Civ V My Favourite Sink Time

We all have our go to game. The title we fire up when we have an evening or afternoon spare and nothing but time to recline into. For me that game is Sid Myer’s Civilization V. But when I launch this turned based strategy title I lose the next two weeks to game-play. Looking over the Steam stats I have given over three hundred hours to perfecting the best Civilization and still cannot win above King difficulty.  What is it about this particular game that eats my weekends and leaves me avoiding evenings with friends? There’s two main reasons: it’s unique within its genre and the game is rich with choice.

At the start of the game you pick a nation or civilization to role play like the Celtic tribes, Germany, or the Mongol war hordes. Each country comes with unique buildings and perks to influence game play. You then develop your empire by settling more cities, working the local resources and researching technological advancements. But what separates Civ V from other turned based strategies is that  you don’t need to  conquer your neighbours in order to win the game.

Victory can be achieved in numerous ways. You could be a diplomat and be voted world leader by the united nations, wooing your opponents with a silver tongue and gold gifts. Alternatively, scientific and cultural domination are attainable by being the first nation to reach space or producing the most influential tourist capital by creating great works or art, writing and music. Of course the way of the sword, musket and nuclear bomb is still an option but just like reality it’s challenging because no empire in history has controlled every country.

Negotiating the path to winning is not simple. The game is filled with features that hinder or support your chances against the other nations. Creating, controlling and spreading a religion is highly competitive, just like the rush to build world wonders such as the Great Wall of China, Statue of Liberty or Kremlin. Then you have to worry about hordes of barbarians stealing your workers, sneak attacks from other countries, sustaining trade relations, picking the perfect social policies for your empire and trying to keep your people happy. The effort required to conquer in Civ V is colossal but rewarding and probably the reason sink so much time into the game.

I made a deal with myself. Once all the victory conditions  had been achieved and if my laptop could cope with the new tech I would treat myself to Civ VI. This goal was reached several months ago, and even though I tempt myself watching videos of the latest installment, I cannot take the plunge to update and  give up my favourite game. After four years I am still challenged by the title and have truly played the original sale price of thirty five pounds. If you want to lose the next few years of your life I would recommend you do the same.

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