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Not to brag, but I’ve got quite a lot of experience in the field of world domination. In fact, I’ve conquered the planet dozens of times – within the relative safety of the Civilization series, of course. So, you could say I’m pretty excited that Civilization VII is on its way. The series has always been a small obsession of mine, but that obsession peaked in the summer of 2023 after the birth of my son.

Those of you with kids will know that those first several weeks are wild. No sleep. Little food. Being periodically screamed at for no discernible reason. It’s like joining the Army only I was allowed to grow my hair out. For at least two months after my son was born, I barely knew who I was most mornings. Don’t get me wrong, I love the little guy, but he was a difficult baby.

What does this have to Civilization VI? Well, there comes a time in most babies’ lives when they refuse to be put down. Whether it is an instinct to cling that served our ape ancestors so well or just the kind of psychological warfare that babies wage against their parents, for the first two months of his life, my boy would not be put into his crib to sleep. Doing so was some sort of torture, judging by his immediate and very vocal screams. So, to give my very patient but very tired wife a break, I would often take the boy downstairs while she caught up on sleep.

With my son cuddled against my chest, I couldn’t go to sleep myself, so I would load up Steam and look for something I could pass the time with. Turns out there are very few games you can play with just one hand, so I loaded up Civilization VI. Every morning for about two months, I spent an hour or two – sometimes more if he was being particularly difficult – clicking through various eras in history as I strolled toward world domination.

This isn’t an “I’m so good at this game” statement. I’ve sunk over 200 hours into Civilization VI (with close to half that time coming during the weeks following my son’s birth) and would only call myself average at best. I never learned the skill tree or the optimized route to each victory condition like a lot of people. To me, the series isn’t about skill; it is about hours spent with my infant son snoring on my chest as I guided my chosen leader toward crushing my enemies. Listening to the approaching dawn as my Korean scientists mastered the stars or my ongoing mission to wipe Ghandi from the map once and for all.

The Civilization series has an indelible, inescapable place in my heart. It got me through what was, looking back, an exhausting chapter in my life, which is why I’m looking forward to sinking back into it again as VII comes out in February. True, I won’t have a sleeping infant on my chest this time, but that doesn’t mean I won’t be thinking of him as I march toward world domination once again in Civilization VII.

You don't need to beat the game to prepare for the next one—here are all the major new and upcoming games coming our way.