"There are 3 remaining super nations in the year 3991 A.D, each competing for the scant resources left on the planet after dozens of nuclear wars have rendered vast swaths of the world uninhabitable wastelands."
It sounds like the description for a big-budget sci-fi movie, but in reality it's simply the result of a really long game of Sid Meier's 1996 classic strategy game Civilization II.
"I play other games and have a life," redditor Lycerius wrote today as he described the unique situation that's arisen in his decade-long bout with the game.
In Civ II, players take control of one emerging nation and wage war against the world, forming alliances, researching technology and amassing resources. In this case, the player is controlling the Celts, and between the efforts of himself, the Vikings and the Americans, all other nations have long since ceased to exist. The ice caps have melted 20 times over, and the world is practically uninhabitable. As you may have guessed, games of Civ II don't normally last this long.
"The three remaining nations have been locked in an eternal death struggle for almost 2000 years," Lycerius wrote. "Peace seems to be impossible. Every time a cease fire is signed, the Vikings will surprise attack me or the Americans the very next turn, often with nuclear weapons. Even when the U.N forces a peace treaty. So I can only assume that peace will come only when they're wiped out. It is this that perpetuates the war ad infinitum."
"I was forced to do away with democracy roughly a thousand years ago because it was endangering my empire," he continued. "But of course the people hate me now and every few years since then, there are massive guerrilla (late game barbarians) uprisings in the heart of my empire that I have to deal with which saps resources from the war effort."
That's some straight-up 1984 shit. So many other redditors became intrigued by this situation that they started an entire subreddit for it, dubbed "The Eternal War." Other players are suggesting strategies to end the war that will take real-life months to carry out. Even the Huffington Post has picked up the story.
And, we're guessing, torrents of Civilization II spiked by thousands today. Have you ever heard of something more incredible arising from a strategy game? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter.
