Software:Birth of America

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Short description: 2006 video game

Birth of America
Developer(s)SEP BOA
Publisher(s)AGEOD
Designer(s)Philippe Thibaut, Philippe Malacher
Platform(s)Windows
Release
  • WW: February 24, 2006 (Online)
  • NA: July 26, 2006 (Steam)
  • EU: September 1, 2006
  • NA: October 5, 2006
Genre(s)Wargame
Mode(s)Single player, multiplayer

Birth of America is a wargame by SEP BOA, a development team at AGEOD.

Gameplay

In Birth of America, the player controls one of the major contenders of the French and Indian War or the American War of Independence, trying to achieve military and political victory.

The scope of the game covers all of North America, from Florida to Quebec and New England to Mississippi, from 1755 to 1783. The game map is divided into more than 700 provinces, with a great diversity of terrain, climates and civilization levels.

There are two nations fighting each other in all of the game's ten scenarios. Game turns correspond to one month of historical time. Scenarios vary from a few months to almost 9 years. Players control mostly the military action of their nation. This includes such activities as drafting forces, building forts and depots, sieges and blockades, raiding enemy settlements and battles, both on land and at sea.

Birth of America has two wars, the French and Indian War and the American Revolution. The object of the game is to attack and capture objectives, strategic towns, and manage strategies in order to win battles thus gaining edge. Real political events, such as the battle of Bunker Hill and the signing of the Declaration of Independence, will also influence the outcome of morale throughout the game.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic71/100[1]
Review scores
PublicationScore
Eurogamer7/10[2]
GameSpot6.9/10[3]
PC Gamer (UK)71%[4]
PC Zone70%[5]

The game received "average" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[1] Over four months before the game was released for retail in Europe, PC Gamer UK gave it a review and commented that it "captures the unique character of American Revolutionary warfare without drowning wannabe Washingtons and Howes in detail."[4] GameSpot lamented that "it doesn't do quite enough to broaden the genre's appeal to newcomers."[3]

The editors of Computer Games Magazine presented Birth of America with their 2006 "Best Wargame" award.[6]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Birth of America for PC Reviews". Metacritic. https://www.metacritic.com/game/birth-of-america/critic-reviews/?platform=pc. Retrieved October 7, 2012. 
  2. ↑ Clare, Oliver (January 4, 2007). "Birth of America". Eurogamer. http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/birth-of-america-review. Retrieved December 1, 2017. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 VanOrd, Kevin (November 15, 2006). "Birth of America Review". GameSpot. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/birth-of-america-review/1900-6161803/. Retrieved December 1, 2017. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Birth of America". PC Gamer UK: 81. May 2006. 
  5. ↑ "PC Review: Birth of America". PC Zone: 73. November 2006. 
  6. ↑ CGM Staff (March 2007). "The Best (and Worst) of 2006: The 16th Annual Computer Games Awards". Computer Games Magazine (195): 46–51. 
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
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