video games - Is Civilization V run by aliens?

I once read on TV Tropes that the video game Civilization V implied that the entire thing was run by aliens who resurrected famous human leaders in order to have them battle each other. It now seems to have been removed.

This certainly sounds possible, but TV Tropes is generally very unmoderated, even by community wiki standards.

We also know that aliens exist in the Civilization universe, because among other reasons, Civilization: Beyond Earth features them heavily.

Is it ever actually directly implied or stated in-game that Civilization V is run by aliens?

Answer

One can't prove a negative, but no evidence has been found to support this. The description of Civilization V, taken straight from the official website, just states that the player is striving to become ruler of the world (and this description is no different than other board or computer games):

In Civilization® V, players strive to become Ruler of the World by establishing and leading a civilization from the dawn of man into the space age, waging war, conducting diplomacy, discovering new technologies, going head-to-head with some of history’s greatest leaders and building the most powerful empire the world has ever known.

There is nothing within the game that supports the theory that the player is actually supposed to be an alien. Not in the manual, not in the Civilopedia, and (as far as I know), nothing from the developers.

We have just as much proof (i.e. none) that Civilization V is:

Machines running a computer simulation to keep humanity happy while they use them for batteries (The Matrix)

A means of sending instructions to a planet of real people somewhere else in the galaxy (Stargate Atlantis, "The Game")

A simulation of AIs, with a lone submarine located at the south pole observing everything and collecting the leaders of the fallen civilizations. (@CBredlow in the question comments)

The collective consciousness of Sci-fi users dreaming up an elaborate history of humanity

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