One of my favorite games is Sid Meier’s Civilization VI. Interestingly, Civ VI has a nested hierarchy of loops running at very different frequencies. Some of the skills that each require loops are follows:
- Game system: Tile yields, Adjacency bonuses, Wonders, Historic moments, etc
- Per-turn Micro: Moving units, Choosing what to build, Picking science and culture research
- City Management & Planning: Tile assignment, City planning (where to put each district), Tile improvements
- Diplomacy & War: Making allies with others, Military tactics
- Era Progression: Golden / Normal / Dark / Heroic age planning
- Victory Strategy: Science / Culture / Religion / Domination / Diplomatic victory
These skills form a clear hierarchy. You can’t manage cities effectively without first understanding the tile yield system and how adjacency bonuses shape district placement. You can’t plan era progression without grasping how Historic Moments accumulate and trigger Golden Ages. And while the game offers several paths to victory, choosing one meaningfully requires a working knowledge of most underlying systems — you can’t commit to a science victory without understanding how campuses, great scientists, and tech trees interlock.
