Sid Meier's Civilization is famous for its mixing of history with open-ended gameplay and dark humor. Players take on the roles of real-life historical leaders and try to build a great civilization. Often, this leads to wacky situations and odd combinations of civilizations and events, like America building the pyramids in the Middle Ages, or Sumeria fighting a nuclear war with Gandhi. But the influence of history is clearly there. Each leader's behavior, strengths and weaknesses, and unique units draw on their real-life counterparts.