Why are life Sims Fun? (Week 7)

There is an abundance of generic violent video game titles constantly being created which seem to gain attention due to the fact that they are simply based on the most overused theme in current years such as Zombies, although this is quite common every once in a while a sparkling gem of gaming bliss is brought to the earth and it can often be quite difficult to understand why these games are so enjoyable. Of course I am talking about non-violent video games, Non-violent video games are generally hard to nail down to a mainstream audience due to the fact that the general audience of video games normally expect video games to be violent. Of course there are exceptions to this formula, one off which is life simulations.

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 The concept of life simulators such as the Sims and animal crossing don’t often initially sound enjoyable but there are reasons why they are. Life simulators are enjoyable as they allow the player to have almost complete control over their life or at least the direction their life is heading which contrasts from real life as in most cases the freedom in life is limited. The 2^nd reason life Sims are enjoyable is because of time. In these games you can generally move from point A to point B at your own speed which relates back to the whole freedom aspect explained earlier. And the 3^rd reason these games are enjoyable is because you can experience life through a different perspective and see and do things you’ve never done before. Video games don’t always have to contain violence and zombies to be successful and can be just as immersive or even more without it, it depends on the implementation of the game mechanics  and an understanding of the feelings you expect the player to feel throughout the game that truly make it successful.