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Life simulation game

January 01, 1970

"Life sim" redirects here. For the producer, see Life Sim.

Life simulation games form a subgenre of simulation video games in 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 include artificial life game[1] and simulated life game (SLG).

A Tamagotchi virtual pet game

Definition edit

Life 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 to computer science 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."[2] This broad genre includes god games 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 manage populations of creatures over several generations.[1]

History edit

Artificial life games and life simulations find their origins in artificial life research, including Conway's Game of Life from 1970.[1] But one of the first commercially viable artificial life games was Little Computer People in 1985,[1] 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.[3][4] One of the earliest dating sims, Tenshitachi no gogo,[5] was released for the 16-bit NEC PC-9801 computer that same year,[6] though dating sim elements can be found in Sega's earlier Girl's Garden in 1984.[7]

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".[8] By 2000, The Sims refined the formula seen in Little Computer People and became the most successful artificial life game created to date.[1] In 2007, the game Spore was released, in which the player develops an alien species from the microbial tide pool into an interstellar empire.

Types edit

Digital pets edit

Main article: Digital pet

Digital 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 develops emergent 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 mixing 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 as software toys.[2] 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.[1] There are also numerous online pet-raising/virtual pet games, such as Neopets.[citation needed] Other pet life simulation games include online show dog raising games, and show horse raising games.

Biological simulations edit

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.[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 of genes or 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 the Creatures series where organisms can survive from half an hour to well over seven hours.[1] 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.[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 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 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 Life and Spore, and within the arcade/RPG variety, a multitude of entertainment software products including Eco and EVO: Search for Eden.

Social simulation edit

Main article: Social simulation game
See also: Dating sim and Farm life sim

Social simulation games explore social interactions between multiple artificial 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 Sims is the most notable example of this type of game, and was itself influenced by the 1985 game Little 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 the Story of Seasons and the Animal Crossing series, and Stardew Valley.[14] Dating sims are 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 by visual novel gameplay elements than typical simulation gameplay.[15]

Examples edit

Biological simulations edit

  • Creatura – virtual evolution vivarium, with focus on scientifically accurate genetics and enclosed ecosystem simulation, made by Koksny
  • Creatures series, by Creature Labs/Gameware Development
  • Lion – the sequel to Wolf; simulates the life of a lion
  • Odell Lake and Odell Down Under, simple educational games about aquatic life and food 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 by Might and Delight
  • Shelter 2 – simulates the life of a lynx family, made by Might and Delight
  • SimAnt – a Maxis game that allows the player to assume control of an ant colony
  • SimEarth – another Maxis game that deals with terraforming and guiding a planet through its geological and biological development.
  • SimLife – another Maxis game which experiments with genetics and ecosystems.
  • SimPark
  • Seaman – a virtual pet game that simulates the raising of a talking fish 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.[17]
  • Wolf – simulates the life of a wolf, made by Sanctuary Woods.
  • WolfQuest

Loosely biology- and evolution-inspired games edit

Some games take biology or evolution as a theme, rather than attempting to simulate.

  • Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey (2019, Panache Digital Games) – a survival 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) – an action 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-genre God game. The first and second stages are biology-themed, although the second stage also has more role playing game elements.

Social simulations edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Rollings, Andrew; Ernest Adams (2006). Fundamentals of Game Design. Prentice Hall. Archived from the original on 2021-10-09.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Rollings, Andrew; Ernest Adams (2003). . New Riders Publishing. pp. 477–487. ISBN 1-59273-001-9. Archived from the original on 2020-05-02.
  3. ^ . GameSpot. Archived from the original on 2010-07-07.
  4. ^ Kidd, Graham (August 1996). "Get A-Life". Computer Shopper.
  5. ^ a b Tenshitachi no Gogo at MobyGames
  6. ^ a b Tenshi-Tachi no Gogo Archived 2012-07-31 at archive.today, GameSpot
  7. ^ "Team Pixelboy Demos". AtariAge. from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2023-02-14.
  8. ^ Andrew Stern (1999). "AI Beyond Computer Games". AAAI Technical Report. Archived from the original on 2021-10-09.
  9. ^ Ringo, Tad. 1993. On the cutting edge of technology. Sams Pub.. "In SimLife, a biological simulation, you custom design the environment and life- forms"
  10. ^ a b Ernest Adams (2003-04-01). "More Sex(es) in Computer Games". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on 2021-10-09. Retrieved 2010-05-23.
  11. ^ Wright, Will. "A chat about the "The Sims" and "SimCity"". CNN. Archived from the original on 2021-10-09. Retrieved 2008-03-18.
  12. ^ "Little Computer People Review". Eurogamer.net. Eurogamer. 26 October 2007. Archived from the original on 2021-10-09.
  13. ^ Carpenter, Nicole (September 13, 2022), "We're in the golden era of farming simulators", Polygon, from the original on September 14, 2022, retrieved September 17, 2022
  14. ^ "GameSpy: Top 25 Games of All Time". GameSpy. Archived from the original on 2021-10-09.
  15. ^ Lebowitz, Josiah (2011). Interactive Storytelling for Video Games: a Player-centered Approach to Creating Memorable Characters and Stories. Klug, Chris. Burlington, MA: Focal Press. pp. 45. ISBN 9780240817187. OCLC 706802880.
  16. ^ "A Look at Complex Ecosystem of Rain World". 80.lv. 2023-01-03. from the original on 2023-01-27. Retrieved 2023-01-27.
  17. ^ "Star Wars: The Gungan Frontier". IGN. Archived from the original on 2021-10-09.
  18. ^ . Archived from the original on 2012-02-06. Retrieved 2006-08-17.
  19. ^ Peeples, Jeremy (December 29, 2014). "Shenmue Reaches Milestone 15th Anniversary". Hardcore Gamer. Archived from the original on 2021-10-09. Retrieved September 18, 2016.

January 01, 1970
life, simulation, game, life, redirects, here, producer, life, form, subgenre, simulation, video, games, which, player, lives, controls, more, virtual, characters, human, otherwise, such, game, revolve, around, individuals, relationships, could, simulation, ec. Life sim redirects here For the producer see Life Sim Life simulation games form a subgenre of simulation video games in 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 include artificial life game 1 and simulated life game SLG A Tamagotchi virtual pet game Contents 1 Definition 2 History 3 Types 3 1 Digital pets 3 2 Biological simulations 3 3 Social simulation 4 Examples 4 1 Biological simulations 4 1 1 Loosely biology and evolution inspired games 4 2 Social simulations 5 ReferencesDefinition 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 to computer science 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 2 This broad genre includes god games 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 manage populations of creatures over several generations 1 History editArtificial life games and life simulations find their origins in artificial life research including Conway s Game of Life from 1970 1 But one of the first commercially viable artificial life games was Little Computer People in 1985 1 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 3 4 One of the earliest dating sims Tenshitachi no gogo 5 was released for the 16 bit NEC PC 9801 computer that same year 6 though dating sim elements can be found in Sega s earlier Girl s Garden in 1984 7 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 8 By 2000 The Sims refined the formula seen in Little Computer People and became the most successful artificial life game created to date 1 In 2007 the game Spore was released in which the player develops an alien species from the microbial tide pool into an interstellar empire Types editDigital pets edit Main article Digital pet Digital 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 develops emergent 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 mixing 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 as software toys 2 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 1 There are also numerous online pet raising virtual pet games such as Neopets citation needed Other pet life simulation games include online show dog raising games and show horse raising games Biological simulations edit 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 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 of genes or 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 the Creatures series where organisms can survive from half an hour to well over seven hours 1 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 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 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 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 Life and Spore and within the arcade RPG variety a multitude of entertainment software products including Eco and EVO Search for Eden Social simulation edit Main article Social simulation game See also Dating sim and Farm life sim Social simulation games explore social interactions between multiple artificial 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 Sims is the most notable example of this type of game and was itself influenced by the 1985 game Little 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 the Story of Seasons and the Animal Crossing series and Stardew Valley 14 Dating sims are 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 by visual novel gameplay elements than typical simulation gameplay 15 Examples editThis section may contain excessive or irrelevant examples Please help improve the article by adding descriptive text and removing less pertinent examples March 2021 Biological simulations edit Creatura virtual evolution vivarium with focus on scientifically accurate genetics and enclosed ecosystem simulation made by Koksny Creatures series by Creature Labs Gameware Development Lion the sequel to Wolf simulates the life of a lion Odell Lake and Odell Down Under simple educational games about aquatic life and food 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 by Might and Delight Shelter 2 simulates the life of a lynx family made by Might and Delight SimAnt a Maxis game that allows the player to assume control of an ant colony SimEarth another Maxis game that deals with terraforming and guiding a planet through its geological and biological development SimLife another Maxis game which experiments with genetics and ecosystems SimPark Seaman a virtual pet game that simulates the raising of a talking fish 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 17 Wolf simulates the life of a wolf made by Sanctuary Woods WolfQuest Loosely biology and evolution inspired games edit Some games take biology or evolution as a theme rather than attempting to simulate Ancestors The Humankind Odyssey 2019 Panache Digital Games a survival 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 an action 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 genre God 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 personality computer game released by Activision in 1986 Animal Crossing a life simulator series by Nintendo It has also been dubbed as a communication game by the company as had Cubivore Doshin the Giant and GiFTPiA 18 Avakin Life a multi user virtual community by Lockwood Publishing Castaway Paradise Eccky by Media Republic Facade An artificial intelligence based interactive story The Story of Seasons series by Marvelous Entertainment farming simulator role playing game and dating sim rolled into one The Idolmaster an idol raising sim by Namco Jones in the Fast Lane by Sierra Entertainment is one of the earliest life simulators Kudos series by Positech Games Little Computer People by David Crane published by Activision in 1985 My Life My Love Boku no Yume Watashi no Negai a life simulation for the Japanese Famicom system The Princess Maker series by Gainax 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 bit NEC PC 9801 computer that same year 6 The Sims by Will Wright published by EA for the PC 2000 and sequels The Sims 2 2004 The Sims 3 2009 and The Sims 4 2014 Tomodachi Life by Nintendo True Love 1995 a Japanese erotic dating 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 by Last Day of Work Moon RPG Remix Adventure a social RPG released only in Japan created by the same designer as Lack of Love and GiFTPiA New York Nights Success in the City a social simulation created and designed by Gameloft released for mobile phones Second Life a multi user virtual community without a specific objective or traditional gaming mechanisms created and designed by Linden Lab in 2003 Shenmue an open world video game series that simulates life in Japan and China in the year 1986 19 Wall Street Kid a life simulation about balancing love with high finance Paralives an upcoming indie life simulation game for the PC Life by You an upcoming life simulation game developed by Paradox Tectonic and published by Paradox Interactive InZOI an upcoming life simulation game developed by Krafton References edit a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Rollings Andrew Ernest Adams 2006 Fundamentals of Game Design Prentice Hall Archived from the original on 2021 10 09 a b c d e f g Rollings Andrew Ernest Adams 2003 Andrew Rollings and Ernest Adams on Game Design New Riders Publishing pp 477 487 ISBN 1 59273 001 9 Archived from the original on 2020 05 02 Unsung Heroes Little Computer People GameSpot Archived from the original on 2010 07 07 Kidd Graham August 1996 Get A Life Computer Shopper a b Tenshitachi no Gogo at MobyGames a b Tenshi Tachi no Gogo Archived 2012 07 31 at archive today GameSpot Team Pixelboy Demos AtariAge Archived from the original on 2016 03 04 Retrieved 2023 02 14 Andrew Stern 1999 AI Beyond Computer Games AAAI Technical Report Archived from the original on 2021 10 09 Ringo Tad 1993 On the cutting edge of technology Sams Pub In SimLife a biological simulation you custom design the environment and life forms a b Ernest Adams 2003 04 01 More Sex es in Computer Games Gamasutra Archived from the original on 2021 10 09 Retrieved 2010 05 23 Wright Will A chat about the The Sims and SimCity CNN Archived from the original on 2021 10 09 Retrieved 2008 03 18 Little Computer People Review Eurogamer net Eurogamer 26 October 2007 Archived from the original on 2021 10 09 Carpenter Nicole September 13 2022 We re in the golden era of farming simulators Polygon archived from the original on September 14 2022 retrieved September 17 2022 GameSpy Top 25 Games of All Time GameSpy Archived from the original on 2021 10 09 Lebowitz Josiah 2011 Interactive Storytelling for Video Games a Player centered Approach to Creating Memorable Characters and Stories Klug Chris Burlington MA Focal Press pp 45 ISBN 9780240817187 OCLC 706802880 A Look at Complex Ecosystem of Rain World 80 lv 2023 01 03 Archived from the original on 2023 01 27 Retrieved 2023 01 27 Star Wars The Gungan Frontier IGN Archived from the original on 2021 10 09 NTSC uk review gt Nintendo GameCube gt Animal Crossing Archived from the original on 2012 02 06 Retrieved 2006 08 17 Peeples Jeremy December 29 2014 Shenmue Reaches Milestone 15th Anniversary Hardcore Gamer Archived from the original on 2021 10 09 Retrieved September 18 2016 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Life simulation game amp oldid 1222196626, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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