Simulation games have always had a special place in our hearts and for very good reasons. They tend to be super addictive in nature and hence they attract millions of players from all around the world. In theory, simulation games should be boring yet they tend to get the highest ratings compared to most of the other popular games.
These games come in all shapes and sizes from super realistic plane simulators like Microsoft’s flight simulator to insanely hilarious goat simulator, there are no limits. But what exactly makes these simulation games so popular in the first place? Well, let’s find out!
Simulators can what Reality Can’t
One of the main reasons why I think simulation games are so popular in the gaming industry is because they provide us the chance to live a different life in a world that almost feels like our own. A world where we can be whoever we want to be, and do whatever we want to do. It gives us a chance to experience things that we never had a chance to in real life be it Power Washing, Lawn Mowing, Truck driving and so much more.
And the thing that I like the most about Simulation games is that they offer the most replayability compared to games like Runescape, where you complete quests, get osrs gold, upgrade items and eventually get bored of it. But here, you can have a completely different experience with the same game by doing things a little differently. Games like BeamNG Drive lets you have thousands of hours of gameplay time by simply letting players come up with their own scenarios and do things their own way. Whether it’s crashing cars, demolishing bridges, crash-testing dummies or even making a full-on movie scene.
The possibilities with simulation games are just endless and that is something that many gamers are getting addicted to. Many simulation games don’t have fixed goals or even a fixed storyline that players have to follow to get to some point. They get to pave their own path, create their own goals, and get rewarded in a way that feels more natural to them. This is something that we don’t get to see in any other genre.
Be Whoever You Want to Be
The other thing that many players love about Simulation games is that you can become whoever you want to become in these games. You can find all types of different simulation games from farming to trucking and even living life as a goat. There’s just a lot of variety when it comes to simulation games but one thing that remains common is that they all offer a ton of replayability.
Then there are simulation games that offer you the best real-world experience without having to go out. Games like Farming Simulator lets you experience what it feels like to become a farmer; growing your own crops from the ground up, expanding your farming market by selling the yield and so much more. Or if you want you can become a pilot with Flight Simulator and experience what it feels like to fly massive airplanes over real-life based cities, towns, and villages.
Simulation games give you the opportunity to fill up the shoes of other working professionals and experience life from a different perspective. I think that’s something that draws a lot of players toward this genre.
Streaming
Of course, one of the main reasons why simulation games always stay on top of the charts is because of streaming. Many popular streamers often choose to play simulation games and people absolutely love watching their streams. Names like PewDiePie, JackSepticEye and many other popular streamers get millions of viewers to watch them play these simulation games.
Streaming has definitely helped many simulation games to gain traction but it’s the addicting nature of these games that make players stick to them for a long time. This way, players get more time to grow friendships and create a strong community with same interests. Simulation games are perfect for dedicated and active communities and streamers surely helps growing them.
These are a few reasons why I think Simulation games are so popular around the world. I am pretty sure that this genre is going to grow like this for many years to come.