Life simulation gamesform a subgenre ofsimulation video gamesin which the player lives or controls one or more virtual characters (human or otherwise). Such a game can revolve around "individuals and relationships, or it could be a simulation of an ecosystem".[1]Other terms includeartificial life game[1]andsimulated life game(SLG).
Definition
editLife simulation games are about "maintaining and growing a virtual life",[2]where players are given the power to control the lives of autonomous people or creatures.[1]Artificial life games are related tocomputer scienceresearch inartificial 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."[2]This broad genre includesgod gameswhich focus on managing tribal worshipers, as well asartificial petsthat focus on one or several animals. It also includes genetic artificial life games, where players manage populations of creatures over several generations.[1]
History
editArtificial life games and life simulations find their origins inartificial liferesearch, includingConway's Game of Lifefrom 1970.[1]But one of the first commercially viable artificial life games wasLittle Computer Peoplein 1985,[1]aCommodore 64game 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.[3][4]One of the earliestdating sims,Tenshitachi no gogo,[5]was released for the 16-bitNEC PC-9801computer that same year,[6]though dating sim elements can be found inSega's earlierGirl's Gardenin 1984.[7]
In the mid-1990s, asartificial intelligenceprogramming improved, true AI virtual pets such asPetzandTamagotchibegan to appear. Around the same time,Creaturesbecame "the first full-blown commercial entertainment application of Artificial Life and genetic algorithms".[8]By 2000,The Simsrefined the formula seen inLittle Computer Peopleand became the most successful artificial life game created to date.[1]In 2007, the gameSporewas released, in which the player develops an alien species from the microbial tide pool into an interstellar empire.
Types
editDigital pets
editDigital pets are a subgenre of artificial life game where players train, maintain, and watch a simulated animal.[1]The pets can be simulations of real animals, or fantasy pets.[2]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.[1]In contrast to artificial life games, digital pets do not usually reproduce or die,[2]although there are exceptions where pets will run away if ignored or mistreated.[1]
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.[1]"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 developsemergent properties".[2]Players are able to tease, groom, and teach the pet, and so they must be able to learn behaviors from the player.[1]However, these behaviors are typically "preprogrammed and are not truly emergent".[2]
Game designers try to sustain the player's attention by mi xing common behaviors with more rare ones, so the player is motivated to keep playing until they see them.[1]Otherwise, these games often lack a victory condition or challenge, and can be classified assoftware toys.[2]Games such asNintendogshave been implemented for theNintendo DS,although there are also simple electronic games that have been implemented on a keychain, such asTamagotchi.[1]There are also numerous online pet-raising/virtual pet games, such asNeopets.[citation needed]Other pet life simulation games include online show dog raising games, and show horse raising games.
Biological simulations
editSome 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.[1]These games have been called genetic artificial life games,[1]or biological simulations.[9]Players are able to crossbreed creatures, which have a set ofgenesor descriptors that define the creature's characteristics.[1]Some games also introduce mutations due to random or environmental factors, which can benefit the population as creatures reproduce.[10]These creatures typically have a short life-span, such as theCreaturesseries where organisms can survive from half an hour to well over seven hours.[1]Players are able to watch forces ofnatural selectionshape 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.[10]
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 includeWolfand its sequelLion,the similarWolfQuest,and the more modestOdelleducational series.
In addition, a large number of games have loose biological or evolutionary themes but do not attempt to reflect closely the reality of either biology or evolution: these include, within the "God game"variety,Evolution: The Game of Intelligent LifeandSpore,and within the arcade/RPG variety, a multitude of entertainment software products includingEcoandEVO: Search for Eden.
Social simulation
editSocial simulation games explore social interactions between multipleartificial lives.In some cases, the player may simply be an observer with no direct control but can influence the environment of the artificial lives, such as by creating and furnishing a house and creating situations for those characters to interact. These games are part of a subcategory of artificial life game sometimes called a virtual dollhouse.[1]The Simsis the most notable example of this type of game, and was itself influenced by the 1985 gameLittle Computer People.[11][12]
In other games, the player takes a more active role as one character living alongside other artificial ones, engaging in similar life pursuits as to make money or sustain their character while engaging in social interactions with the other characters, typically seeking to gain beneficial relations with all such characters. Several of these fall into the subgenre of farming simulations, where the player-character runs a farm in a rural setting, growing crops and raising livestock to make money to keep their farm going while working to improve relations with the local townspeople.[13]Such games include theStory of Seasonsand theAnimal Crossingseries, andStardew Valley.[14]Dating simsare related to this type of game, but generally where the play-character is seeking a romantic relationship with one or more computer-controlled characters, with such titles often aimed at more mature audiences compared to the typical social simulation game. Dating sims may be more driven byvisual novelgameplay elements than typical simulation gameplay.[15]
Examples
editBiological simulations
edit- Creatura– virtual evolution vivarium, with focus on scientifically accurate genetics and enclosed ecosystem simulation, made by Koksny
- Creaturesseries, by Creature Labs/Gameware Development
- Lion– the sequel toWolf;simulates the life of a lion
- Odell LakeandOdell Down Under,simple educational games aboutaquaticlife andfood chains
- Rain World– simulates a post-human, post-industrial ecosystem[16]
- Saurian– simulates the life of non-avian dinosaurs in the Hell Creek formation
- Science Horizons Survival– an early game which also teaches about food chains.
- Shelter– simulates the life of a badger family, made byMight and Delight
- Shelter 2– simulates the life of a lynx family, made by Might and Delight
- SimAnt– aMaxisgame that allows the player to assume control of anant colony
- SimEarth– another Maxis game that deals withterraformingand guiding a planet through its geological and biological development.
- SimLife– another Maxis game which experiments with genetics and ecosystems.
- SimPark
- Seaman– avirtual petgame that simulates the raising of a talking fish that develops into a frog-like creature.
- Star Wars: The Gungan Frontiersimulates a planet which the player populates with creatures that compete for limited supplies of food.[17]
- Wolf– simulates the life of a wolf, made by Sanctuary Woods.
- WolfQuest
Loosely biology- and evolution-inspired games
editSome games take biology or evolution as a theme, rather than attempting to simulate.
- Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey(2019, Panache Digital Games) – asurvival game,in which the player guides a clan of primates in their open – but hostile – environment, while overseeing their evolutionary course.
- Creatures (artificial life program)(1998–2002, Creature Labs) – an early 'artificial-life' program, the Creatures franchise features creatures called 'Norns', each of which has its own 'digital DNA' that later generations can inherit. The Norns are semi-autonomous, but must be trained to interact with their environment to avoid starvation.
- Cubivore: Survival of the Fittest(2002, Nintendo) – anaction adventure.
- Eco(1988, Ocean)
- E.V.O.: Search for Eden(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.
- flOw(2006, Jenova Chen) – a Flash game similar to E.V.O.
- L.O.L.: Lack of Love(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.
- Seaman(2000, Vivarium) – a virtual pet video game for the Sega Dreamcast.
- Seventh Cross Evolution(1999, UFO Interactive Games) – an action game.
- Spore(2008, Electronic Arts) – a multi-genreGod game.The first and second stages are biology-themed, although the second stage also has more role playing game elements.
Social simulations
edit- Alter Ego– a personalitycomputer gamereleased byActivisionin 1986
- Animal Crossing– a life simulator series byNintendo.It has also been dubbed as a "communication game" by the company as hadCubivore,Doshin the GiantandGiFTPiA.[18]
- Avakin Life– a multi-user virtual community by Lockwood Publishing
- Castaway Paradise
- Eccky– by Media Republic.
- Façade– An artificial-intelligence-based interactive story
- TheStory of Seasonsseries – byMarvelous Entertainment,farming simulator, role-playing game, and dating sim rolled into one.
- The Idolmaster– anidolraising sim game series byNamco(nowBandai Namco Entertainment), which become a idol multimedia franchise.
- Jones in the Fast Lane– bySierra Entertainmentis one of the earliest life simulators.
- Kudosseries – byPositech Games.
- Little Computer People– byDavid Crane,published byActivisionin (1985)
- My Life My Love: Boku no Yume: Watashi no Negai– a life simulation for the JapaneseFamicomsystem
- ThePrincess Makerseries – byGainax,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 Lives– 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.
- Roots of Pacha– life simulator in prehistoric setting in development by Soda Den.
- Tenshitachi no gogo– One of the earliest dating sims,[5]released for the 16-bitNEC PC-9801computer that same year.[6]
- The Sims– byWill Wright,published byEAfor thePC(2000), and sequels,The Sims 2(2004),The Sims 3(2009) andThe Sims 4(2014).
- Tomodachi Life– byNintendo
- True Love– (1995), a Japaneseeroticdating sim and general life simulation game where the player must manage the player's daily activities, such as studying, exercise, and employment.
- The Virtual Villagers series– byLast Day of Work.
- Moon RPG Remix Adventure– a social RPG released only in Japan, created by the same designer as Lack of Love andGiFTPiA
- New York Nights: Success in the City– a social simulation created and designed byGameloftreleased for mobile phones.
- Second Life– a multi-user virtual community without a specific objective or traditional gaming mechanisms, created and designed byLinden Labin 2003.
- Shenmue– anopen worldvideo game series that simulates life inJapanandChinain the 1980s.[19]
- Wall Street Kid– a life simulation about balancing love with high finance
- Paralives– an upcoming indie life simulation game for PC and Mac
- InZOI– an upcoming life simulation game, developed byKrafton
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