Mark Zuckerberg reckons he's a Civilization 'grandmaster' who could beat 'anyone in the world,' and we should all brace ourselves for his Twitch career

Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive officer of Meta Platforms Inc., wears Orion augmented reality (AR) glasses during the Meta Connect event in Menlo Park, California, US, on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. Meta Platforms Inc. debuted its first pair of augmented reality glasses, devices that show a combined view of the digital and physical worlds, a key step in Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg's goal of one day offering a hands-free alternative to the smartphone.

(Image credit: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

In what I can only assume is part of his ongoing but undeclared rebrand as an actual human being, Meta and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg says he will absolutely annihilate you at Civilization. Actually, he says he'll annihilate anybody at Civilization, declaring himself "close to grandmaster status" in the game in an act of hubris rivalled only by the protagonists of Greek myth.

"I'd be surprised if anyone in the world could beat me at that," Zuck told Pubity (via Dexerto), wearing his "Aut Zuck aut nihil" (All Zuck or all nothing) T-shirt that seems to be the only thing he's allowed to wear in 2024.

Anyway, brace yourself for the multi-billionaire to start soliciting Twitch subs. "I think at some point I should do a Twitch stream of me playing with someone," he says. That is, if anyone dares face up to him. With a little bit of braggadocio, Zuckerberg told his interviewer that his wife—Priscilla Chan—once took a look at his Steam account and was flabbergasted to learn he had over a thousand hours in a game (which he doesn't specify, but which I'm gonna assume is Civ).

Which… we're all friends here, right? This is a judgement-free space? Those are kind of rookie numbers, aren't they? There are PCG staff members with playtimes that make 1,000 hours look downright brisk. I reckon if Zuckerberg ever did throw down the gauntlet to a true Civ sicko, he might learn he's a lot further from grandmaster status than he thinks.

TOPICS

One of Josh's first memories is of playing Quake 2 on the family computer when he was much too young to be doing that, and he's been irreparably game-brained ever since. His writing has been featured in Vice, Fanbyte, and the Financial Times. He'll play pretty much anything, and has written far too much on everything from visual novels to Assassin's Creed. His most profound loves are for CRPGs, immersive sims, and any game whose ambition outstrips its budget. He thinks you're all far too mean about Deus Ex: Invisible War.