My World of Strategy Games

We would do anything to escape from the mundane (sometimes mediocre) existence called life. For some this exit happens through ‘colored water’ (some call it booze) for others it is through sucking on the fire at the tip of a cigar (holy smoke). Escapism later on can become an addiction. Maybe, IPL can be considered as the latest entry in this search for an escape route. Interestingly for me, my escape route has not changed for the past few years. For the past ten years I am hooked on to strategy games. When I was a ‘financial parasite’ (feeding on the money from my parents hard earned savings) I used to spend a colossal amount playing strategy games in internet cafés. Some café owners where magnanimous enough that they used to give me a concession as I was not online. The game which got me really hooked on was The Age of Empires and the series that followed like Age of Kings and Age of Kings – Expansion. I loved the game for its rich texture and animation. Earlier I didn’t have a strategy to play the game, but as I progressed through the game I started devising strategies to defeat my opponent. Similarly I used cheat codes to gather resources and to convert my units to destructive weapons. Cheat codes were so handy that, you played with a ‘sadistic confidence’. When I got my own PC, age of empires became a kind of obsession. If my memory is accurate, one night I played for 6 hours. The game itself is a result of much research and planning. Anybody who is curious to know about the history will find enough material here for a research paper. I have become – Attila the Hun, Joan of Arc, Barbarossa, El Cid, Saladin and I felt that I was fighting a real war in the real world. The fascinating part of the game is the CGI; the birds that fly cast their shadows on the terrain below. The monk with his scepter or staff, the paladin and the trebuchet – all add to the majestic nature of the game.

These days I have made some progress in the field of strategy games. I have started playing – The Rise of Nations. Another strategy game which has got more options and richness. The game begins in the Classical age and then progresses to Information age in which you can have a nuclear missile shield. It is again a fascinating game where you can learn about the new art of war. It also has got campaigns by Alexander the great, Napoleon and a campaign where you can take role of a nation and conquer the whole world.
Some other games which I have enjoyed are – Project IGI, Hitman, Medal of Honour, Corvette and NFS series.