Age of Empires is a history based real-time strategy video game developed by Ensemble Studios and published by Microsoft, and the first game in the Age of Empires series. spanning 10,000 years, in which players are the guiding spirit in the evolution of small stone age tribes. Starting with minimal resources, players are challenged to build their tribes into great civilizations. Gamers can choose from one of several ways to win the game, including world domination by conquering enemy civilizations, exploration of the known world and economic victory through the accumulation of wealth.