Guns Germs and Steel (and some Civilization)

James Portnow @ Gamasutra: "Dear Reader:

Over the next few weeks we've got PAX and Austin GDC, so we'll get back to the usual gossip and parties shortly, but this week I wanted to do something I never do, actually talk about a game. Civ 4 is such old news at this point that I think it's fairly safe to say whatever I want about it.

Normally "what I want to say" about any given game involves a lot of cursing and snide remarks (usually the first thing I try and do whenever picking up a new title is rage-quit) but I actually have some rather cheery things to say about Civ 4 (actually I'm fairly even tempered unless someone f'ks with the great masters [Dante's Inferno, I'm coming for you]). What interests me today about Civ 4 are not its merits as a game, at least not strictly, but rather what it has to teach."