Final Thoughts

Since starting on this project back in early September, Civilization 5 has been a wild ride, full of ups and downs. Initially, I was hooked to the game. I logged many hours in the first week or two of playing, a ridiculous amount. But as the semester progressed, I began losing interest in the game. I felt that once you got into your game and nearing victory, the game dragged on. Each turn took what felt like forever and the end was so close, yet so far away. I couldn't manage to build up the enthusiasm to finish the game and win, I think I'm only a couple cities away from destroying the last civ and one city state away from achieving global domination.


This game has been one of the more frustrating games I've ever played in my life. But I appreciated the frustration. This game required me to think about what I wanted to achieve in the game and the steps I needed to take to get there. My patience was also greatly tested; having to sit through some of the denunciations or ridiculous trades that other civilizations offered just ticked me off. I think some of the most frustrating things made the game so fun, yet also so annoying. It kept me guessing through out my whole playing time.

I think that the game over all did a good job of accurately portraying the different course themes we've explored over the course of the semester. Although it wasn't 100% accurate, I think that the positives definitely outweigh the negatives. There were times where the game left me scratching my head wondering what the creators were thinking in regards to history, but they deserve some praise for a good game. If the question was if I would have my students play it, it'd be a tough decision. I think that it's an okay way to get students involved in history, but I feel like there are probably better ways in doing so. I like the game, I just don't really feel that it has a place in the classroom.

That being said, I did enjoy this project and I thought it was a very interesting way to learn about history, but I'll also be happy that it's over.

Technology, Environment, Spiritual Life, and Moral Codes

The most important aspect of the game that I've yet to talk about is definitely technology and how you use it to your advantage. Technology, if your aim to to achieve global domination, is the key to success. Technology and science go hand in hand. The further you progress in the game, the more 'science' things you can develop through the science tree. If you're ahead of all the other civilizations in technology, you have a clear military advantage and should be able to easily force your will on them. Technology can be increased through trade once you get further in the game. When I'm exploring additional trading options, my main focus is usually the cash (obviously) but the second most important thing I'm looking for is the science boost that you get. Another way that you can generate more science is by getting super lucky and having a great scientist born into your civilization. We recently had a big paper to do over the book Lost Colony. One of the biggest misconceptions is that military powers from the west have almost always been more powerful than those of the east. Lost Colony debunked this theory in an example between the Dutch and Chinese. While we saw that leadership along with other factors is important in skirmishes between two warring factions, I still find it hard to overlook technology as a factor. It's foolish to think that a tank would be overtaken by a soldier armed with only a sword.

 

The environment also plays a major factor all throughout the game. When you initially start a game, you're thrown someone on the map, hopefully near a location with good resources and access to the ocean. You're faced with the decision if you want to start your civilization there, or move somewhere else. Moving forward in the game, you're encouraged to explore and kind new lands and meet other civilizations and city states. The environment is a major factor when trying to do this. Mountains, oceans, and heavily wooded areas can slow down or even completely hinder movement. On the flip side, these things could be used as an advantage in the defense of your civilization. In my first game, I set up my civilization in South America and was completely defended in the West by the Andes Mountains as well as the North by another mountain chain. I think that Civ 5 does a relatively good job of portraying the environment throughout the game. It's just like how throughout history; civilizations in North and South America have been hindered by the various environmental problems that hurt their trade and movement across their respective continents. I do however wish that there were random floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, and other natural disasters that accompany the real world. I also wish that every time you try and move far enough away from a civilization whether by sea or land, there's a chance that they get lost or some other event happens that makes them disappear from play. 

Spiritual Life and Moral Codes has definitely been the most confusing aspect of Civ 5 to me. I'm still trying to grasp the importance to the game, so bare with me. As you progress through the game you have the option to found a religion or use a religion that another civilization is already using. The same can be said for your civilization ideology. Both ideology and religion have various different bonuses that come with selecting that particular one. I really didn't do much with religion through the game; I was more focused on economics, production, and war than religion. I really only made some monuments that contributed to an increase in faith, but that's pretty much it. If you're opening a trade route with a different city, sometimes you can spread religion and influence to other civilizations and city states, but I was always more keen to look for scientific bonuses. You could also use missionaries to spread your religion by sending them over the globe to other civs and city states. I think that spiritual life and moral codes are the least accurate portrayal of historical change in this game. Throughout history many, MANY, wars and battles have been fought over religious reasons: the Crusades, Thirty Years' War, and the Eighty Years' War are some good examples. In this game, there doesn't seem to be any civilizations going after each other for religious reasons. It seems as if religion is in this game for only the minute bonuses that accompany them.