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Moreover, grand strategy games often help players simulate situations in the real world that cannot merely happen today. Alternate history fans often use these to gain insights as to what can happen to countries given various scenarios. These games can also provide insight into world leaders that people can’t get through simple observation. Here are some of those thoughts.
4 Appearances Don’t Define Leadership
Players of Civilization love the series for trying its best to have an accurate portrayal of world events, especially when it comes to the leaders the game uses to represent countries and factions. It’s so far, so good, right? It should feel amazing having a historical figure in a 4X game. Except when Mahatma Gandhi goes Nuclear.
This “Nuclear Gandhi” received notoriety amongst fans as he leads a rather “aggressive” India in the late-game of Civilization sessions. This situation appears to be a result of a coding glitch. Either way, this situation serves as a reminder that appearances don’t define a person, especially leaders. Gandhi might’ve lived as someone to admire, but behind all good appearances of leaders are decisions for their countries that people should always think about.
3 There’s Too Much To Worry About In The Long Term
2 Alliances Can Be A Fickle Thing
Alliances remain a focal point of a lot of 4X games. In hit titles such as Civilization, players have to make alliances with other nations and factions to achieve a lot of benefits. These benefits come in the form of shared resources, allies in times of war, or even aid in times of crisis. Unfortunately, world leaders have a tendency to have “preferences” in terms of their political allies, especially when it comes to their interests.
Nations can easily fall out of favor from others due to various diplomatic scenarios. Just like in games, even one unfortunate circumstance can ruin a country’s “friendships.”
1 Ideologies Shape Public Favor
Many 4X games give multiple options players can use to tinker their respective regions. These can come in the form of taxes, and even little decisions gamers make that affect the way their cities are shaped. As a result, their cities may appear “subscribed” to political ideologies - such as communist cities, bustling capitalist nations, or even authoritarian societies, among others.
In the real world, leaders often shape their own nations based on their political viewpoints. Much of political unrest also stems from these differences, especially during election time when political agendas and platforms get put under scrutiny.
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