Three Fundamental Conditions of Human Existence

The three fundamental conditions of human existence are

1. Humans in all places and times interact with the natural environment
2. Humans in all places and times interact with one another 
3. Humans in all places and times develop and act upon ideas

Does the game reflect these fundamentals? If so, how so? Also use this post to reflect on your overall experience with the game. Does it effectively portray the nature of historical change? 


The game reflects these three fundamental conditions in various aspects.

#1 Humans in all places and times interact with the natural environment

To start, humans interacting with the natural environment connects with several themes. It connects with Patterns of Population, Economics and Networks of Exchange Technology and the Environment, and Spiritual Life and Moral Codes.

Patterns of Population is not exclusive to the first fundamental condition. With regards to humans interaction with the environment, population growth depends on where the player's civilization starts (near a body of water) and luxury resources around it. You can create farms out of deserts (seems unrealistic), but the food production effects how large a population can become. The more cities in a civilization, the longer it takes for a population to expand (more mouths to feed).

Economic and Networks of Exchange theme treats the first fundamental condition through resources. If the player's civilization does not have a resource, you can trade with other civilizations/city-states to acquire it. Also, your workers can manipulate the environment to acquire more gold (building a mine on a mountain).

Technology and the Environment is self-explanatory. The technology a civilization develops is dependent on the resources located near a civilization's starting point. As I discussed previously in the sixth theme, it would be in the player's best interest to consider technologies that benefit a civilization based on geographical location.

Spiritual Life and Moral Codes, expressed through the first condition, can manipulate religion. Discovering a world wonder (such as Mt. Fuji) can create faith and inspire people. Building faith points benefits religion and culture.

#2 Humans in all places and times interact with one another


The second fundamental condition, humans interaction with one another, is the base of the game. Civilization V is a constant balance of interaction with other civilizations. Without connect historical significance to the game, it would be a great simulation for human's reliance on society. In order to survive as a species, we must be social. Without interactions with each other, we would easily go extinct. This condition is the most important aspect to human's survival. The themes that represent this one is Patterns of Population, Economics and Networks of Exchange, Politics and Power, Society and Its Categories, and Spiritual Life and Moral Codes.

Patterns of Population is not well addressed with this fundamental condition I think. There is no interaction between cities in a civilization (like SimCity). Humans couldn't exist if the leader, the player, did not control how the civilization will grow. The population in the game is decided with how the leader interacts with his/her civilization.

Economics and Networks of Exchange is also self-explanatory like technology and the environment. By trading with other civilizations/city-states, you increased the survival rate of your civilization. Trading with multiple civilizations increased culture, science, and even production within your civilization. The more interactions, the better.

Politics and Power is expressed through the leader's diplomatic relationships with the other leaders and military power. This interaction is almost counter-intuitive to economics, but a balance of it ensures a victory. Without power, the other civilizations can claim victory and dominate your civilization.

Society and Its Categories is almost non-existent in this game. Leaders can have some Gender Role, but it stretches the idea. No familial ties, kinship, or interactions in the civilizations you control. The theme is directly connected to the second fundamental condition, but not expressed in the game.

Spiritual Life and Moral Codes identifies with religion in the game. Religion is HEAVILY dependent on human interaction. With no other civilizations, religion can not spread. Missionaries and Great Prophets would have no purpose if there was no one else to interact with. 

#3 Humans in all places and times develop and act upon ideas

This last fundamental condition can be found in all the themes. Without the ideas of humans, the themes could not exist. We are the ones creating the categories and figuring how we should fit one thing in another.

Technology shapes how a civilization will look and become. The stylistic approach (artistic endeavors) is how their technology operates compared to another. Even if two civilizations reach an era, they may not have the same stylistic approaches to their architecture and units. The leaders (politics and power) come up with strategies or ideas in order to dominate other civilizations if they pursue victory within the game. As a game progresses, a civilization will build faith and can create a religion. Creation process of a religion relies on the ideas of humans.

Economically, a civilization must come up with a plan in order to become financially successful enough to support their civilization. This requires scouting and tactical diplomacy in order to access certain luxury resources that the civilization may not have. Populations grow through the ideas of the leader. Leader can focus on food production, production, cultural production, or even gold production.

All of these themes are connected with the fundamental condition. Ideas is what separates us from the other primates.
Every human has four endowments - self awareness, conscience, independent will and creative imagination. These give us the ultimate human freedom... The power to choose, to respond, to change. - Stephen Covey

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Spiritual Life and Moral Codes

Felipe Fernández-Armesto and Spodek approach to studying world religions in two different ways. Much like them, the game also presents world religion in a unique way that does not follow history.

FFA follows a horizontal integration approach with world religion. Horizontal integration meaning he looks how the religions are connected to each other across space and time. In the early parts of chapter nine, he examined the early rise of world religions. The three main religions he focused on were Islam, Buddhism, and Judaism. 

Spodek took a much different approach. He focused on six different themes that apply to all world religions. He even included Hinduism. His six themes were the santifications of time, space, language and literature, artistic and cultural creativity, family and ancestors, and religious organizations.

Religion is a feature reintroduced in the Civilization V: Gods & Kings expansion pack. If you do not have this expansion, you are missing out. Just as in the real world, Religion consists of a series of beliefs, defining the religion's ideas and goals. In the game environment this is represented through a system of bonuses, which have a diverse set of possible effects. Bonuses can include +1 to culture, +2 to science, faster production, and even happiness.

Religion doesn't start at the beginning of the game (4000 BC). Much like the views of FFA and Spodek, the common world religions today didn't start with the beginning of man. The religions did not begin momentum until 1000 C.E. The one stat you must collect in order to begin a religion is faith. Faith is accumulated through buildings like shrines or terrain features and Religious City-States.

Once enough faith is collected, you can create a pantheon. A Pantheon is a belief in a certain God pertaining to a certain civilization. The civilization chooses which Pantheon they want (this is were the bonuses come in handy). 

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I tend to pick my pantheon depending on my environment. If I am located next to the see and I know my border growth will eventually lead me to the resources, I'll pick a pantheon favoring the sea. If I know my resources can make use of camps, I'll pick a god that favors hunting. This is where Technology and the Environment and Religious and Moral Code themes overlap. The religion is shaped by the environment. Pantheons are shaped by the will of the people. They will worship and sacrifice for a god that is specific to their environment.

After you have founded a pantheon, a Great Prophet will eventually appear (through further Faith accumulation, or from completing Wonders). He has the special ability to "Found a Religion." There are eleven religions to choose from with Gods & Kings expansion, thirteen with Brave New World.

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The "finding" the religion stays within a historical context because they list world religions that can be found relevant today. The neat thing about the simulator is you can choose whatever religion. French civilization can be Buddhist. Chinese civilization can become Islamic. This in my opinion, is the fun thing about the game. Free reign to go against societies organized religions.  

I personally never bothered with religion in my experience because I was too busy dominating. I know there are bonuses for fighting, but my domination victory is all about rushing and less about creating religion. Much like in real life, if you want your religion to survive, you have to spread it. It requires missionaries and prophets travelling to different civilizations and city-states preaching the word of your religion. Without this, your religion will not succeed and you run the risk of being dominated by another religion.

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Episode #3-6

I have updated more videos. I have released episodes #3 through #6. They are updated on my menu as well (hover over Videos and go down to My Gameplay). My Recent Videos are automatically updated as I upload videos on YouTube.

I recommend watching the videos in either 720p or 1080p. I do not record on the best settings (unfortunately). 

Sad part, it is only turns 60-133. Barely over 60 turns and it turns into four episodes. Oh well, it is expected. Civilization V is a long game. I plan on uploading more when I record more video. I'm getting in a groove editing these videos.

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Technology and the Environment

Technology and the Environment is used in every aspect of the game. To start, Technology is the running drive for the video game. By upgrading technologies in the tree, you can advance your civilization further. The further your civilization, the more advantages the player will have. I have seen games where I've achieved two eras before the person advanced one era. This is all based around technology.

Click here to see the image in full detail.

Technologies are the scientific advancements of your Empire. Each technology unlocks certain Buildings, Units or other advancements. It costs science points in order to advance in the technology. It is another resource that the user must build in order to advance (in addition with culture, money, food, faith). Here is the icon for science points.

As we discussed in class, societies collapse based on five factors. 

1. Human impacts on the environment.
2. Climate change.
3. Relations with friendly neighboring societies
4. Relations with hostile neighboring societies
5. Political/economic/social/cultural factors

These factors are mostly environmental factors. Environment in the game depends on the resources you can find and collect within your city or society. I will sometimes create a settler to travel to an obscure location on the map just to collect a difficult resource (I'm looking at you iron).

This is in direct correlation with item #1. 

There is no climate change within the game (I think they miss out in several other themes such as patterns of population with weather). There are no weather effects, severe storms, disasters, or any type of impact on the environment. I don't think it is fair to judge the creators of this game to not include weather. Weather effects in games takes a toll on the resources used by the video card and memory. Unless a game's code is polished (doubtful within the short time frame developers are granted), weather effects are cut from the list.

Relations with friendly or hostile neighboring societies is a fundamental element to the gameplay. How your civilization interacts with other civilizations and city-states determines your game and victory. Inaction or action, both determine the outcome of your social relationships. For example, I allied with the Mongolians. They were war-mongering civilizations and it put me in hot water as well. Other civilizations warned me if I allied with Mongolians, they would not hesitate to attack me. In one swoop, allying with certain civilizations can lead to instant hostile civilizations.

Political, cultural, economic, and social factors are another driving force within the game. It is defined with an accumulation of certain points such as cultural, science, happiness, and gold points. Political and social and intertwined in this game because the lack of social interaction within your capitals and cities. Political/social factors are related to friendly/hostile neighboring societies. Cultural and economic are approaches to the game (cultural being cultural victory) that determine if you win or lose. Economic is influenced by the amount of gold and production a civilization has. Enough gold can purchase buildings for multiple cities, units for military, and gifts for city-states. The gifts raise the reputation with the city-states.

In my opinion, Technology and Environment is THE most important theme in Civilization V. The environment shapes your civilization and technology. If you start building cities next to an ocean, it would be in the player's best interest to pick maritime type technologies. If you are next to cattle and horses, it is a good idea to build units that use horses and technologies that grant extra happiness from those resources. As Jared Diamond has stated in his book Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies:

“History followed different courses for different peoples because of differences among peoples' environments, not because of biological differences among peoples themselves”

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YouTube Problems and Future Episodes

As some of you guys (for those that are out there?) know, I'm uploading my video gameplay to YouTube and posting it to this blog. Well, YouTube has recently become more of a problem as the end of 2013. YouTube is sending out more copyright notices to YouTube content creators (even beginners like me). These copyright notices are flagged when their automated system determines that the file uploaded may contain music or footage claimed under a copyright. For both of my episodes, they have both received notices.

You can see where it says "Matched third party content"

What is ironic and funny about my videos is the "flagged" portion of the video is the soundtrack from the game. Yes, the game's music is flagging itself. It recognizes it as a soundtrack created from someone else (probably the same people who participated in the development of the game).


What’s likely happening is that YouTube or Google have implemented some sort of new algorithm which is detecting this stuff automatically, and issuing notices accordingly.

Despite all these annoying issues, I have more footage for four more episodes. I'm aiming close to 15 minutes per episode.

Well that is the update for now.

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Artistic Endeavors

Zhong Zeduan (1085-1145)
Spring Festival Along the River

What do you think about when you read the word 'Art'? Do you think paintings, statues, or expression? Here is the definition of art:


art
/ärt/

the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.

For me, it is not easy to define art. First thing that comes to mind with art is paintings such as Picasso's work or Mona Lisa. Art, in regards with the game, does tackle these common ideas of art.

Art in the game is expressed in the architecture (specific to each civilization) and in the Great Works of the people a civilization can spawn.

Below is a collection of three civilizations; China, France, and America. If you look closely at the images, you can tell an architectural difference in the cities. Each civilization has a certain "style" to their building designs (much like in real life). To me, the different styles is an artistic approach.

China

France

America

Architecture in the game can also be represented by the buildings or wonders you construct. Any civilization can construct the Great Wall of China or Hanging Gardens. A few of these wonders are architectural achievements, artistic monuments. Much like the film we watched in class discussing human form. Human form can take the shape of statues. One that comes to mind (in the game) is Statue of Zeus. His human form is unrealistic (portrayed as a god) and appeals as a wonder for the people. It raises happiness levels and improves culture for the civilization.

Another note-worthy feature from the game is great works. These are NOT culture specific. China (in theory) can have Jean Clouet - Portrait of Francois I or Vincent van Gogh - Starry Night. Artists are not restricted to their specific culture (Note: Great Works are only features from Brave New World).



According to Civilization V Wikia,  They represent exceptional achievements of the culture of your civilization, capable of spreading its fame all over the globe. Unlike general Culture, which consists of, say regular theater presentations, novel writing, or the occasional inauguration of a new Monument, etc. Great Works contribute to the 'external' pressure your civilization exerts to the other civilizations, represented by the stat Tourism.

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Society and Its Categories

Society and Its Categories is not easily defined into Eras, compared to the other themes. Rather, I think it is more important to list the types of categories people can be associated with. These categories include the following:

• Kinship
• Familial
• Gender
• Age
• Class
• Political
• Religion
• Race

Throughout history, people categorize other humans for the sake of organization. I think it is human nature, across the globe, to put people into categories.

Most of my anthropological undergraduate classes poke fun at this idea on occasion. Another way to look at society and its categories is with Culture and Personality and Neo-evolutionism. This involves culture's effect on personality in regards to socialization, culture's effect on human nature, and the progression of different civilizations based on the technoenvironmental situations (similar to the ideas of Jarred Diamond in Guns, Germs, and Steel).

I digress. The actual connections between society and its categories pertaining to Civilization V is few. To start, we discussed women throughout global history. My ruler, Wu Zetian, is an actual topics for discussion in class.

Actual Portrait

Empress Wu Zetian in Civilization V

Most of the game does not deal with categories with the people. If the game was designed similar to Sim City, with functionality within the capitals and cities, then society and category theme would apply.  The only categories I would associate with it political, gender, and religion.  There is no class structure, familial and kinship ties, race issues, nor age (rulers are immortal) organization.

Political category goes with the Civilization you chose and its affiliates. Either choosing to gain positive or negative reputation from city-states or other civilizations the player interacts with.

Gender category is divided early in the game with the leader of the civilization. As stated, my ruler is female (one of very few in history). There are a total of 8 female rulers.

Of the 9 European civilizations, England, Spain, Portugal, France, Dutch, Austria, Germany, Russia, and Venice, 5 have female leaders. You'd think medieval Europe was a bastion of gender equality, or even discrimination against men!

Religious category is interesting to say the least. First, it is re-introduced with the God and Kings expansion. There are eleven religions to chose from (13 with Brave New World). The interesting part is you pick the religion you want. You do not have to follow history. I can be Chinese with Christianity and spread my prophet and beliefs around the world.  Religion doesn't exist at the start of a game (unlike Culture and Science, which start developing immediately after settling the Capital). It has to be created, first, and the path to this depends on the new stat -
Faith.

Religion works to influence others. This grants benefits for you such as the following:

When a City-State shares your Religion, your Influence with it diminishes 25% slower.

Sharing Religion with another nation nets you a 25% bonus to Tourism.

You can designate a Religion to be the official World Religion via the World Congress, by successfully passing the respective resolution. Once enacted, this religion spreads 25% faster than others (conversion is 25% faster, but still in the same distance), its Holy City receives a 50% Tourism bonus, and all nations following this religion will receive two additional congress delegates.

(Tourism only applies to Brave New World expansion)

I don't think this theme had has many connections compared to the rest. I think the next theme, Artistic Endeavors, will have more solid connections between the game and real life.

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