Age of Empires: Worlds Collide
Age of Empires is one of the early games that demonstrated its potential in simultaneous education and entertainment in a video game. Its attempt to pursue a standard of historical accuracy in technologies and civilizations sparked genuine interest in world history among millions of players, showcasing the educational potential of the medium. The game's success paved the way for other historically themed titles and helped popularize the RTS genre among audiences who might not have otherwise engaged with strategy games. However, Age of Empires series were first and foremost a hardcore Real Time Strategy game with Age of Empires 2 as its poster child. Age of Empires is the exemplar for symmetrical design, where all players have access to a universal set of units, buildings, and upgrades but with key unique differences based on the faction, called civilization in-game, chosen by the player before playing the game. With up to 45 civilizations available (for Age 2), the wide range of match-ups and opportunities for skill expression is a core part of what has kept its player-base loyal to the game to the present day. Age of Empires is, without a doubt, a game series for the ages.
