Civ 7 Won't Have Gandhi to Go Nuclear, But Did He Ever?

The Infamous "Nuclear Gandhi" Bug: Fact or Fiction in Civilization?

The gaming world is rife with legends, and among the most enduring is the tale of "Nuclear Gandhi" from the original Civilization game. This article delves into the history of this legendary bug, separating fact from fiction.

The Myth: A Pacifist's Nuclear Arsenal

The story goes that in the original Civilization, leaders had an aggression rating (1-10 or 1-12). Gandhi, being historically pacifist, started at 1. Upon adopting Democracy, his aggression supposedly decreased by 2, resulting in -1. The legend claims this negative value, stored as an 8-bit unsigned integer, caused an overflow, boosting his aggression to 255 – making him incredibly aggressive, leading to a flurry of nuclear attacks.

The Reality: Debunking the Legend

Sid Meier himself debunked this in 2020. He stated that integer variables were signed, preventing the overflow. Furthermore, government type didn't affect aggression. Brian Reynolds, Civilization II's lead designer, corroborated this, revealing only three aggression levels existed in the original game.

The Spread of the Myth

The Nuclear Gandhi myth gained traction in the mid-2010s, long after the original game's popularity waned. Its spread was fueled by the inherent irony and the difficulty of verifying its truth.

A Twist: Nuclear Gandhi in Civilization V

While the original game didn't feature this bug, Civilization V did have a coded preference for Gandhi to build nukes. This might explain the myth's origin and spread.

The Legacy

Despite being debunked, the Nuclear Gandhi legend persists, a testament to the power of gaming folklore. Civilization VI even acknowledged the myth. With Gandhi absent from Civilization VII, perhaps the legend will finally rest.

← Return to Sid Meier's Civilization VII main article

Sid Meier's Civilization VII Similar Games