In the video game industry, there are trendsetters, visionaries like Steve Jobs, and other legends. And then there are the gods. I’m not afraid of this comparison—Sid Meier can be counted among the gods of game development. Because it’s impossible not to know him, and his creations have forever changed the industry, setting the course for a significant number of genres and franchises. Even players who may not recognize his name almost certainly know at least one of his games, and that game is Civilization.
There are people whose names became their calling cards. Their games were bought without question, their name alone enough of a guarantee, because they had already created masterpieces in the past. But I can’t readily recall anyone else whose name was consistently placed directly in the titles of their games. With Sid Meier, this happened multiple times, starting with that very Civilization, officially titled Sid Meier’s Civilization (though the idea of adding his name to the titles didn’t actually come from Sid Meier himself).
Why can he be called a god? Precisely because, with resources modest by today’s standards, he managed to create an entire world with its own nations, a world that grew and evolved according to the rules set by its creator. He made his own Earth, where every player could also feel a bit like a god, guiding their chosen group of people from the dawn of time to the era of space exploration (in the original game, humanity’s journey to Alpha Centauri was one of the possible endings).
That’s why you approach a book by such a master with a sense of reverence from the start. No, we don’t worship idols, but delving into the biography of someone who began making games long before many of today’s industry “gurus” even existed feels like reading the myths and legends of long-lost civilizations (pardon the pun).
In his book, Sid Meier opts for a simple and unvarnished recounting of how he entered what was then a nonexistent industry, how he made his first games and built a company, the experiments he conducted with his partner, and why he devoted more time to some genres than others.
A brief foreword to the Russian edition of the book was written by Alexander Pavlov, co-founder of the company Playkot. It was thanks to his support that the Russian edition of the book was published. In the foreword, Alexander expresses his hope that the book captivates readers as much as it captivated him. Well, for me, it truly became a fascinating read about the life of a man for whom creating top-tier games became far more important than making money from them.
Sid Meier begins his story with the founding of his company in the early 1980s. He dedicates a lot of attention to his earliest games, his very first creations. From there, the chapters progress chronologically, each detailing the games released during the described period, from 1982 (his first game, Hellcat Ace) to 2015 (Sid Meier’s Starships, the latest game at the time of writing).
Initially, the accounts of each game and the people working on them are very detailed. But the closer he gets to the present day, the more philosophical his narrative becomes, with fewer specifics about game development. This is understandable: in the early days, games were created by passionate individuals who wore many hats, while today’s large-scale projects are developed by hundreds of specialists in various fields. As a result, the role of any single contributor no longer seems as significant as that of a lone creator responsible for an entire game.
For his early games, Sid describes the circumstances that led to their creation, the coincidences, challenges, and interactions with colleagues. At some point, he began delegating projects to colleagues, retaining only overall control while immersing himself in experiments. The same Civilization grew out of one of these long-term experiments, which faced numerous setbacks but eventually became one of the most famous gaming franchises.
In the second part of the book, he reflects on various aspects of a game designer’s work: how to construct worlds, what to focus on, and what boundaries to set for oneself. It’s evident that, for him, creating games is a form of play—just a more complex one, with its own set of rules. Not all the games made by his company inspired him, and the book makes it clear which ones were his favorites—those he devotes significantly more attention to.
Throughout the book, there’s not a trace of arrogance or superstar posturing. At times, it feels like the author is even excessively modest, giving much of the credit to his colleagues. Just a guy who made masterpieces. Anyone could do the same.
The book reads less like an autobiography and more like a novel, complete with its own intrigues and dramas. It’s a whole world from which wildly different games emerged: military flight simulators, railroad empire tycoons, pirate adventures… And, of course, the rise of civilizations.
If you love games, this book will bring you immense joy. It certainly did for me.
P.S. Sid Meier couldn’t resist adding achievements to the book—just like the ones beloved by many gamers. For example, “Achievement unlocked: ‘Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Orchestra’: collect four mentions of mustaches.”
My ratinng: 4.5/5
