In this episode, Emma and Craig talk with Gabe Moss about the video game franchise Civilization, by Sid Meier. First released in 1991 and now in its sixth installment, the “Civ” games have engrossed generations of players with the opportunity to guide a society from the Stone Age to the modern day. We discuss how the game reflects the assumptions and ideologies of its creators, particularly in its conception of historical progress and inter-civilization competition, as well as the challenges of representing a subject as complex as the entire human past in a playable format.
For further reading, see:
Produced by Gabe Moss, Emma Rothberg, and Craig Gill
Edited by Ashley Curry
All opinions are the speakers’ own, and do not represent the official views of UNC or the Department of History.