Since that very first time two paddles hit the ball back and forth in Pong, legends and myths have rung throughout the video game community. Some stem from gaming oddities that players would discover, while others were unintentional creations by developers. One long-running legend discusses how the original Sid Meier's Civilization turned renowned pacifist Mahatma Gandhi into a nuke-obsessed tyrant.
Now the designer whose name prefaces the iconic grand strategy game is setting the record straight. In his upcoming autobiography charmingly named "Sid Meier's Memoir!: A Life in Computer Games", the creator of the Civilization franchise wanted to put to rest a long-running rumor about an infamous bug.
Gandhi's predilection for nuking players within the original Civilization has become a famous joke that is forever linked to the legacy of the game. The long-running belief as to why Gandhi opted for warfare was due to an error related to a player's pacifism. When the player seeks peace, the AI will adjust actions accordingly, including minimizing nuclear aggression. The belief for the longest time was that since Gandhi's nuke likelihood was so low by default, that when lowered it actually went to negative digits. This, in turn, made it spike to the highest possible stat.
In his biography, Meier addresses the bug and the logic behind how it occurs. The designer bluntly says that the rumor of the negative stat is not true, but made sure to confirm that Gandhi's behavior is indeed a bug. Meier states that why Gandhi is so prone to war is just "one of those mysteries that it's almost fun to keep mysterious." While this confirmation from Meier is likely the ending for the gaming anecdote, it isn't exactly surprising. Last year Kevin Schultz, a marketing manager at Firaxis Games, speculated the validity of the bug, opening up questions for players to start exploring the rumor.
So with that, a gaming legend has warped back into a mystery, with the true reason for Gandhi's odd change to warmongering tyrant unknown. As for Gandhi, recent news of the revival of Clone High sparked questions regarding his portrayal in media, and if the series will bring back the hyperactive jerk interpretation of the character.
With the reasoning behind the legend now being debunked, that doesn't mean Firaxis hasn't removed the joked about Gandhi's behavior from the franchise. The leader still features a hidden agenda dubbed "Nuke Happy" in Civilization 6, which recently released on Android devices. So now players can appreciate nukes on the go from the most unlikeliest of sources.
Civilization 6 is available for Android, iOS, Linux, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.