• 14Mar 08

  simulation games and the casual gamer

  Big Brother. Yep, the two dreaded words I hear every summer. Yes summertime is indeed the season to be outdoors and not in front of the telly, but every time I hear the words Big Brother when the summer nears, I die a little inside because I know my little box is going to be saturated with mindless, idle nothingness with a show that for me, has become the most overly played show in the history of shows. Yet, staggeringly, people still watch it. When I'm sitting on the tube or sipping coffee in a cafe I hear dozens of people talking about it. Yet I just couldn't comprehend why any normal sane, life-loving human being would bring themselves to watch it. But then it all hit me. I was clicking away the hours during a gaming session of a little title you might have heard of called the Sims 2 (if you haven't shame on you...what rock do you live under?), and during this particular session, I had just managed to get my Sims to get married. Big Brother was also on at the time, not that I was watching the rubbish, when I heard squeals of joy from the television, as some of the contestants were jumping up and down. And at that exact same moment, my Sims were jumping up and down with joy in the exact same way. It was like a slap to the face with a frozen tuna fish... and it didn't feel good either.

  It was like a godly revelation of some kind although perhaps not quite as amazing. But you get my point right? Simulation games and reality television have more in common then you might think and it was this comparison that made me realize why simulation games (and reality TV) are so popular these days.

  By far them most mainstream and recognizable simulation game is the Sims. The first game sold well over 16 million copies and the sequel selling just over 14 million. The only other franchises that have sold more are Mario and Pokemon. So just why is it that so many people have bought the game? Well for those of you who don't know, the Sims is a video that lets you play life. Yep it really is as simple as that. Sims are basically people and you play as God, controlling their lives, their jobs, their aspirations and love life as well as buying things for them and even deciding when they should go to the toilet (or not at all in some cases). So in a way, the Sims can be thought of as the reality TV of video games. And certainly when the first Sims game was released eight years ago, I had never played anything like it before. In an industry obsessed with guns and magic and Pokemon, I was rather pleasantly blown away by it.

  The first time I knew the Sims had put simulation games on the map, was when I was still at school talking about it to a fellow gamer nerd, when we were interrupted by this girl. She mentioned that she was a massive fan of the Sims and had played it religiously every night after school for the last 5 months. And she wasn't even a gamer really. So why are simulation games so popular? Gaming was often seen as a very elitist community. It often had a very distinct stereotype attached to it. We all know it. Puberty stricken teenage boys sitting in the dark playing World of Warcraft all night. But the Sims appealed to a new kind of gamer. The idea of fighting elves and goblins while riding a dragon might appeal to a very select few, but the idea of controlling someones life and living it, appeals to pretty much everyone.

  I know about six people that play World of Warcraft regularly and they are all teenage boys with no girlfriends...and they all think Puff Daddy is a type of cereal (seriously). Yet when I think of a game like the Sims 2, I know all kinds of people that play it. My little sister who I would categorize as a casual gamer, absolutely loves it. That girl I mentioned before doesn't even play other games and she loves it too. Even my own mother found the concept of the Sims fascinating. See a pattern emerging here? Yep, girls LOVE simulation games. My girlfriend is a complete non gamer, yet when I introduced her to the Sims 2, she spent about an hour just choosing what clothes my Sims would wear. God only knows how long she would spend decorating the house.

  So what am I trying to get at? Simulation games are so thrilling because they are much more than just games. Yeah it sounds cliched but its true. Unlike other genres of games that put you in a a certain type of situation and make you complete a certain objective, simulation games like the Sims and how you play them are completely up to you. Ten years ago it would have been very hard to find a game genre that non gamers could genuinely get excited about. With the rise of simulation games, and in particular the Sims, the gaming industry have made something very special because they appeal to gamers, non-gamers and psychopaths a like. Well its nearing about 9 o clock in the evening now, so I'm off to work. I just got promoted and I have to host a house party afterwards AND I'm bursting for a number two. Ahh the joy of simulation games!

  • Posted Mar 14, 2008 1:57 pm GMT
  • Category: Editorial
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