How to war europa universalis 52/25/2023 ![]() ![]() Because all of these games attempt to cover the sweep of history, all of them take shortcuts and reify historical concepts. ![]() These are all "grand" strategy games you control entire nations over the course of centuries or more. series had new releases this past summer: Civilization V: Brave New World, Europa Universalis IV, and Total War: Rome II. It's partially due to tradition, but also pragmatic-a mouse and keyboard allow for faster and more precise control in these kinds of games. Three of the most important and popular historical-strategy computer game 2 2 Historical strategy games have almost always appeared on computers instead of video game consoles. The challenge is not speed or skill, like a racing game or a shooter might have, but instead a certain form of leadership-the ability to see the big picture and respond appropriately. Strategy games abstract both time and space to give the player control over dozens of different entities (people, cities, military units, trains, etc). When I talked about why "violent video games" are so engaging, I theorized that their use of tension across time and space activates players' brains in a fashion rarely accomplished in day-to-day life. The genre of game which most commonly and directly attempts to engage with complex real-world situations are strategy games. Gould focuses on "intelligence" and attempts to quantify it via skull-measuring or IQ tests, but it could also be applied to ideals like "justice" ideology makes an appearance. ![]() Gould explores the concept of "reification." It's the idea that if humans can define and discuss a concept, then they'll often treat that concept as something real. But in games that attempt to model real-world history, society, or politics, 1 1 In the seminal book The Mismeasure Of Man, scientist and philosopher Stephen J. All games have rules, of course, but not all of them have clear ideologies-the abstract simulation of how a tennis ball behaves after being struck in Wii Sports doesn't reveal much other than what programming shortcuts were taken. ![]()
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