Blog #5

In Starcraft you are acting as a general while controlling an economy, building an infrastructure, and taking command of your own army. Sun Tzu was way ahead of his time and I used this to my advantage. Once I had read and understood the importance of Sun Tzu’s teachings I was able to apply it to the game. In Starcraft the player must choose when to focus on growing economy, when to raise a standing army, and how to counter the tactics used by the opposing player. What Starcraft does is show where the true power lies in any military endeavour. If you can out-resource, out-build, and only then out-think your opponent, you’ll come out on top. Reading the Art of War had helped me develop a new understanding of the game. An example of this can even be seen in the civil war. 

Generations of historians and analysts have looked back at the Civil War and come to the conclusion that the South was destined to lose, despite having a motivated army and some of the best generals in history, like Robert E Lee and Stonewall Jackson. However,  modern wars are industrialised which means that the more advance nation wins. If only the South had listened to Sun Tzu and pursued peace after their first victory in the war...

“The art of war is of vital importance to the State. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected.” -Sun Tzu