How Grand Strategy Games Change Your View Of World Leaders

Unlike strategy games that put players in command of armies, players call most (if not all) grand strategy games 4X games. These games allow them to: Explore, Expand, Exploit, and Exterminate. These terms also describe the majority of the features grand strategy games offer, which often makes players consider them as real-world leadership games. Thanks to titles like Civilization, Total War, and even Europa Universalis, players can put themselves in the shoes of world leaders today.

Moreover, grand strategy games often help players simulate situations in the real world that cannot merely happen today. Alternate history fans often use these to gain insights as to what can happen to countries given various scenarios. These games can also provide insight into world leaders that people can't get through simple observation. Here are some of those thoughts.

Updated on November 3, 2023, by Rhenn Taguiam: With games like Battlefield exploring notable historical conflicts such as the Great War, Call of Duty speculating on the future of warfare, and Command & Conquer looking into alternate histories, fans can delight in the idea of their characters being able to shape the course of history. Fans interested in the thought processes of how today’s world nations are acting may want to look into how grand strategy games implement specific mechanics such as the strength in being the first to achieve (and potentially monopolize) something, the harsh costs of maintaining war, and how some unconventional strategies could lead to victory.

13 Being First Matters

Leaders Have The Advantage If Their Nation Houses Monuments, Valuable Resources

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Civilization: Civ 6 has mega-buildings called Wonders based on real-world landmarks. All of them have different effects, and only one of each can be constructed in the game world, making each Wonder a “race” to construct. Victoria 3: Depending on the player’s chosen state, they can create a special Urban building called a Monument that existed within the history of their chosen faction. They also provide bonuses based on the faction’s playstyle.

As seen in

Civilization: Civ 6 has mega-buildings called Wonders based on real-world landmarks. All of them have different effects, and only one of each can be constructed in the game world, making each Wonder a “race” to construct.
Victoria 3: Depending on the player’s chosen state, they can create a special Urban building called a Monument that existed within the history of their chosen faction. They also provide bonuses based on the faction’s playstyle.

In politics, geography, and business, the party that first introduces an innovation or technology becomes the go-to for the said commodity. This explains why the Middle East dominates the oil industry, while France remains a cultural powerhouse for the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower. This observation is gamified by grand strategy titles, where the likes of Civilization popularized the concept of the World Wonders that give benefits to factions that first develop or discover them.

These developments often become instruments of recognition for world leaders of factions that pull off these accomplishments. In 4X and grand strategy games, being able to control these wonders provides benefits toward Culture stats or Culture-leaning stats in the game.

12 War Is Costly

Leaders Rarely Engage In Armed Conflict Due To High War Costs

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Crusader Kings 3: Aside from conquering a state, players need to ensure that the state follows their faction’s religion and have local rulers allied to the players or risk a rebellion. Hearts of Iron 4: On top of developing new technologies and cultivating armies, players need to manage resources to secure production and manufacturing consistency.

While today’s hostilities have shaken global geopolitics, history enthusiasts and political scientists fear these escalating conflicts may lead to another World War. Perhaps the only deterrent stopping nations from plunging the Earth into a situation similar to the Great War and World War 2 is the active cost of conducting war.

In modern grand strategy titles, while a conquest victory is perfectly achievable, it’s more often than not resource-intensive based on both mid-war and post-war efforts. On top of cultivating an army strong enough to dominate a certain state or area, players of certain games need to consider potential unrest from the local populace and hostilities from fans.

11 Unorthodox Strategies Can Work

Leaders May Achieve Their Goals In Surprising Ways

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Crusader Kings: The franchise features an Intrigue system that revolves around the Spymaster council member and a stat of the same name. This facilitates the implementation of Hooks, or “weaknesses” that players can take advantage of to have various figures do their bidding. Civilization: Most Civ games offer multiple victory conditions for players. Aside from traditional Domination victories, players can become the world’s biggest cultural center (Cultural Victory), the first to send a colony into space (Science Victory), or become the equivalent of Ms. Congeniality (Diplomacy Victory).

As seen in

Crusader Kings: The franchise features an Intrigue system that revolves around the Spymaster council member and a stat of the same name. This facilitates the implementation of Hooks, or “weaknesses” that players can take advantage of to have various figures do their bidding.
Civilization: Most Civ games offer multiple victory conditions for players. Aside from traditional Domination victories, players can become the world’s biggest cultural center (Cultural Victory), the first to send a colony into space (Science Victory), or become the equivalent of Ms. Congeniality (Diplomacy Victory).

War isn’t everything in a grand strategy game, even if the idea of amassing control over the whole world seems like a delightful sight to see. For instance, the United States and China have been recognized as global “superpowers” that dominate not just the military scene but also businesses as they are among the world’s richest nations. Decades earlier, it was the United States and the Soviet Union fighting over dominance in the Space Race, with the ultimate goal of having a man on the Moon.

Grand strategy games reflect these aspects through different victory conditions. Aside from a faction “winning” the game by colonizing all other areas and nations, some games determine winners based on extra objectives. Likewise, even an objective like conquest can be approached in ways other than war. Instead of risking a revolt by dominating a state with a different religion, a player can have its owner convert to their faith before colonizing the area.

10 Appearances Don't Define Leadership

The Way A Leader Is Perceived Publicly Doesn't Represent Their Leadership Style

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Crusader Kings: With the game’s Intrigue mechanic, even a meek vassal could be a grand schemer if players aren’t careful. The right Hooks and blackmail material could have a high-ranking official do a player’s bidding. Civilization: A software bug in the first game may result in the “Nuclear Gandhi” meme, where even a pacifist figure such as Mahatma Gandhi may resort to nuclear warfare for victory.

As seen in

Crusader Kings: With the game’s Intrigue mechanic, even a meek vassal could be a grand schemer if players aren’t careful. The right Hooks and blackmail material could have a high-ranking official do a player’s bidding.
Civilization: A software bug in the first game may result in the “Nuclear Gandhi” meme, where even a pacifist figure such as Mahatma Gandhi may resort to nuclear warfare for victory.

Players of Civilization love the series for trying its best to have an accurate portrayal of world events, especially when it comes to the leaders the game uses to represent countries and factions. It's so far, so good, right? It should feel amazing having a historical figure in a 4X game. Except when Mahatma Gandhi goes Nuclear.

This "Nuclear Gandhi" received notoriety amongst fans as he leads a rather "aggressive" India in the late-game of Civilization sessions. This situation appears to be a result of a coding glitch. Either way, this situation serves as a reminder that appearances don't define a person, especially leaders. Gandhi might've lived as someone to admire, but behind all good appearances of leaders are decisions for their countries that people should always think about.

9 There's Too Much To Worry About In The Long Term

Leaders May Act With The Future In Mind

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Crusader Kings: Regardless of the installment, each game in the Crusader Kings series spans not just a leader’s lifespan but around three or more generations of rulers. Players only lose the game if they don’t have an heir to control once their current ruler dies, making games a matter of long-term planning rather than short-term satisfaction. Victoria 3: The century-long premise of Victoria 3 needs players to be more meticulous when it comes to planning their success. The years between 1836 and 1936 can be finished in a blink of an eye if players become reckless in their actions.

As seen in

Crusader Kings: Regardless of the installment, each game in the Crusader Kings series spans not just a leader’s lifespan but around three or more generations of rulers. Players only lose the game if they don’t have an heir to control once their current ruler dies, making games a matter of long-term planning rather than short-term satisfaction.
Victoria 3: The century-long premise of Victoria 3 needs players to be more meticulous when it comes to planning their success. The years between 1836 and 1936 can be finished in a blink of an eye if players become reckless in their actions.

Fans of grand strategy games can get so engrossed in them that sessions can last for days, weeks, or even years. A Redditor back in 2012 shared they've been playing their Civ 2 game for ten years! A huge allure of 4X games lies in the options available for players. However, these options become challenging to manage in the endgame. Thanks to the complexity of these options, players can encounter in-game challenges such as civil unrest, debt, or even wars.

In the real world, it's easy for people to point out mistakes in certain parts of national leadership. However, proper management of national resources requires an astute understanding of everything happening in a nation.

8 It's Scary Not Knowing What The Other Side Would Do

Leaders Act Slowly Because They're Wary Of What Other Nations Could Do In Retaliation

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Terra Invicta: In this game that combines First Contact with the Space Race, players control factions that try to influence the world’s reactions to aliens while trying to colonize space travel. Trading and diplomacy in this regard tend to be multi-layered, as factions not only work on their goals but also focus on the welfare of their controlled nations. Crusader Kings 3: Due to Intrigue, players need to be careful in their dealings with other factions, as they themselves may be in leagues with others. For instance, players rescuing a political prisoner from another faction may have them end up with a double agent.

As seen in

Terra Invicta: In this game that combines First Contact with the Space Race, players control factions that try to influence the world’s reactions to aliens while trying to colonize space travel. Trading and diplomacy in this regard tend to be multi-layered, as factions not only work on their goals but also focus on the welfare of their controlled nations.
Crusader Kings 3: Due to Intrigue, players need to be careful in their dealings with other factions, as they themselves may be in leagues with others. For instance, players rescuing a political prisoner from another faction may have them end up with a double agent.

4X games remain popular not just for their vast faction options, but for their full cast of leaders. Faction leaders in Civ games take away popular characteristics of their real-life counterparts (except Nuclear Gandhi). As sessions occur in turns, there's no way for a player to be aware of what other factions are doing ahead of time. This caveat can make diplomacy tricky, and may even encourage spy work.

In the real world, this situation might explain why some countries have rather complex relationships with each other. Moreover, this caveat may explain why some countries make "too safe" statements, and why analysts discourage rash actions from leaders.

7 It's Hard To Be In The Middle Of Everything

Leaders And Their Nations May Be Caught In The Middle Of Conflicts

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Crusader Kings 3: If players start the game as a Vassal, they end up serving a ruler, who may end up serving a Liege of their own. On top of managing one’s own section of land, juggling the desire to expand on top of making potential enemies everywhere can make playthroughs intense. Stellaris: Being in a part of outer space where there's an abundance of one particular resource can make a player’s territory a prime target for hostile forces.

As seen in

Crusader Kings 3: If players start the game as a Vassal, they end up serving a ruler, who may end up serving a Liege of their own. On top of managing one’s own section of land, juggling the desire to expand on top of making potential enemies everywhere can make playthroughs intense.
Stellaris: Being in a part of outer space where there's an abundance of one particular resource can make a player’s territory a prime target for hostile forces.

When players start 4X games, they want to start a game from scratch. After all, it's amazing seeing settlers mark their first territory and build a bustling empire from there. Likewise, players who haven't touched their Civ save file for years might find themselves scratching their heads with everything that's happened. Where do they even start?

Whenever leaders sit in the office, they "load" a saved file. Only this time, they load a save file where resources are few, international relations are a mess, and there are millions of lives to feed. If players get confused with a loaded save file from a 4X game, imagine the pressure world leaders face. Moreover, unlike gamers, world leaders can't slack off.

6 Alliances Can Be A Fickle Thing

Leaders Can Quickly Form And Break Alliances Depending On Factors

As seen in
Crusader Kings 3: Thanks to Intrigue, players can set up traps against more powerful rulers depending on how they play their cards. For instance, providing a Vassal with a means to declare war against their Liege can result in a conflict players can take advantage of. Civilization: Diplomacy in the Civilization games can break down quickly if players don’t get to fulfill the desires of their fellow nations. These things become more apparent during trade deals.

As seen in

Crusader Kings 3: Thanks to Intrigue, players can set up traps against more powerful rulers depending on how they play their cards. For instance, providing a Vassal with a means to declare war against their Liege can result in a conflict players can take advantage of.
Civilization: Diplomacy in the Civilization games can break down quickly if players don’t get to fulfill the desires of their fellow nations. These things become more apparent during trade deals.

Alliances remain a focal point of a lot of 4X games. In hit titles such as Civilization, players have to make alliances with other nations and factions to achieve a lot of benefits. These benefits come in the form of shared resources, allies in times of war, or even aid in times of crisis. Unfortunately, world leaders have a tendency to have "preferences" in terms of their political allies, especially when it comes to their interests.

Nations can easily fall out of favor with others due to various diplomatic scenarios. Just like in games, even one unfortunate circumstance can ruin a country's "friendships."

5 Ideologies Shape Public Favor

A Leader's Decision For Their Nation May Depend On Culture, Ideologies

As seen in
Stellaris: When players create their space-faring civilization, they can select their race’s ideologies and philosophies that can affect their overall “performance” when it comes to specific aspects of the game. Terra Invicta: With factions being more of conspiracy groups than nations that want to influence First Contact, Terra Invicta's goals don’t immediately focus on world domination.

As seen in

Stellaris: When players create their space-faring civilization, they can select their race’s ideologies and philosophies that can affect their overall “performance” when it comes to specific aspects of the game.
Terra Invicta: With factions being more of conspiracy groups than nations that want to influence First Contact, Terra Invicta's goals don’t immediately focus on world domination.

Many 4X games give multiple options that players can use to tinker their respective regions. These can come in the form of taxes, and even little decisions gamers make that affect the way their cities are shaped. As a result, their cities may appear "subscribed" to political ideologies - such as communist cities, bustling capitalist nations, or even authoritarian societies, among others.

In the real world, leaders often shape their own nations based on their political viewpoints. Much of political unrest also stems from these differences, especially during election time when political agendas and platforms get put under scrutiny.

4 World Domination Is Possible If Not For The Hassle

Wars Involve A Lot Of Factors Other Than Just Directing Troops

As seen in
Total War: Regardless of the entry, combat in the Total War franchise is heavily dependent on proper unit management and placement. The game’s focus on more minute aspects of war makes the game one of the more unit-intensive grand strategy games in the market. Hearts of Iron 4: The game’s focus on the production and manufacturing side of conflicts makes the title more intensive compared to other traditional grand strategy games that simply need players to produce units to wage war.

As seen in

Total War: Regardless of the entry, combat in the Total War franchise is heavily dependent on proper unit management and placement. The game’s focus on more minute aspects of war makes the game one of the more unit-intensive grand strategy games in the market.
Hearts of Iron 4: The game’s focus on the production and manufacturing side of conflicts makes the title more intensive compared to other traditional grand strategy games that simply need players to produce units to wage war.

4X games usually have "World Domination" as a default win condition. This mechanic means players win the game once they conquer all factions on the map. However, players may soon realize this win condition can take hours' worth of real-time to accomplish. Alluding this to real life, history has had its own share of leaders who eyed world domination. Alexander the Great, for instance, is widely known as a man who established the ancient world's largest empire.

Comparing this to today's political climate, it's not impossible for world leaders today to think of the very same thing. Perhaps what stops world leaders from outright conquering the world would be their respective nation's limited resources and potential international backlash.