WHY SOCIAL SIMULATION GAMES ARE POPULAR
On 20th March 2020, Nintendo released Animal Crossing: New Horizons, the latest game from their acclaimed Animal Crossing video game series. The release was made just around the time when nations around the world were implementing quarantine measures to control the novel coronavirus outbreak, and it became apparent that a lot of people were going to have to spend at least a few months inside the confines of their homes.
And as soon as the game was released, it witnessed a huge wave of sales. It sold 1.88 million physical copies at launch in Japan, with an additional 720, 791 copies sold in the second week. People of all ages, from all walks of life, started playing it and the internet became flooded with stories about it. And the game caused such a demand for the Nintendo Switch consoles, that available stocks were sold out within just a few days.
But Animal Crossing: New Horizons, just like its predecessors, isn’t a type of game that is generally associated with gaming. It is a social simulation game with no combat elements in it.
Social simulation games are a genre of games that simulate certain aspects of human social life. This could include having conversations and parties with others, building a house of one’s own, raising a family, etc. Though these things can also be done in a few games from other genres, what sets apart social simulation games is that these games are built around such social dynamics.
Apart from Animal Crossing, the social simulation games that are most known worldwide are the various games in The Sims series. The first Sims game was first released back in February 2000, more than a year before the first game in the former series hit the shelves. Compared to the current games of The Sims series, the original Sims game had very few social elements. Later editions including the current one, Sims 4, are far bigger and allow the user to do a multitude of things that can and can’t be done in real life.
But even though the original Sims game wasn’t as elaborate as the current one, it nonetheless managed to sell 16 million copies worldwide. Since then, the series has sold 175 million copies overall. Additionally, the mobile version of the game SimsFreeToPlay has millions of users on both the iOS and Android platforms.
The Rising Popularity of Social Simulation Games
Games in the social simulation genre are experiencing a burst in popularity in recent years. Although many credit the Covid-19 outbreak for popularity, the fact is that it had been gaining popularity even before.
Certain sections of gamers even prefer these games over all other genres. And here are some of the reasons why they do so:
Open-Ended Narrative
Games almost always follow a tight structure regardless of the genre.
If the game has a storyline, the game follows it to the point. All the various milestones the gamer has to finish will be a part of this storyline. Even when they do give gamers the power to influence the story by making different decisions, the outcomes of all these decisions are also rigidly scripted and part of pre-made storylines.
If however, the game is not based on storylines, then the gamer is given a set of objectives to aim towards. This can be as varied as hitting the high score or getting the maximum number of points, to finishing as many levels as possible before all your given lives are over.
And usually, once we reach the end of the storyline or finish all the objectives, the game ends.
This is not the case in social simulation games. Just like your real life, they do not follow a pre-made storyline nor are there any given objectives that you must do at all costs.
You are instead liberated from the tyranny of these common game elements and can play the game however you want.
In Animal Crossing: New Horizons for example although there is a minor storyline with an objective to create a holiday resort, it is not, however, the main focus. You can make the resort at your own leisurely pace, i.e, as slowly or as quickly as you want. There is no pressure upon you to finish it within a set period of time. Instead, you can focus on other things like fishing, making new friends, planting flowers, collecting fruit, digging for fossils, and catching insects.
In essence, the game becomes what you as the gamer wants it to be. And since there is no storyline, there is never an endpoint to the game as well.
In-depth Customization
Games from other genres outside social simulation give you a fully outlined character at the beginning of the game. Their personality traits, backstory, their social life, will all be scripted. Even when such games do offer customization options, they are often limited to making a few changes to one’s appearance and inventory. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a game that offers full-scale customization, where you can decide everything about the character you control.
Except in social simulation games. In such games, just like how you can state your own objectives, you can create and fully customize your own character.
You can customize the character and give it whatever look you want to and even choose custom names for your avatar. You can name them, adjust their bodily features as you want, select clothes, and more. And once created, you don’t have to stop there either. You can keep customizing the character multiple times. Some games even allow you to create your own clothes and accessories.
In Sims and Animal Crossing, you can even customize your homes. You can decorate it according to your preference, buying objects and furniture to be placed inside the house. You can make it as grand or as minimalistic as you like, just like how you would customize your own homes.
Thanks to these customization elements, the game is a unique experience for every player.
Social Aspects
One of the reasons for the popularity of Animal Crossing: New Horizons are the islands that each player is given. You can invite your friends to these islands or visit their islands to hang out with them. During the quarantine, it has become a huge part of socialization for certain people.
This has led to several wholesome and interesting moments. People have organized virtual social functions and celebrations with their loved ones. A couple who had to cancel their wedding, for instance, organized a virtual wedding in Animal Crossing to which they invited their family and friends. Likewise, a mother organized a virtual birthday party for her daughter to which she invited her daughter’s various friends. Couples who have to spend time apart have also used the game to have date nights.
The Sims, however, offers a different dynamic in comparison to Animal Crossing. Because unlike Animal Crossing, Sims is not a multiplayer game.
In Sims, you can, however, engage in a variety of social situations that are similar to real-life but with virtual characters. You can get married to your virtual fiance and host a wedding as extravagant as you want. You can raise children with your new wife. You can also become friends with a long list of virtual characters.
All these aspects of social simulation games can scratch the itch from the need for socialization, which is an important part of our genetic make-up.
Relaxing Gameplay
The images most associated with games are violence and gore. That is because in almost all the games we play, the basic gameplay boils down to this: kill or be killed. In fact, only 17% of the games shown in E3 2019 were free of any combat elements.
In almost all of the rest 87% of games, you are thrown into hostile environments crawling with enemies who want to harm you. But before they can harm or kill you, you have to do the same to them. This is true regardless of whether you are playing the latest installment in the Call of Duty franchise or the original Mario game.
For instance, take a look at Doom Eternal, a first-person shooter game that was released on the same day as Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
Just like in the previous Doom game, you are thrown into an environment full of demons whom you must shoot and hack to kill so you can progress to the next level of the game. The game is chaotic and fast-paced so deliberate decision making is rarely possible. And moments, where one can relax a few seconds without worrying an enemy might creep upon, is an even rarer occurrence.
Meanwhile, Animal Crossing is the exact opposite. You don’t have to fight or kill anyone to get higher up in the game. Instead, a large chunk of the gameplay revolves around being nice to NPC characters and working with them rather than against them.
In addition, you can also play the game at your leisurely pace. There is no world-ending event from which you must save the world or any big villain you must kill. Instead, you can simply relax and pick a few fruits or enjoy a few seconds of quiet solitude as you dig for fossils.
Escapism
In a way, all games are a way to escape the real-world. When done in moderation, they can provide you a respite from the daily drudgeries of your life. And when going through tough times, they can provide you with a much-needed distraction.
Games from the social simulation genre can also provide these benefits. But since they are more similar to real-life than other types of games, the experience is a very unique one.
You can get the joy of being somebody whom you have wished to be for a long time, like a celebrity who is known for their acting skills. You can even explore fantasies like being a vampire or a mermaid and try to live a normal virtual life with them.
Furthermore, you can also have things that you don’t have in real life. You can build huge mansions, get an inventory of luxurious items, and have the latest and best sports cars, without worrying about breaking your bank.
Conclusion
Social simulation is a unique genre. The elements that only games from this genre have attracts people from all walks of life towards it. And these games are currently becoming more and more popular.
They are also a testament to the unique possibilities offered by video games. They prove that video game development companies don’t always have to develop violent and gory games to be fun and attract market. They can be relaxing and soothing and still be fun too.
