Age of Empires II: Advancing to the Castle Age

When the Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition installation finished, a spring breeze carrying the air of 1999 swept through my spirit. I was back in my house in Villa Centenario, in my room with the Korn poster and my Pentium 166 that taught me the world was enormous. For a moment I just stared at the main menu, that palisade with buildings that in the original game had the menu options on the signage: it wasn't the same, but it felt like returning to a place where you had great times after being away for a long while. And while this experience might seem very personal, Age of Empires II has to be one of the most-played video games in this country and part of the Argentine DNA alongside Magic: The Gathering, Counter-Strike, and the GTA series.

Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings has to be one of the best sequels the video game industry has ever produced, and that's saying something when there are incredible sequels like Street Fighter 2 and Diablo 2. And in Argentina it was a title played by a massive number of people, and over time -- incredibly for a game released 26 years ago -- it remains alive and well with new editions and an Argentine community that produces pro players, content, and events.

Why does it remain relevant? What's it like to play at a professional level? And why is our country considered the second most competitive behind the United States? To answer those questions I got to talk with Nacho AOE, the most prominent Spanish-speaking streamer and member of Clan Darkside, who starting today is one of the hosts of the MEGA LAN tournament with venues in Mexico and Argentina. I'll drop all the details below.

But first, for those who weren't around in 1999 -- and for those who want to go back -- let's take a quick look at what Age of Empires II is and how it's still alive.

The Pillars of Age of Empires II

Age of Empires II is a video game -- a real-time strategy (RTS) title released in 1999 by Ensemble Studios and Microsoft for PC. Set in the Middle Ages, it lets you control civilizations as they develop technologies, manage resources, and raise armies for war. The original version featured 13 civs, each with its own strengths and weaknesses, a unique special unit, and a different tech tree.

In terms of gameplay, it strikes a great balance between these civilizations, and also in terms of game design, since its three main pillars -- economy, construction, and military power -- flow at a manageable pace and the learning curve is very intuitive. Another gem of the game are the much-loved campaigns where you play as historical figures like William Wallace, Saladin, Genghis Khan, Frederick Barbarossa, and Joan of Arc.

Although the franchise continued with Age of Empires III (2005) and more recently Age of Empires IV (2021), a large portion of the community never stopped playing and worshiping II. So much so that they began organizing online and LAN events, and creating mods that would add new civilizations. Players couldn't let it go, and by 2013 it received its first remaster, Age of Empires II: HD Edition. Beyond the graphical improvements, the game entered a new era of online play via Steam, and with the community's support it received new expansions adding 12 new civilizations.

That surge of energy would be perfected in 2019 with the release of Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition. This final version came with a total remaster, including dedicated servers for online play and new DLCs that would push the number of playable civilizations past 45. That's why you have to stand up when this beast is mentioned -- after 25 years it's still very much alive and competing for the all-time top RTS spot with StarCraft II, another great title from that era.

Another Crowning Glory: Argentina and Age of Empires II

In Argentina, AoE2 had official distribution and could be found everywhere: from PC supply shops, to the thousands of Musimundo stores, all the way to supermarkets. It had plenty of advertising and also the strong backing of Age of Empires (the original), which had already made a difference when it came out in 1997 because a free trial CD was handed out and somehow always found its way to you. During those years, AoE2 was everywhere thanks to the rise of cybercafes and our cultural pirates who made sure copies were available. If you had a PC at the time, you definitely played Commandos, Diablo 2, RollerCoaster Tycoon, and of course, Age of Empires II.

The spark started with the game's arrival, but the fire was kept alive by its community, which from very early on began organizing to create competitive gaming spaces. Today Argentina is the second most important country in the Age of Empires scene and is home to players and content creators who are in their prime. Like the aforementioned Nacho AOE, player, streamer, and currently host of MEGA LAN.

"Today Argentina is the second largest country in Age of Empires; only China has more players. It's the big hub in LatAm because it was born huge. And while the average citizen doesn't play Age, they can see a meme and get it because of the nostalgia," explains Nacho AOE.

The Argentine community started playing online as soon as it was possible. In the early 2000s, matches were found on MSN Gaming Zone, a server for online matches of Microsoft games that could be found on the MSN platform, until its servers shut down in 2006. During that time and up until 2013, the community also organized through forums and put together LAN tournaments.

But everything would become easier with the release of Age of Empires II: HD Edition on Steam, where online play was already sorted out and new players were joining the franchise thanks to Steam's popularity. In those early years, names of players who are still active today were already emerging, like Biry, the founder of Clan Darkside and the protagonist of one of the best gaming tournament anecdotes I've ever heard in my life.

"In one of my tournaments, the King of the Americas, Biry typed in the chat that he ADVANCED TO THE CASTLE AGE -- just like the in-game notification reads -- and his opponent, the Mexican player Dark_Knight, conceded the match. It was insane, and the story lives on as a truly crafty play, pure Argentine cunning," recalls Nacho AOE.

From Villager to Pro Player

The Definitive Edition of 2019 arrived at a pivotal moment we all know -- the pandemic. In those years, between late 2019 and 2022, the number of players and the professional scene began to grow and gain new momentum. Argentina established itself as a major country thanks to players like WR.Lucho, second in the world rankings, and in a bizarre twist also the Canadian GL.Hera, first in the global rankings and winner of Red Bull: Wololo in 2024, who lives in Argentina and was adopted by the community. A tournament circuit with significant prize pools emerged, along with content creation for players aspiring to go pro. While it's hard to make a living from Age II, professional players manage to sustain themselves through tournament winnings, sponsors, content creation, and coaching.

"Age is a game similar to chess: you have strategy, an opening, a midgame, and an endgame. On top of that there's the crucial factor that decisions are made in real time. But it's no coincidence that many Argentine players are good at chess, and there are even some like Federico Perez Ponsa, one of the best in the country, who was at one point the youngest grandmaster in Argentina."

If you want to take the step to pro, you need to study and play to get past the first difficulty barrier and understand the meta. The advice I got from Nacho AOE was: "Study the content that pros upload and get playing -- the community is super welcoming and you learn a lot chatting after matches."

To keep the hype going, Clan Darkside is part of the organization behind the MEGA LAN tournament, which kicks off with online qualifying rounds -- which you can sign up for -- leading to November 8th and 9th, when 32 players from Argentina and Mexico will face off in a 1v1 format. The event will be hosted in Mexico by Nacho AOE and in Argentina by Biry with livestreams on Twitch, cementing the region as one of the most active and passionate epicenters of the global AoE II community.

I hope by now you're feeling the urge to play that Joan of Arc campaign, build a Wonder, or become a pro player. Age of Empires II is at an incredible moment to revisit and reconnect with that early-2000s gaming experience. WOLOLO.