“You are like a god who can control their lives, how they dress, how they will act, how they will be physically and psychologically…and most importantly, you can choose their deaths.” This is one of the reasons why users love to play Reality simulation games Like the simsAccording to what they say on the official forum of this video game. but, Psychologically, what is beyond the fun of controlling the lives of virtual characters? Why do we love these kinds of video games?
First of all, we can define a reality simulation video game as a game in which we can reproduce real life. so by saying, We can create our own home, choose our job, our sexual orientation, and our social relationships… Some are as broad as life itself and others focus on specific aspects of reality: tending a farm, building a park, running a hospital. All the things we can do in real life. Some of the most popular are Sims, Animal Crossing or Second Life.
One of their characteristics is that they are games They have no substantial history. They do not have a principle that your character must learn to defeat head end. It is the user himself who chooses his own story and creates his own reality, as explained by him Youtube Expert in Game design Dams Media.
However, it is an accelerated reality in which the user can build a house in a couple of days, get their dream job without going through all the years of schooling or gain recognition and power without going through hardships. for this reason, “The sense of progress is more evident in this genre than in the other genre. Because with history it seems more blurry, but in this case, you can see all the progress, ”explained Sergio Aloza Castillo, research psychologist at Gecon.es and CEO of Psycogaming, to EL PERIÓDICO DE ESPAÑA.
Do we flip our fantasies?
They are very different games from other games because they are not characterized by story and realism but because of the distraction they provide and the realism, says Aloza. This means that Don’t target the same audience as other genre games which has development and challenges. “These are games that people who are interested in architecture or furniture might like.”
Many believe that they are the perfect toys to overturn the illusions of the life you want. But psychologically, this is not entirely true. “In these games there are two realities, it is so That guy who plays the sims and builds a huge, expensive house but then drowns the kids in the pool. The issue of having a big house can be an expectation in real life, the researcher explains, but drowning children is not.”
It is true that the game gives you the opportunity to explore in every way, however We have to remove prejudices from video games and believe that this will have an impact in real life. The researcher, giving a clear example, says that the behavior that we have in a video game is not what we have in real life. Former President Donald Trump blames video games for the ongoing mass shootings in the US, but he doesn’t see an issue with gun legalization in the country.
Many users explain in a simpler way why they like these types of games on the official Sims forum: “It is one of the few endless games out there. You can take 200 gil for the game to continue. You can create your characters as you want, and make them live as you want, without having to follow a pattern set by the game,” someone says. You can mirror your taste in a game, it’s the idea of creating your own protagonist, crafting your story for them, settings, their way of life and even developing creatively with buildings,” says another.
Do we live in a simulation?
However, there may be a reason less related to psychology and more related to social networks. A question recently popped up on Tiktok, the social network artists use to post their music: “Are we living in a simulation?” Once you search for “simulated reality” or “simulation” in the app, We have found thousands of videos in which this theory is discussed.
“Simulated reality is basically a false reality, created through technology, be it through video games, movies, 3D simulations, or sound effects. And recently, the theory has begun to be created on social media that we live in this simulated reality, nothing correct.“As if we were inside the Matrix and had to ‘disconnect’ to open our eyes and see reality.”. These are the words of Emma Intraena, host of the Terrores Nocturnos podcast, who went viral on Tiktok when she spoke on the subject.
@ Terroresnocturnos.trn Do you know about the case? Ig: Terror of the Night ♬ Inaudible Scream – Abominable
According to the presenter, one of the reasons for the rise of Sims or Animal Crossing in recent times is due to the influence of the simulated reality theory that has been transmitted on TikTok. “I’m sure there are those who play The Sims To live this kind of simulated reality that they control, in which they are practically gods. As a fan of the game, it is true that when you play it you do so in part to be able to manipulate the characters as you want, “explained the expert to EL PERIÓDICO DE ESPAÑA.
Ultimately, users play to manage their Sims and their simulated reality, because they also feel that they are in one, that they are asleep and that one day, they will wake up to the truth. They go from being controlled to being gods. Although there are differences:In real life there is no unlimited money cheatAnd don’t make a huge house and don’t buy everything you want.
Installation success
“If you remove the technical programming part of the video game and only the visual psychology part is leftAlloza explains. In fact, the largest companies already have psychologists who work to motivate the user or promote frequent use of the game. “
And this is the real success of the game, to be played again by the user, who, in a way, becomes hooked. Users play video games for many and varied reasons, to be entertained, to relax, to be challenged and to play with friends, or to develop skills such as creativity or drive. but Everyone comes back to play for the same thing: the game makes them feel good.
This is why, in the video game creation process, psychologists always focus on the reward system in humans, says researcher and psychologist Aloza Castillo. “They do that with certain mechanics and elements, Reward your entry every day, give rewards for playing certain minutes a day, there are also rewards for exploration, To overcome challenges… This increases the feeling of progression and, in essence, makes the player feel good.”
Even the hardest games, the ones that present the biggest challenges, the ones that you have to play over and over again to pass the screen, Designed to be accessible to everyone. The game is always passable, and the higher the challenge, the greater the reward. The few games that were released without being widely available were quickly discontinued.
Another important bonus is the possibility to play a social video game, being able to share it with friends: “We have changed the way we interact with our environment, going out less to play in the park and We connect with friends and that in itself can be a bonusexplains the expert.
Are they games for girls?
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“The Sims for girls”, “Animal Crossing for girls”. These are some of the statements that can be heard about virtual reality games. In a world that is still very masculine the games It is often wrongly assumed that because they are simpler games, without complex challenges, that they are designed more for women. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The psychologist categorically denies this. “There is no relationship between the human race and the type of video game, and the differences between the sexes are not enough to determine that one game is very different from another for that reason alone. Specifically, Sims don’t have a very specific goal. It’s a prejudice created above the video game, but not on a social level, not on a level the games “ .
