In March of 2008 I attended a Video Games Live concert, where the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra allowed me to hear Baba Yetu for the first time. I figured a game with that quality of music must be awesome in other ways and was worth a look. A month later I visited my brother-in-law and his wife, and as it happens he played a lot of Civ IV, and he introduced me right then. Bought BTS later that year and got some good time with it, especially during a brief period of unemployment. One day I think I played for 10 hours, the refreshing autumn breeze flowing through my home office windows. I eventually got my high school choir to sing Baba Yetu at their fall concert, and it was the standout hit of the night.
Tragically, a long dry period followed: I discovered Facebook later that year and spent more time with its games (much of it wasted, admittedly). I knew I wanted to get back into Civ, but only once I was ready to commit enough hours-long blocks to it. I bought vanilla Civ V for my birthday in 2012, but, hearing about deficiencies in the game experience, stuck it out until G&K arrived and I felt more committal. I bought it a year later, just in time to share it with my niece during a weekend visit. The game was my birthday present to her the following month, and we got in a few online rounds before her mom's laptop crapped out.
These days, with me parenting a 1-year-old, I'm lucky if I get an hour a week to game. Four months ago I won a domination victory I'd been working on for the year prior. I know that will change as my daughter becomes more independent. I can't wait to introduce the game (VI?) to her, and I would love for us to eventually play together one night a week and--homework permitting--pick one Saturday a month to play ALL DAY.
