strategy space games

Alright, listen up, y’all. I’m gonna tell ya ’bout them strategy space games. Don’t know much ’bout this computery stuff, but my grandson, he showed me some things, and I gotta say, some of it’s kinda neat, like watchin’ them little spaceships fly around.

So, first off, they got this game called “Stellaris”. My grandson says it’s real popular. You get to build your own space empire, you know? Like, you start with nothin’ and then you gotta make spaceships and explore all them stars and planets. Sounds like a lot of work if you ask me, but he seems to like it. He’s always yellin’ somethin’ ’bout “research” and “buildin’ more ships”. Kids these days, I tell ya.

Then there’s somethin’ called “Master of Orion”. Now, this one, my grandson says it’s old, real old. But he says it’s a classic, whatever that means. Same kinda thing, I guess, you build stuff and fight other folks in space. He showed me pictures, and them spaceships looked kinda boxy, not like the fancy ones in Stellaris. But he says it’s fun, so who am I to judge? It’s all just pixels on a screen to me anyway.

He also showed me one, I think he called it “Crusader Kings somethin’ somethin’”, but it had space in it. Now that one was confusing. He said it wasn’t really just space, but had people and families and fightin’ for land and power, but in space. Sounded like a soap opera to me, all that drama and carryin’ on. I told him, “Boy, why don’t you just go outside and play?”, but he just grumbled and kept tappin’ on that screen.

• Buildin’ Spaceships: Seems like in all these games, you gotta build spaceships. Big ones, small ones, fast ones, slow ones. I don’t get it, but they seem real important.
• Explorin’ Planets: Then there’s all this explorin’. Flyin’ around, lookin’ at different planets. Some are pretty, some are ugly. Some got stuff you can use, some got nasty critters that wanna eat ya, or so my grandson says.
• Fightin’ Wars: And of course, there’s fightin’. Lots and lots of fightin’. Spaceships shootin’ each other, armies landin’ on planets. Seems like nobody can just get along in space, just like here on Earth, I reckon.

My grandson told me there’s even a game where you trade stuff in space, called “Offworld Trading Company” I think. He said it ain’t got spaceships shootin’ each other, but you gotta be smart and make deals to get rich. Sounds borin’ to me, but he says it’s tricky. He was all stressed out one time, talkin’ ‘bout “supply lines” and “market fluctuations”. I told him, “Boy, that sounds like hard work, why you playin’ games that make you stressed?” He just sighed and said I wouldn’t understand.

And then there’s games like “XCOM” and “Homeworld”. XCOM’s got aliens and you gotta fight ’em off. Homeworld’s got big spaceships that look like cathedrals, real pretty. My grandson said it’s about a whole civilization movin’ through space. He showed me some battles and I gotta admit, them big spaceships blowin’ each other up was kinda impressive. Still, all that fightin’, I don’t understand it.

He even showed me one called “Civilization VI”, but he said you could go to space in it, eventually. Seemed like you start with nothin’ again, just like them other games, but you build a whole civilization from the ground up, and then, if you do good, you can launch rockets and go to space. That one looked complicated, too many buttons and numbers for my old eyes.

So, there you have it. That’s what I know ’bout strategy space games. Buildin’ stuff, explorin’ stuff, and fightin’ stuff. Seems like a lot of work to me, but those young folks, they seem to love it. Maybe there’s somethin’ to it, I don’t know. Me, I’d rather sit on the porch with a glass of sweet tea, but to each their own, I guess. And if my grandson is happy tappin’ away at that screen, well, that’s good enough for me.

Important thing is, he ain’t gettin’ into trouble, and he’s usin’ his brain, even if it’s just for makin’ pretend spaceships fight. Times have changed, that’s for sure. Back in my day, we played outside with sticks and rocks. Now they got whole universes in those little boxes.

And from what I can tell, a good strategy space game lets you be the boss, lets you make the decisions. You decide where to go, what to build, and who to fight. It’s like you’re the king or queen of your own little space kingdom. And that, I reckon, is why them youngsters like it so much.

Tags: Strategy Games, Space Games, PC Games, Sci-Fi, Empire Building, 4X Games, Exploration, Spaceships, Combat