Life simulation game
Encyclopedia
Life simulation games is a sub-genre of simulation video game
s in which the player lives or controls one or more virtual lifeforms. A life simulation game can revolve around "individuals and relationships, or it could be a simulation of an ecosystem".
research in artificial life
. But "because they're intended for entertainment rather than research, commercial A-life games implement only a subset of what A-life research investigates." This broad genre includes god game
s which focus on managing tribal worshipers, as well as artificial pets
that focus on one or several animals. It also includes genetic artificial life games, where players manages populations of creatures over several generations.
research, including Conway's Game of Life
from 1970. But one of the first commercially viable artificial life games was Little Computer People
in 1985, a Commodore 64
game that allowed players to type requests to characters living in a virtual house. The game is cited as a little known forerunner of virtual-life simulator games to follow. One of the earliest dating sim
s, Tenshitachi no gogo
, was released for the 16-bit NEC PC-9801 computer that same year, though dating sim elements can be found in Sega
's earlier Girl's Garden
in 1984. In 1986, the early biological simulation game Bird Week
was released.
The first digital pet
s began appearing from the late 1980s, some of the earliest examples being role-playing video game
s such as Megami Tensei
in 1987, and Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride in 1992. Dragon Quest V, which revolves around the growth
of the player character
, was also the first game to feature a playable pregnancy
, a concept that has since appeared in later life simulation games such as Harvest Moon, The Sims 2
and Fable II. In 1990, an early biological simulation game revolving around the theme of evolution
, 46 Okunen Monogatari, was released. A revised version of the game was released in 1992 as E.V.O.: Search for Eden
.
In the mid-1990s, as artificial intelligence
programming improved, true AI virtual pets such as Petz
and Tamagotchi
began to appear. Around the same time, Creatures
became "the first full-blown commercial entertainment application of Artificial Life and genetic algorithms". By 2000, The Sims
refined the formula seen in Little Computer People and became the most successful artificial life game created to date. In 2008 also came the game 'Spore' in which you develop an alien species from the microbial tide pool into intergalactic gods.
Digital pets are usually designed to be cute, and act out a range of emotions and behaviors that tell the player how to influence the pet. "This quality of rich intelligence distinguishes artificial pets from other kinds of A-life, in which individuals have simple rules but the population as a whole develops emergent properties
". Players are able to tease, groom, and teach the pet, and so they must be able to learn behaviors from the player. However, these behaviors are typically "preprogrammed and are not truly emergent".
Game designers try to sustain the player's attention by mixing common behaviors with more rare ones, so the player is motivated to keep playing until they see them. Otherwise, these games often lack a victory condition or challenge, and can be classified as software toys
. Games such as Nintendogs
have been implemented for the Nintendo DS
, although there are also simple electronic games that have been implemented on a keychain, such as Tamagotchi
. There are also numerous online pet-raising/virtual pet games, such as Neopets
. Today online games which allow you to show dogs or sim horse game
s are also quite popular.
s or descriptors that define the creature's characteristics. Some games also introduce mutations due to random or environmental factors, which can benefit the population as creatures reproduce. These creatures typically have a short life-span, such as the Creatures
series where organisms can survive from half an hour to well over seven. Players are able to watch forces of natural selection
shape their population, but can also interact with the population by breeding certain individuals together, by modifying the environment, or by introducing new creatures from their design.
Another group of biological simulation games seek to simulate the life of an individual animal whose role the player assumes (rather than simulating an entire ecosystem controlled by the player). These include Wolf and its sequel Lion
, the similar WolfQuest
, and the more modest Odell
educational series.
In addition, a large number of games have loose biological or evolutionary themes but don't attempt to reflect closely the reality of either biology or evolution: these include, within the "God game" variety, Evolution: The Game of Intelligent Life
and Spore
, and within the arcade/RPG variety, a multitude of entertainment software products including Bird Week
, Eco and EVO: Search for Eden.
of ancient Greece
. The player's power comes from simulated worshipers, who are usually simple or tribal in nature. Players must economize quantities of power or mana
, which are derived from the size and prosperity of their population of worshipers. The player consumes this power by using godly powers to help their worshippers, such as blessing their crops or flattening hills to make better farmland. This results in a positive feedback loop, where more power allows the player to help their population grow which helps them gain more power. However, more powerful abilities typically require more power, and these usually take the form of natural disaster
s that can damage rival populations rather than improve life for the player's worshipers. Games typically utilize an aerial top-down perspective.
God games are classified as a subgenre of artificial life game because players tend to a population of simulated people that they control only indirectly. Although god games share qualities with both construction and management simulation games and real-time strategy
games, players in god games are only able to exercise indirect control over their population. They cannot tell specific units what to do, as seen in strategy games, although players may sometimes compete against other players with their own population of supporters. Moreover, players are given godlike powers not seen in construction or management games, such as the ability to control the weather, transform the landscape, and bless or curse different populations.
. The most famous example from this genre is The Sims
, which was influenced by the 1985 game Little Computer People
. These games are part of a subcategory of artificial life game sometimes called a virtual dollhouse, a category which includes Animal Crossing
by Nintendo
.
Simulation video game
A simulation video game describes a diverse super-category of computer and video games, generally designed to closely simulate aspects of a real or fictional reality.-Sub-genres:-Construction and management simulation:...
s in which the player lives or controls one or more virtual lifeforms. A life simulation game can revolve around "individuals and relationships, or it could be a simulation of an ecosystem".
Definition
Life simulation games are about "maintaining and growing a manageable population of organisms", where players are given the power to control the lives of autonomous creatures or people. Artificial life games are related to computer scienceComputer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
research in artificial life
Artificial life
Artificial life is a field of study and an associated art form which examine systems related to life, its processes, and its evolution through simulations using computer models, robotics, and biochemistry. The discipline was named by Christopher Langton, an American computer scientist, in 1986...
. But "because they're intended for entertainment rather than research, commercial A-life games implement only a subset of what A-life research investigates." This broad genre includes god game
God game
A god game is an artificial life game that casts the player in the position of controlling the game on a large scale, as an entity with divine/supernatural powers, as a great leader, or with no specified character , and places them in charge of a game setting containing autonomous characters to...
s which focus on managing tribal worshipers, as well as artificial pets
Digital pet
A digital pet is a type of artificial human companion. They are usually kept for companionship or enjoyment. People may keep a digital pet in lieu of a real pet....
that focus on one or several animals. It also includes genetic artificial life games, where players manages populations of creatures over several generations.
History
Artificial life games and life simulations find their origins in artificial lifeArtificial life
Artificial life is a field of study and an associated art form which examine systems related to life, its processes, and its evolution through simulations using computer models, robotics, and biochemistry. The discipline was named by Christopher Langton, an American computer scientist, in 1986...
research, including Conway's Game of Life
Conway's Game of Life
The Game of Life, also known simply as Life, is a cellular automaton devised by the British mathematician John Horton Conway in 1970....
from 1970. But one of the first commercially viable artificial life games was Little Computer People
Little Computer People
Little Computer People, also called House-on-a-Disk, is a life simulation game/god game released in 1985 by Activision for the Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, ZX Spectrum and Apple II. An Amiga version was released in 1987...
in 1985, a Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
game that allowed players to type requests to characters living in a virtual house. The game is cited as a little known forerunner of virtual-life simulator games to follow. One of the earliest dating sim
Dating sim
Dating sims are a video game subgenre of simulation games, usually Japanese, with romantic elements. They are also sometimes put under the category of neoromance. The most common objective of dating sims is to date, usually choosing from among several characters, and to achieve a romantic...
s, Tenshitachi no gogo
Tenshitachi no gogo
Tenshitachi no Gogo was a popular early dating simulation released by JAST, for the 16-bit NEC PC-9801 computer in June 1985....
, was released for the 16-bit NEC PC-9801 computer that same year, though dating sim elements can be found in Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
's earlier Girl's Garden
Girl's Garden
is a 1984 video game that was released exclusively for the Japanese market.-Summary:This video game has elements of adventure games, action games, and dating sims....
in 1984. In 1986, the early biological simulation game Bird Week
Bird Week
is a Family Computer life simulation video game. The target age groups for this video game are young children regardless of gender, females regardless of age, parents, in addition to grandparents.-Story:...
was released.
The first digital pet
Digital pet
A digital pet is a type of artificial human companion. They are usually kept for companionship or enjoyment. People may keep a digital pet in lieu of a real pet....
s began appearing from the late 1980s, some of the earliest examples being role-playing video game
Role-playing video game
Role-playing video games are a video game genre with origins in pen-and-paper role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, using much of the same terminology, settings and game mechanics. The player in RPGs controls one character, or several adventuring party members, fulfilling one or many quests...
s such as Megami Tensei
Megami Tensei
, commonly abbreviated as , is a Japanese console role-playing game metaseries which was originally based on the novel series Digital Devil Story by Aya Nishitani and has gone to become one of the major franchises of the genre in its native country...
in 1987, and Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride in 1992. Dragon Quest V, which revolves around the growth
Bildungsroman
In literary criticism, bildungsroman or coming-of-age story is a literary genre which focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist from youth to adulthood , and in which character change is thus extremely important...
of the player character
Player character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
, was also the first game to feature a playable pregnancy
Pregnancy
Pregnancy refers to the fertilization and development of one or more offspring, known as a fetus or embryo, in a woman's uterus. In a pregnancy, there can be multiple gestations, as in the case of twins or triplets...
, a concept that has since appeared in later life simulation games such as Harvest Moon, The Sims 2
The Sims 2
The Sims 2 is a strategic life simulation computer game developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. It is the sequel to the best-selling computer game, The Sims, which debuted on February 4, 2000. It was first released on September 14, 2004 for Microsoft Windows. A port to Apple Mac OS X...
and Fable II. In 1990, an early biological simulation game revolving around the theme of evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
, 46 Okunen Monogatari, was released. A revised version of the game was released in 1992 as E.V.O.: Search for Eden
E.V.O.: Search for Eden
E.V.O.: Search for Eden, originally released in Japan as , is a side-scrolling action role-playing video game developed by Almanic Corporation and published by Enix for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Released in 1992 for Japanese audiences, the game was later translated and released in...
.
In the mid-1990s, as artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
programming improved, true AI virtual pets such as Petz
Petz
Petz is a series of games dating back to 1995, in which the player can adopt, raise, care for and breed their own virtual pets...
and Tamagotchi
Tamagotchi
The is a handheld digital pet, created in Japan by Akihiro Yokoi of WiZ and Aki Maita of Bandai. It was first sold by Bandai in 1996 in Japan. As of 2010, over 76 million Tamagotchis have been sold world-wide...
began to appear. Around the same time, Creatures
Creatures (artificial life program)
Creatures is an artificial life computer program series, created in the mid-1990s by English computer scientist Steve Grand whilst working for the Cambridge computer games developer Millennium Interactive...
became "the first full-blown commercial entertainment application of Artificial Life and genetic algorithms". By 2000, The Sims
The Sims
The Sims is a strategic life-simulation computer game developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. Its development was led by game designer Will Wright, also known for developing SimCity...
refined the formula seen in Little Computer People and became the most successful artificial life game created to date. In 2008 also came the game 'Spore' in which you develop an alien species from the microbial tide pool into intergalactic gods.
Digital pets
Digital pets are a subgenre of artificial life game where players train, maintain, and watch a simulated animal. The pets can be simulations of real animals, or fantasy pets. Unlike genetic artificial life games that focus on larger populations of organisms, digital pet games usually allow players to interact with one or a few pets at once. In contrast to artificial life games, digital pets do not usually reproduce or die, although there are exceptions where pets will run away if ignored or mistreated.Digital pets are usually designed to be cute, and act out a range of emotions and behaviors that tell the player how to influence the pet. "This quality of rich intelligence distinguishes artificial pets from other kinds of A-life, in which individuals have simple rules but the population as a whole develops emergent properties
Emergence
In philosophy, systems theory, science, and art, emergence is the way complex systems and patterns arise out of a multiplicity of relatively simple interactions. Emergence is central to the theories of integrative levels and of complex systems....
". Players are able to tease, groom, and teach the pet, and so they must be able to learn behaviors from the player. However, these behaviors are typically "preprogrammed and are not truly emergent".
Game designers try to sustain the player's attention by mixing common behaviors with more rare ones, so the player is motivated to keep playing until they see them. Otherwise, these games often lack a victory condition or challenge, and can be classified as software toys
Non-game
Non-games define a class of software that lies on the border between video games, toys and applications. The original term non-game game was coined by Nintendo president Satoru Iwata. The main difference between non-games and traditional video games is the apparent lack of goals, objectives and...
. Games such as Nintendogs
Nintendogs
is a real-time pet simulation video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS handheld video game console. It was first released in Japan, and was later released in North America, Australia, Europe, and other regions. It was originally released in three different versions:...
have been implemented for the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
, although there are also simple electronic games that have been implemented on a keychain, such as Tamagotchi
Tamagotchi
The is a handheld digital pet, created in Japan by Akihiro Yokoi of WiZ and Aki Maita of Bandai. It was first sold by Bandai in 1996 in Japan. As of 2010, over 76 million Tamagotchis have been sold world-wide...
. There are also numerous online pet-raising/virtual pet games, such as Neopets
Neopets
Neopets is a virtual pet website that was launched by Adam Powell and Donna Williams on November 15, 1999. Two years after the web site was launched, Adam Powell and Donna Williams sold a majority share to a consortium of investors led by Doug Dohring. On June 20, 2005, Viacom bought Neopets, Inc...
. Today online games which allow you to show dogs or sim horse game
Sim horse game
Sim horse games , also called cyberbarn games, horse sims, or virtual horse games, are online browser-based games. Sim horse game generally fall into one of two categories: traditional or automated / semi-automated...
s are also quite popular.
Biological simulations
Some artificial life games allow players to manage a population of creatures over several generations, and try to achieve goals for the population as a whole. These games have been called genetic artificial life games, or biological simulations. Players are able to crossbreed creatures, which have a set of geneGene
A gene is a molecular unit of heredity of a living organism. It is a name given to some stretches of DNA and RNA that code for a type of protein or for an RNA chain that has a function in the organism. Living beings depend on genes, as they specify all proteins and functional RNA chains...
s or descriptors that define the creature's characteristics. Some games also introduce mutations due to random or environmental factors, which can benefit the population as creatures reproduce. These creatures typically have a short life-span, such as the Creatures
Creatures (artificial life program)
Creatures is an artificial life computer program series, created in the mid-1990s by English computer scientist Steve Grand whilst working for the Cambridge computer games developer Millennium Interactive...
series where organisms can survive from half an hour to well over seven. Players are able to watch forces of natural selection
Natural selection
Natural selection is the nonrandom process by which biologic traits become either more or less common in a population as a function of differential reproduction of their bearers. It is a key mechanism of evolution....
shape their population, but can also interact with the population by breeding certain individuals together, by modifying the environment, or by introducing new creatures from their design.
Another group of biological simulation games seek to simulate the life of an individual animal whose role the player assumes (rather than simulating an entire ecosystem controlled by the player). These include Wolf and its sequel Lion
Lion (Game)
Lion is an animal simulation game where the player plays the role of a lion. It is a sequel of sorts to Wolf.The gameplay is divided into two parts. The first is a sandbox simulation mode, where the player has no predetermined goal...
, the similar WolfQuest
WolfQuest
WolfQuest is a 3D wildlife simulation video game by the Minnesota Zoo and game developer company Eduweb. The demo was released on October 31, 2007. On December 21, 2007 it was released as a free downloadable game for Macintosh and Windows computers. The official deluxe version was released on April...
, and the more modest Odell
Odell Lake (computer game)
Odell Lake was an early educational life simulation game, produced by MECC for the Apple II and Commodore 64 computers. In the game, the player is a fish living in Odell Lake, a real-world lake in Oregon. It was followed up by the game Odell Down Under....
educational series.
In addition, a large number of games have loose biological or evolutionary themes but don't attempt to reflect closely the reality of either biology or evolution: these include, within the "God game" variety, Evolution: The Game of Intelligent Life
Evolution: The Game of Intelligent Life
Evolution: The Game of Intelligent Life, also known as Genetic Evolution: The Race for Intelligent Life in Germany and Evolução: O Jogo da Vida in Brazil, is a life simulation & real-time strategy computer game that allows players to experience, guide, and control evolution from an isometric view...
and Spore
Spore
In biology, a spore is a reproductive structure that is adapted for dispersal and surviving for extended periods of time in unfavorable conditions. Spores form part of the life cycles of many bacteria, plants, algae, fungi and some protozoa. According to scientist Dr...
, and within the arcade/RPG variety, a multitude of entertainment software products including Bird Week
Bird Week
is a Family Computer life simulation video game. The target age groups for this video game are young children regardless of gender, females regardless of age, parents, in addition to grandparents.-Story:...
, Eco and EVO: Search for Eden.
God game
God games allow players to take on the role of a god with limited powers, similar to the gods from the mythologyMythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
of ancient Greece
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
. The player's power comes from simulated worshipers, who are usually simple or tribal in nature. Players must economize quantities of power or mana
Mana
Mana is an indigenous Pacific islander concept of an impersonal force or quality that resides in people, animals, and inanimate objects. The word is a cognate in many Oceanic languages, including Melanesian, Polynesian, and Micronesian....
, which are derived from the size and prosperity of their population of worshipers. The player consumes this power by using godly powers to help their worshippers, such as blessing their crops or flattening hills to make better farmland. This results in a positive feedback loop, where more power allows the player to help their population grow which helps them gain more power. However, more powerful abilities typically require more power, and these usually take the form of natural disaster
Natural disaster
A natural disaster is the effect of a natural hazard . It leads to financial, environmental or human losses...
s that can damage rival populations rather than improve life for the player's worshipers. Games typically utilize an aerial top-down perspective.
God games are classified as a subgenre of artificial life game because players tend to a population of simulated people that they control only indirectly. Although god games share qualities with both construction and management simulation games and real-time strategy
Real-time strategy
Real-time strategy is a sub-genre of strategy video game which does not progress incrementally in turns. Brett Sperry is credited with coining the term to market Dune II....
games, players in god games are only able to exercise indirect control over their population. They cannot tell specific units what to do, as seen in strategy games, although players may sometimes compete against other players with their own population of supporters. Moreover, players are given godlike powers not seen in construction or management games, such as the ability to control the weather, transform the landscape, and bless or curse different populations.
Social simulation
Social simulation games explore social interactions between multiple artificial livesArtificial life
Artificial life is a field of study and an associated art form which examine systems related to life, its processes, and its evolution through simulations using computer models, robotics, and biochemistry. The discipline was named by Christopher Langton, an American computer scientist, in 1986...
. The most famous example from this genre is The Sims
The Sims
The Sims is a strategic life-simulation computer game developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. Its development was led by game designer Will Wright, also known for developing SimCity...
, which was influenced by the 1985 game Little Computer People
Little Computer People
Little Computer People, also called House-on-a-Disk, is a life simulation game/god game released in 1985 by Activision for the Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, ZX Spectrum and Apple II. An Amiga version was released in 1987...
. These games are part of a subcategory of artificial life game sometimes called a virtual dollhouse, a category which includes Animal Crossing
Animal Crossing
The Animal Crossing games have garnered positive response. The first three games are among the best-selling for their respective consoles. Animal Crossing has sold 2.321 million copies; Wild World 10.79 million; and City Folk 3.38 million...
by Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
.
Biological simulations
- JSimLife - A Biological life simulation with Genetic algorithm and Neural network. Link
- Bird WeekBird Weekis a Family Computer life simulation video game. The target age groups for this video game are young children regardless of gender, females regardless of age, parents, in addition to grandparents.-Story:...
- a simple game for the FamicomNintendo Entertainment SystemThe Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
where the player assumes the role of a bird feeding its young - CreaturesCreatures (artificial life program)Creatures is an artificial life computer program series, created in the mid-1990s by English computer scientist Steve Grand whilst working for the Cambridge computer games developer Millennium Interactive...
series, by Creature LabsCreature LabsCreature Labs was a company based in Cambridge, England which was set up to develop the artificial life technology created by Steve Grand...
/Gameware Development - LionLion (Game)Lion is an animal simulation game where the player plays the role of a lion. It is a sequel of sorts to Wolf.The gameplay is divided into two parts. The first is a sandbox simulation mode, where the player has no predetermined goal...
— the sequel to Wolf only now with lions - Odell Lake and Odell Down UnderOdell Down UnderOdell Down Under is a game for the PC and Macintosh that takes place in the Great Barrier Reef. It is the sequel to Odell Lake.-Gameplay:...
, simple educational games about aquaticAquatic animalAn aquatic animal is an animal, either vertebrate or invertebrate, which lives in water for most or all of its life. It may breathe air or extract its oxygen from that dissolved in water through specialised organs called gills, or directly through its skin. Natural environments and the animals that...
life and food chainFood chainA food web depicts feeding connections in an ecological community. Ecologists can broadly lump all life forms into one of two categories called trophic levels: 1) the autotrophs, and 2) the heterotrophs...
s - Science Horizons Survival — an early game which also teaches about food chains.
- SimAntSimAntSimAnt: The Electronic Ant Colony is a 1991 life simulation computer game by Maxis and Maxis' Third Product, focusing on ants. It was designed by Will Wright, maker of other 'Sim' games such as SimCity and The Sims...
— a MaxisMaxisMaxis is an American company founded as an independent video game developer in 1987. It is currently a subsidiary of Electronic Arts . Maxis is the creator of one of the best-selling computer games of all time, The Sims and its first sequel, The Sims 2...
game that allows the player to assume control of an ant colonyAnt colonyAn ant colony is an underground lair where ants live, eat and mate. Colonies consist of a series of underground chambers, connected to each other and the surface of the earth by small tunnels. There are rooms for nurseries, food storage, and mating... - SimEarthSimEarthSimEarth: The Living Planet, the second life simulation computer game designed by Will Wright in which the player controls the development of a planet. The game was published in 1990 by Maxis...
- SimLifeSimLifeSimLife: The Genetic Playground is a computer game produced by Maxis in 1992. The concept of the game is to simulate an ecosystem; players may modify the genetics of the plants and animals that inhabit the virtual world. The point of this game is to experiment and create a self sustaining...
— Another Maxis game which experiments with genetics and ecosystems. - SimParkSimParkSimPark is a 1996 video game by Maxis. The object of the game is to cultivate and manage a successful park. Similar to SimTown, it is targeted more towards children than the average gamer. SimPark attempts to show the importance of ecological balance...
- SeamanSeaman (video game)is a virtual pet video game for the Sega Dreamcast. It is one of the few Dreamcast games to take advantage of the microphone attachment. The narration is voiced by Leonard Nimoy in the English-language version....
— a virtual pet game that simulates the raising of a talking fish with a human face that develops into a frog-like creature. - Star Wars: The Gungan Frontier simulates a planet which the player populates with creatures that compete for limited supplies of food.
- WolfWolf (Game)Wolf is a life simulation game where the player takes the role of a wolf.The gameplay is divided into two parts. The first is a sandbox mode, where the player has no predetermined goal. The second is a scenario mode, where the player has to complete specific actions; this is comparable to quests...
— simulates the life of a wolf, made by Sanctuary Woods. - WolfQuestWolfQuestWolfQuest is a 3D wildlife simulation video game by the Minnesota Zoo and game developer company Eduweb. The demo was released on October 31, 2007. On December 21, 2007 it was released as a free downloadable game for Macintosh and Windows computers. The official deluxe version was released on April...
Loosely biology- and evolution-inspired games
Some games take biology or evolution as a theme, rather than attempting to simulate.- Cubivore: Survival of the Fittest (2002, Nintendo) – an action adventureAction-adventure gameAn action-adventure game is a video game that combines elements of the adventure game genre with various action game elements. It is perhaps the broadest and most diverse genre in gaming, and can include many games which might better be categorized under narrow genres...
. - EcoEco (computer game)Eco is an evolution life simulation game developed by Denton Designs for the Amiga and Atari ST. It was released in 1988 and published by Ocean Software....
(1988, Ocean) - E.V.O.: Search for EdenE.V.O.: Search for EdenE.V.O.: Search for Eden, originally released in Japan as , is a side-scrolling action role-playing video game developed by Almanic Corporation and published by Enix for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Released in 1992 for Japanese audiences, the game was later translated and released in...
(1992, Enix) — an arcade game which portrays an evolving organism across different stages. "Evolutionary points" are earned by eating other creatures and are used to evolve. - flOwFlOwFlow is an indie video game created by Jenova Chen and Nicholas Clark. Originally released as a free Flash game in 2006 to accompany Chen's master's thesis, it was reworked into a 2007 PlayStation 3 game by his development studio, Thatgamecompany. SuperVillain Studios released a PlayStation...
(2006, Jenova Chen) — a Flash game similar to E.V.O. - L.O.L.: Lack of LoveL.O.L.: Lack of LoveL.O.L.: Lack of Love, or simply Lack of Love, is an evolutionary adventure game developed by Love-de-Lic and published by ASCII Entertainment for the Sega Dreamcast...
(2000, ASCII Entertainment) - a role playing game; the player assumes the role of a creature which gradually changes its body and improves its abilities, but this is done by means of more varied achievements, often involving social interactions with other creatures. - Seventh Cross Evolution (1999, UFO Interactive Games) - an action game.
- Spore (2008, Electronic Arts) - a multi-genre god gameGod gameA god game is an artificial life game that casts the player in the position of controlling the game on a large scale, as an entity with divine/supernatural powers, as a great leader, or with no specified character , and places them in charge of a game setting containing autonomous characters to...
. The first and second stages are biology-themed, although the second stage also has more role playing game elements. - Creatures (artificial life program) (1998–2002, Creature Labs) - pet game. In this game you raise creatures called norns, Also there are of health problems your norn can experience, such as a flu.
Social simulations
- Alter Ego — a personality computer game released by ActivisionActivisionActivision is an American publisher, majority owned by French conglomerate Vivendi SA. Its current CEO is Robert Kotick. It was founded on October 1, 1979 and was the world's first independent developer and distributor of video games for gaming consoles...
in 1986 - Animal Crossing (series)Animal Crossing (series)The Animal Crossing games have garnered positive response. The first three games are among the best-selling for their respective consoles. Animal Crossing has sold 2.321 million copies; Wild World 10.79 million; and City Folk 3.38 million...
— a life simulator series by NintendoNintendois a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
. It has also been dubbed as a "communication game" by the company as had CubivoreCubivoreCubivore: Survival of the Fittest, known in Japan as is an action adventure video game developed by Saru Brunei and published by Nintendo in Japan on February 21, and by Atlus in North America on November 10, for the Nintendo GameCube video game console...
, Doshin the GiantDoshin the Giantis a Nintendo god simulation game for the Nintendo 64DD released in Japan on December 1, 1999. The original game was bundled with the 64DD console. An add-on was released five months later called Kyojin no Doshin Kaihō Sensen Chibikko Chikko Daishūgou, which took a very different perspective of...
and GiFTPiAGiFTPiAis a video game that was developed by Skip Ltd. for the Nintendo GameCube. It was released in Japan on April 25, 2003. Despite that its last showing at Electronic Entertainment Expo was in English, Nintendo cancelled the North American localization of GiFTPiA...
. - EcckyEcckyEccky is an online game. Until 2009, it was an MSN-based life simulation game in which two people come together to create and raise a virtual baby. Eccky won the 2005 SpinAwards for Innovation and for Best Interactive Concept...
— by Media Republic. - Façade (interactive story)Façade (interactive story)Façade is an artificial-intelligence-based interactive story created by Michael Mateas and Andrew Stern. It was the winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 2006 Slamdance Independent Games Festival and has been exhibited at several international art shows...
- An artificial-intelligence-based interactive story created by Michael Mateas and Andrew Stern. - The Harvest Moon series — by Marvelous Entertainment, farming simulator, role-playing game, and dating sim rolled into one.
- THE iDOLM@STER - an idolJapanese idolIn Japanese culture, are media personalities in their teens and early twenties who are considered particularly attractive or cute and who will, for a period ranging from several months to a few years, regularly appear in the mass media, e.g...
raising sim by NamcoNamcois a Japanese corporation best known as a former video game developer and publisher. Following a merger with Bandai in September 2005, the two companies' game production assets were spun off into Namco Bandai Games on March 31, 2006. Namco Ltd. was re-established to continue domestic operation of...
. - Jones in the Fast LaneJones in the Fast LaneJones in the Fast Lane is a life simulation game developed and published by Sierra Entertainment in 1990. The objective of the game is to attain certain amounts of money, happiness, status, and education. The exact amounts needed are defined by the player when the game begins...
— by Sierra EntertainmentSierra EntertainmentSierra Entertainment Inc. was an American video-game developer and publisher founded in 1979 as On-Line Systems by Ken and Roberta Williams...
is one of the earliest life simulators. - Little Computer PeopleLittle Computer PeopleLittle Computer People, also called House-on-a-Disk, is a life simulation game/god game released in 1985 by Activision for the Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, ZX Spectrum and Apple II. An Amiga version was released in 1987...
— by David CraneDavid Crane (programmer)David Crane is a video game designer and programmer.Crane started his programming career at Atari, making games for the Atari 2600. After meeting co-worker Alan Miller in a tennis game, Miller told Crane about a plan he had to leave Atari and found a company that would give game designers more...
, published by ActivisionActivisionActivision is an American publisher, majority owned by French conglomerate Vivendi SA. Its current CEO is Robert Kotick. It was founded on October 1, 1979 and was the world's first independent developer and distributor of video games for gaming consoles...
for Apple IIApple IIThe Apple II is an 8-bit home computer, one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products, designed primarily by Steve Wozniak, manufactured by Apple Computer and introduced in 1977...
and Commodore 64Commodore 64The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
(1985) - Money Game — a FamicomNintendo Entertainment SystemThe Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
life simulation about balance love with high finance - The Money Game II: Kabutochou no KisekiThe Money Game II: Kabutochou no Kisekiis a Nintendo Family Computer game that is about investing money in the stock market.-Summary:All the benefits from the original Money Game are here. Like in the real stock market, the player must buy a stock at a low price and sell the stock when he feels that it is high enough to garner him a...
the FamicomNintendo Entertainment SystemThe Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
sequel to Money Game - My Life My Love: Boku no Yume: Watashi no Negai — a life simulation for the Japanese FamicomNintendo Entertainment SystemThe Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
system - The Princess MakerPrincess Makeris a series of Japanese life simulation bishōjo games by the computer game and anime production company Gainax. The first Princess Maker, while popular enough to be translated into Chinese, was never released in the United States. Princess Maker 2 was translated by for a North American release,...
series — by GainaxGainaxis a Japanese anime studio famous for productions such as Gunbuster, The Wings of Honneamise, Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water, Neon Genesis Evangelion, FLCL and Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann which have gone on to critical acclaim and commercial success, as well as for their association with...
, a raising sim which the player have to raise an adoptive daughter until she reaches adulthood. The final result varies from a ruling queen to an ordinary housewife, or even a prostitute if the player looks after her poorly - Real LivesReal LivesReal Lives is a 2001 educational video game designed by the company Educational Simulations. It allows players to live out lives of randomly generated people on Earth. Players are allowed to choose their occupation, living conditions, social activities, and start families, but all their decisions...
— an educational life simulator by Educational Simulations where the player is randomly "born" somewhere in the world and often must deal with third-world difficulties such as disease, malnutrition, and civil war. - Tenshitachi no gogoTenshitachi no gogoTenshitachi no Gogo was a popular early dating simulation released by JAST, for the 16-bit NEC PC-9801 computer in June 1985....
— One of the earliest dating simDating simDating sims are a video game subgenre of simulation games, usually Japanese, with romantic elements. They are also sometimes put under the category of neoromance. The most common objective of dating sims is to date, usually choosing from among several characters, and to achieve a romantic...
s, released for the 16-bit NEC PC-9801 computer that same year. - The SimsThe SimsThe Sims is a strategic life-simulation computer game developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. Its development was led by game designer Will Wright, also known for developing SimCity...
— by Will Wright, published by EAElectronic ArtsElectronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
for the PC (2000), and its sequels, The Sims 2The Sims 2The Sims 2 is a strategic life simulation computer game developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. It is the sequel to the best-selling computer game, The Sims, which debuted on February 4, 2000. It was first released on September 14, 2004 for Microsoft Windows. A port to Apple Mac OS X...
(2004) and The Sims 3The Sims 3The Sims 3 is a 2009 strategic life simulation computer game developed by The Sims Studio and published by Electronic Arts. It is the sequel to the best-selling computer game, The Sims 2. It was first released on June 2, 2009 simultaneously for Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows...
(2009). - True LoveTrue Love (game), better known simply as True Love, is a Japanese erotic visual novel developed by Software House Parsley and published by CD Bros., released on June 9, 1995 for the PC-98 and on December 6, 1996 for Windows...
— (1994), a Japanese eroticErogeAn or Ero-ga is a Japanese video or computer game that features erotic content, usually in the form of anime-style artwork. Eroge originated from galge, but unlike galge, they feature erotic/pornographic content.-History:...
dating simDating simDating sims are a video game subgenre of simulation games, usually Japanese, with romantic elements. They are also sometimes put under the category of neoromance. The most common objective of dating sims is to date, usually choosing from among several characters, and to achieve a romantic...
and general life simulation game where the player must manage the player's daily activities, such as studying, exercise, and employment. - The Virtual Villagers seriesVirtual VillagersVirtual Villagers is a series of village simulator video games created and developed by Last Day of Work, an independent video game developer and publisher...
— by Last Day of WorkLast Day of WorkLast Day of Work is an independent game studio based in San Francisco, California, which creates and develops casual games for the Windows and Macintosh platforms. The company was founded in 2002 by Arthur K...
. - Moon RPG Remix Adventure — a social RPG released only in Japan, created by the same designer as Lack of Love and GiFTPiAGiFTPiAis a video game that was developed by Skip Ltd. for the Nintendo GameCube. It was released in Japan on April 25, 2003. Despite that its last showing at Electronic Entertainment Expo was in English, Nintendo cancelled the North American localization of GiFTPiA...