factions’: the British, the Portuguese, the French, the Germans, the Belgians, The Italians, The Ottoman Turks, the Egyptians, The Ethiopians, the Moroccans, the Zulu and the Boers.Īs in the base game, there are also a number of unplayable city-states representing other ‘civilisations’. Having studied colonialism in both the 19 th and 20 th Centuries, it’s something I personally have had to think about. Insofar that there can be such as a thing as ‘ethics’ in gaming, there is also a line of what is good taste and what is not.Īdmittedly, such a line is not always obvious when dealing with something that carries as much baggage as colonialism does. This doesn’t mean we can’t have a conversation about it: on the contrary, I think it’s important to do so. Clearly, there is a market for games in which historical colonialism plays a role. This is a major theme in popular strategies such as Hearts of Iron, Victoria and Europa Universalis. Nor is it the only title to look at the concept of colonial conquest. Any game with an element of violence is likely to create questions. Of course, Civilization V is not the first game to cover historically sensitive themes. There’s the American Civil War, for example where you might choose to play as the Confederacy or Rise of the New World, which allows you to feel the imperialistic ambitions of colonial Spain. Along with these, which are both highly enjoyable are some slightly more controversial playthroughs.
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Most are based around historical periods or events: you can fend of the Normans as Harold Godwinson in the 1066 scenario, or lead Germanic hordes to sack the remnants of the Roman Empire in the Fall of Rome scenario. These game modes, of which some are only available as DLC, offer an exciting new flavour to the formula to keep you entertained.
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As a history student, for me some of the more interesting elements of the game are the scenarios. I certainly wouldn’t rank it among my favourite titles, but its still a game I consider worth coming back to. Overall, it’s a fun if mildly repetitive play, that’s most enjoyable on multiplayer with friends. The 5 th installment of Sid Meier’s popular Civilization turn-based strategy game was released back in 2010. Image description: A globe showing part of the world map including Africa.