Source: Techspot
We bring you a genuinely wonderful piece of gaming history: how Sid Meier, the powerhouse mind behind the Civilization series, spent 33 years ago on state-of-the-art PC hardware. This wasn’t just any PC—it had been a $10,000 investment that worked out pretty importantly in the making of one of the most influential strategy games ever made. Let’s dive into this intriguing tale and explore Sid Meier’s high-stakes purchase legacy.
The $10,000 PC: A Game-Changing Investment
In 1991, Sid Meier made a gigantic, epoch-changing decision in the gaming area. He spent $10,000 on the most modern PC possible at that time a Compaq Deskpro 386 that packs 16MB of RAM, which was a great amount for the period. Obviously, that was an investment in the creation of conditions necessary for the development of “Civilization”—the game destined to change strategy games forever.
Why So Expensive?
The PC was expensive for a number of reasons. By that time, high-performance PCs used the most current chips and other components, which were definitely not cheap for an average user. The machine Meier purchased was installed with class hardware: a powerful processor and memory sufficient to handle complex game development computations. It was an investment that really let Meier and his team push the envelope of what was technically feasible in gaming.
The Legacy of Civilization
“Civilization” received universal critical acclaim upon its release in 1991 and tops many “Greatest Strategy Game of All Time” lists. It is a success that genuinely attests to Meier’s vision and that $10,000 PC. For the very first time, it put before gamers a deep strategy game in which a player could build and then manage their civilization from ancient times through the modern age. Its influence can still be felt today, with numerous sequels and spin-offs expanding on the original concept.
The PC Today: An Artifact of the Past
Fast forward into today, and that same PC still exists. Astonishingly, it still runs and has been maintained by Firaxis Games, the studio cofounded by Sid Meier. The PC has become something of an artifact of the early days of PC gaming and represents the very beginning of one of the most successful franchises in the genre.
Preservation Efforts
Firaxis Games has kept this piece of gaming history very well. The PC is very well maintained to still be in working order and ready for people to be shown. This preservation attempt indeed reflects the respect shown toward gaming history and the technology behind making such groundbreaking games.
Impact on Game Development
This PC’s preservation, besides the feel-good element of nostalgia, acts as a reminder of how far along technological progress has come within mere decades. State-of-the-art gaming PCs now are hugely more potent and more accessible, thereby letting developers create ever more complicated and immersive creations. But also worth remembering is where it all started—the humble beginnings and the early technology laid the groundwork for today’s advancements.
Sid Meier’s $10,000 PC, purchased 33 years ago, was a big cost and one of the most critical investments laid down for the groundwork on “Civilization,” which changed strategy gaming. That this PC still runs and has been preserved by Firaxis Games says much about the lasting effect of such very early technology and the preservation of gaming history as a whole.
As we look back on this remarkable story, we deepen in appreciation for the steps taken in gaming technology and the visionaries behind it. Here’s to Sid Meier and that $10,000 PC: shaping a future of gaming!
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