To Complexity and Beyond

My son plays a popular computer software game called Civilization that fascinates me. Not only is it exciting – going toe-to-toe with Genghis Khan or Napoleon is never dull – it appeals a lot to the archaeologist in me. Build a Civilization from scratch? How cool is that? But there's another reason I find the game intriguing: it illuminates an important lesson about the Age of Consequences.

You begin the game by selecting a famous empire to command – Babylonian, Greek, Chinese, Roman, Russian, Spanish, and so forth. Then you are plopped down in the middle of a vast wilderness, circa 4000 B.C., and given the mission to build a mighty Civilization. You'd better do it quick too, because seven not-so-benevolent dictators soon will be competing against you. To start, you are given a Settler, a Warrior, and, if you're lucky, a Scout – and the race through history is on! As you fend off wild animals and barbarians, your villages grow into hamlets which grow into towns and eventually cities. You gain new technologies over time, beginning with mining, agriculture, hunting, animal husbandry, religion, music, and so forth. Eventually, you discover bronze, iron, math, philosophy, oil, steel, capitalism, environmentalism, and computer technology, becoming in the process a great and enduring Civilization.

Of course, the real goal of the game is to wage near constant warfare. New technologies mean new weapons and players spend most of their time invading, or repelling, other Civilizations. Archers kill enemy spearmen; chariots duke it out with war elephants;   knights   fight   off   cavalry;   musketmen   mow   down