In celebration of the release of “Sid Meier’s Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword,” the latest and greatest expansion pack in the venerated strategy game, publisher 2K Games and developer Firaxis have partnered with a number of Webcomic artists to create a number of comics and animated shorts set within the Civilization universe:
As the game that launched the “God Game” strategy genre, Civilization has allowed players to direct great armies in battles and bring warring factions together in dazzling feats of diplomacy. Every player experiences the ultimate thrill of being in command and leading a nation. Yet, we’ve always wondered what it would be like to hear from the units and characters inside the game – to give them a voice. What if life inside a game of Civilization was real – real, at least, to the characters inside the game’s universe? What would the units inside a game say to each other? What would they say about you – the game’s “God” – and the decisions you make and strategies you employ?
To celebrate the release of Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword, 2K Games and Firaxis Games have challenged several of the most beloved creators of “web comics” to give a voice to the characters in Civ through a series of comics called Civilization Daydreams. Starting on July 24 and ending August 10, these Civilization-themed web comics from the artists behind 8-Bit Theater, Control-Alt-Delete, Dueling Analogs, GUComics, MyExtraLife and PvPOnline, as well as animated shorts from the executive producer and collaborators behind the Over the Hedge comic and animated film, will debut on a combination of the comic creator websites and Civ fansites including www.apolyton.net, www.civfanatics.com and planetcivilization.gamespy.com. The kick-off comic drawn by Woody Hearn of GUComics can be found at www.civilization.com/daydreams, which will also be updated weekly with all of the Civilization Daydreams comics and animated shorts.
But that is far from all my friends. They are also holding a “Fan Art and Comic Contest,” with five winners taking home an wireless game controller and a “Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer Fatal1ty Professional Series sound card.” Check the Web site for more contest details.
