I know this is an unpopular opinion, but I have great respect for Microsoft to the point of being grateful to them for several reasons, the first of which is introducing me to the world of personal computers when I was only 9 years old, back in 1995. The logo, the certificate of authenticity, and other amenities related to software compatibility with Windows 95 were all graphical elements present on the boxes that sounded more like a statement of intent, something like ‘we’re not kidding here, this software is serious, it’s from Microsoft!’.
Something profoundly different from the console game boxes I was used to, which were, in fact, just games, something frivolous, mere entertainment. I was quite amazed when I discovered that Microsoft was heavily investing in the gaming industry, finding Age Of Empires on a classmate’s desk, an RTS similar to the famous Warcraft.
And the wonder was even greater when I found out that it was not just a Warcraft-like game, but it was genuinely destined to become a cornerstone in the history of strategy games. A title that, although lacking a fantasy narrative component, managed to engage you beyond any expectation with its historical premises.
I will never forget the time when I started the campaign mission where I was just a priest who had to convert a passerby in order to found an empire, truly a stroke of genius, which I have experienced again nowadays with my retro PC, but ended up defeated in no time.
