Analyses of "Sid Meier's Civilization" intro videos?

October 12, 2023 8:39 AM

Many editions of the video game "Sid Meier's Civilization" have included introductory videos/cinematics and trailers that composite together summaries of human history, often inspirational in tone (examples in full question details). I recently watched a few and was struck by their different emphases, hopes, arguments they make about what it means for civilization to progress, and so on. Could you point to good analyses (written or video) that compare, contrast, analyze, and/or criticize these short films, and maybe even put them in context with other similar edutainment montages of the history of civilization?

Examples of the mini-films I'm talking about: from Civ 6, Civ 5, Civ 5: Brave New World, Civ 4, Civ 3.

And as a comparison, check out composer Christopher Tin's video using music he wrote for a Civilization score, with visuals that heavily use historical photos and film rather than computer-generated graphics, and which imply different politics than many official Civilization intro videos seem to imply, in my opinion.

I am more interested in analyses of the arguments made specifically in these cinematics and trailers than analyses of the arguments made in the games overall; I have already found the latter in, for instance, this front page post and this discussion thread.

posted by brainwane to Media & Arts