Written by: MigsDC
Sid Meier’s Civilization is one of
the quintessential classics of PC strategy, alongside other notable
franchises such as the Age of Empires and Total War series, and few
would doubt that fact nor the long-running series's impact on more
than just the gaming industry. Yet, for all the well-deserved acclaim
and enduring popularity among gamers, it has also caught the ire of a
variety of emergent critics that grew more vocal by the 2010s.
Critics who, beyond just highlighting the games’ shortcomings,
lambasted them for propagating colonialism, Eurocentric viewpoints,
nationalism, and other views deemed “politically incorrect” or
“problematic.”
Two critics of the franchise immediately come to my mind, as I feel
they are representative of the Civilization criticism. One is Chris“Errant Signal” Franklin. He is a game critic and YouTuber known
for doing informed commentary on “gaming as an art form.” His
Civilization analysis video in particular, which was posted on May
26, 2014, is something I take great issue with. The other critic is
Kyle “Brows Held High” Kallgren. He is a content creator with a
penchant for high-brow analysis of both arthouse and popular culture
who, while not particularly known for covering video games, has
released a “Between the Lines” feature on the series on November
1, 2016. While not so similar at a glance, Kallgren coming off more
passive than Franklin, both have quite a bit in common. For the most
part both videos cover the same points and use pretensions of being
intellectual to give themselves an authoritative aura.
So, what exactly do they find so
concerning about the series? Well, even while acknowledging
Civilization’s boardgame-inspired elements, they take issue with
how inaccurate the games were in conveying abstract historical
dynamics. Something the more recent Paradox Interactive games, such
as the Crusader Kings and Hearts of Iron titles, are known for. They
also take issue with how the games, and by proxy the developers,
frame said elements. One glaring case being the “Barbarian”
mechanic, wherein warbands from the wilderness beyond your faction’s
borders would run amuck, especially early in-game, unless you defeat
them in combat or crush the camps they spawn from. This is perceived
as “problematic” as it reflects a Western/Eurocentric view of
treating poor hunter-gathering nomads as primitive brutes who,
according to Franklin, are destined to lose and become marginalized
from being “civilized.” This is also highlighted by Kallgren.
Another criticism is how myriad aspects
of the franchise be it a Conquest Victory, the technology tree or
what nations/cultures/societies get to be playable are similarly
portrayed through a murky Western lens. For both critics, albeit more
explicit in Franklin’s case, these come off as extolling the dark
side of Eurocentrism. The very darkest of evils that include
nationalism, imperialism and anything arbitrarily deemed politically
incorrect. However, at the same time they chastise those aspects for
downplaying common “human” virtues. In Franklin’s case, he goes
so far as to accuse the games of sexism due to the selection of
leaders highlighting “Great Men” and barely any women, despite
noted female figures being a recurring and growing trend, while
Kallgren bemoans the notion of having victors and losers. Even the
very use of the term “Civilization” is questioned, emphasizing
its troublesome connotations while invoking academic discourse on
social constructs.
These “critiques”, however passively they’re framed, mirror the encroachment of culture wars into gaming over the years. Similar politicizing narratives have come from media outlets such as Eurogamer and Polygon in more recent times, especially in regards to Civilization 6, further adding accusations of warmongering and all but demanding that the series address contemporary political issues such as social justice diversity or climate change. While it's easy to say "they're wrong," that's a story for another time. As always. feel free to comment, like, share, tweet, or whatever other thing you kids do on your social media these days.
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