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Tech

Watching 43 'Civilization V' Factions Fight for World Domination on a Tiny Map Is Oddly Soothing

A YouTuber placed all the ‘Civilization V’ factions on one small map and set them loose.

Civilization V can be a soothing game. I like to play it after a long day of work, a podcast running in the background as I slowly move a society through the ages. Sure, barbarians and warring neighbors can make the game stressful, but I can always pause and think over my situation. That sense of control helps me relax and get to the next round.

This video of a computer-run Civilization V game posted by YouTuber AIBattle should stress me out. Civilization V has 43 different civilizations to choose from, but most games don’t include anywhere near that number. AIBattle created a tiny custom map and dropped all 43 on it to see what would happen.

The resulting 500-turn game is captured in this seven minute video and, much like playing Civilization V, I find it soothing. Cities rise, fall, and are conquered by the better AI players. After a few minutes of mounting tension, the tiny city-states winnow each other down and become large societies until, in the end, a few remain to fight for over the meager resources on the island they’re trapped on.

It’s a chill way to enjoy a quick game of Civilization by proxy.