I’m obsessed with simulation. From crappy Flash games to $60 Wii titles, I’ll play all of them with a goofy smile on my face. I know that almost every video game itself is a type of simulation, like shooters or some RPG’s, but I’m talking about games devoted to simulating one task. They usually lack characters and plot since they’re so concentrated on the role they seek to emulate. Sometimes I ask myself, ‘Why do you enjoy subjecting yourself to such a chore of a game?’ And then I answer myself, ‘Good question. I don’t really know.’ ‘You’re a fucking moron. Play something real.’

Despite my frequent conversations with myself which belittle me for enjoying such monotony (and which subsequently lead you to believe that this article is garbage since it’s written by a crazy girl who talks to herself in first and second persons), I don’t put these games down. I haven’t put them down for years. I can’t.

I think developers understand how enthralling simulation games can be. Or maybe they just find it most profitable to cater to their faithful obsessors like me. I’d like to believe the former, but either way, they keep on making tons of games for me to get my mangy paws on. Here are some of my favorites.

SimTower
Once my sister introduced me to the wonderful world of Maxis Sim games, it was all over. I played SimFarm and SimAnt, SimCity and those others, but I particularly enjoyed SimTower. I don’t know why it fascinated me more than the others, maybe because it was less all-encompassing and more simplified. I was a dumb little kid, after all. The idea of building a huge tower with hotel rooms and shopping malls and cockroach infestations was beyond the scope of all my young head could dream of achieving in life.

Theme Park & Theme Hospital
These games have been my lifeblood for some time now. I played Theme Park on DOS when I was little, and when Theme Hospital came out for the PlayStation I was all over that shit. I think my favorite part of Theme Park is the first-person option which lets you walk around the park and ride the attractions in real time. You mean I can ride a roller coaster without getting nauseous and scared that my head is going to get sliced off by a stray wire? I’m down. This game inspired others like its sequel Sim Theme Park and Rollercoaster Tycoon with its millions of expansions. And yes, I played those to death as well.
Theme Hospital is just like Theme Park, minus the rides and plus grandiose equipment and hilarious diseases. Yes, a disease can be hilarious in the hands of Bullfrog. Bloated Head syndrome? Come on, you have to at least crack a smile. And when Death himself walks in with a scythe to collect the recently departed, you don’t really mind that you let someone lose his/her life. So it’s not completely realistic, no, but you still have to manage your research, staff, and finances. I still have it on my computer to this day.

Trauma Center
In the same vein as Theme Hospital, Trauma Center is a series of surgery games for the DS and Wii. Trauma Center: Under the Knife was the first game I played on my DS, and I loved every second. With more plot objectives than “make a lot of money and don’t kill anyone”, the game gives you the incentive of fighting an epidemic with scalpels. Literally. And lasers. And suction things. And disinfectant! Pulling virtual shards of glass out of a beating heart gives me SUCH a rush. I don’t know how doctors do it. Since obviously real surgery is just like that in Trauma Center.

Cooking Mama
And of course, Cooking Mama. Like Trauma Center, it has games for the DS and the Wii, but its DS games are more fun in my opinion since you actually get what you pay for. It’s admittedly a small game with not much plot, so I’d rather pay $30 than $60. I love food, and I love cooking, and what better way to do it than in a video game where I can’t burn myself? The enthusiastic Engrish comments from Mama are always so encouraging that I grow confident as I batter and deep-fry my squid. Until I burn it and her eyes turn to fire. Mama, no… no! I thought you loved me!

The Sims
Isn’t it a given? All I can really say about it is that I wish sex were the same in real life as it is this game. You can choose to Woohoo or separately Try for Baby. It would make everyone’s life so much easier, at some point or another.

I guess the reason why I love these games so much is because they never really end. I still play Trauma Center stage by stage, trying to get the highest rank on harder difficulties. I can always turn on Theme Hospital and set a new objective, and the game can always take different turns the same way life does. So they’re hokey, and maybe their graphics are a little lacking, but they’re fun. And with them I can step into the cartoonish shoes of a video game surgeon or vet or line cook, and I can pretend for an hour or two that life is just that simple.

This entry was posted on Sunday, August 10th, 2008 at 2:21 pm and is filed under Casual Gaming, Raves, Personal. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.