Civilization

Civilization
Companies	MicroProse
First release date	Sep 1991
Original platform(s)	DOS
Optimization notes	MT-32
4x strategy
The epic strategy game to end all strategy games, at least in its day. You take the role of a tutelary deity and guide a nomadic tribe in a millennia-long quest to build an empire. Immense in scope, yet tightly focused, Civilization remains an accessible and addictive simulation of humanity's history from the earliest stone-age settlements to space colonization in the near future. A technology tree system - one of the first games to have such a thing - rewards strong economic performance and investment in academia with advancements which affect every aspect of the game. A Wikipedia-like "Civilopedia" catalogs over 170 game concepts and the real-world history behind them, reducing the need to constantly reference the manual and stealthily educating the player. The start of a very long running series, but in many ways the most immersive and most beginner-friendly of them all.
Key people	Sid Meier, Jeff Briggs, Bruce Shelley