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#74 UNSOLICITED ADVICE FROM EMILY "POST" DaveV sugests a few things that should be self-evident #75 WE ARE NOT THE WORLD Simon de Vet warns about taking Internet polls as absolute indicators. #76 MY JOURNEY AS A GAMER Martin pours his heart out over his affection for Civ. #77 A CIVILIZATION 3 CHALLENGE Connorkimbro sets up a challenge for Firaxis. #78 MILLENIUM GAMING FRONTIERS DanQ passes his predictions for gaming in the years to come. COLUMN ARCHIVE

Being a person given to idle pursuits and anti-social activities, I was quick to embrace the computer revolution. Here at last was a way to turn my back on the world whilst appearing to be doing something at the cutting edge of human endeavour. However, f ar from advancing the cause of science or humanism, my many solitary but happy hours before the PC were mainly spent playing computer games.

One of the first games I came across was Sid Meir's Railroad Tycoon. I quickly learned that rigging the stock market, destroying competitors and ripping off the travelling public was the best way to secure a high score. I cancelled my Third World child sp onsorship so that I could buy more of Sid's products. I also had more time to devote to what had become my obsession since the PC was by now my only friend.

Then I discovered Civ I. Being anal retentive and a mono-maniac, the game immediately appealed to me. My scores on Railroad Tycoon had in fact begun to decline towards the end as a result of my obsession with putting a railroad into every population centr e and resource site on the map no matter how small. With Civ I, I could colonise the entire world! It also had military units, which I think was something that was really lacking in Railroad Tycoon.

In my first games of Civ, I was I suppose what you would call 'a relatively peaceful builder'. Far from being the result of any scruples on my part, I think this was the legacy of Railroad Tycoon, with its endless construction and renovation imperative. I tried to make peace with my neighbouring civs but they were always attacking me. Soon I turned to war as the way of life of all my empires.

In fact, what I learned from Civ was that a well timed attack settles all arguments. My only regret was that I could not turn on my own civ once I had destroyed all the others. I hope this is fixed for Civ III.

When Civ II came along, the treachery of my diplomacy just got deeper and my war machine bigger and bolder. There was no end to my lust for destruction. In Civ I, I had enjoyed turning continents into nuclear wastelands that looked like giant asphalt carp arks. Hang the global warming - I enjoyed watching the world become uninhabitable. In Civ II, the skulls of radiation damage were my favorite decoration, nay signature. Multi-player merely put a human face to the destruction. But I found I wasn't a very p opular player for some reason.

I also became a pariah in my community because a single light or computer glow could be seen coming from one room of my house at any time of the night and I was only ever glimpsed fleetingly through my overgrown yard wearing dirty combat fatigues and sun glasses, day or night.

This started to freak my neighbours out. Telling them that "their civilisation made me laugh", probably didn't help. The local children were warned to stay away from my house but instead started throwing stones on my roof and doing other pranks. I almost got arrested after I demanded "tribute for my patience" from a police officer who had come to my house after complaints from my neighbours about my constantly howling dog.

All of this changed when my dog died of malnutrition. Poor Shep had been my loyal and faithful childhood friend. He died on the day that I managed to take the capitals of all opposing Civs in one turn. I heard his death rattle but just thought it was the fan of my computer playing up again.

Shep's death really shook me up. I buried him in the basement of my house because I had become intolerant to natural light. I knew then that something had to change or one day I too would one day be found dead, slumped over my keyboard, maybe weeks or mon ths after I had executed my last earthly turn. I also realised there must be others in my situation and this was fortunate because due to my self loathing I needed to help others to save myself.

Today I run 'Civ Survivors', a selfhelp group for Civ addicts, and 'almost' non-pofit distributor of exercise equipment and weight loss programs.

We have many stories of Civ players who have successfully re-integrated themselves, at least partially, into society. It's a long road back from the brink, but we have proved that there is life beyond Civ and its never too late save yourself.

So, has your dog died yet?

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About the author: Founder of the People's Republic of Off Topic (PROT) within Apolyton's Off-Topic forum.

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