SimCity 2013 Video game critique - Essay Example

Sim Video game critique Introduction Sim is an urban planning video game with aspects of city building that Maxis Company developed for Microsoft of Windows in early March of 2013. The first significant series of the video game was SimCity four released about ten years ago. However, the next release for the OS X version under the SimCity series would be in the first and second quarter of the same year. Ideally, the game depicts how players may create settlement that may grow into a city within a zoned land. This means that a player develops the land in to having transport amenities, commercial, industrialized and residential establishments with social and public utilities. However, the game received criticism due to the need for constant internet connection rather an easy download. Additionally, the game initially had technicalities that included network distractions, game saving problems, and server connection difficulties prior to hitting the gaming market. This was because a player has to save the game on the game server where they could continue play later. Therefore, this essay will delve on the analysis of the SimCity video game with relation to the history of the game that will include production and the cultural impact of the game. Development of SimCity Prior to release in to the gaming market, information had already leaked into the public domain on details about the game. However, the official release of the latest version of the game occurred on March 6th 2013. On the contrary, the game program development was by Maxis while the publication was by Electronic arts Company. In essence, Maxis Company is an internet developer of video games that starts in 1987 and is presently an arm of Electronic Arts. On the other hand, Electronic Arts is a publisher, developer, and marketer of video games that also specializes in distribution of the same. The company started operations in 1982 under the able leadership of Hawkins Trip. Subsequently, the production of the video drew from the need to crate a game of strategy in which players could plan and become leaders within virtual cities. This was contrary to the need by other video games that include entertainment and character development. Further, the players of the video gaming have an aerial view of the zoned areas where their prime responsibility is to oversee the growth and development of the area into a replenished city. This makes the game possess city building aspects as the game incorporates construction, building, and management simulation. Therefore, the production of the game revolved around the establishment of skills in management and development aspects within a gamers mind. Ideally, Lucy Bradshaw the executive producer at Maxis is relatively the individual that facilitated the development of this gaming software. In essence, Bradshaw oversaw the design and overall success of the game to which she acknowledges the team that worked with her in this project. In the past, Maxis was able to produce other best sales performing computer games that have this brand to be the preferred computer games brand. Remarkably, SimCity is one of the latest video game productions that factor in true to life aspects within the game, which was part of a recommendation by the scientific fraternity in America. In essence, the game emphasis on environmental degradation aspects like pollution and diseases with the virtual cities created (Klisman 2013). The need to develop this game drew influence from online interactions between Maxis Company and their fan base on how they would create interest based games. Historical context of SimCity video game Arguably, SimCity video game appears to be a reboot of the SimCity gaming experience within a perceived series. In essence, the latest development of the video game does not reinvent the whole aspect of the game but tends to possess re-imagination and streamlining aspects. For instance, zoning in the latest creation is a theme that runs all through the game with previous versions of the game only allowing for limited zoned areas. However, the latest version allows a player to set up industrial, residential, and commercialized units within diverse density levels. This means that SimCity allows gradual development into a dense zone as per the rise in demand. In previous SimCity video games, there was the use of Simoleons that were the trading currency used as basic units. Additionally, the Simoleons had a dollar like symbol that was present in the Sims and other versions of the same. In contrast, the 2013 SimCity video game version allows for free zoning of areas as compared to the other versions where a player had to spend Simoleons as currency. Moreover, past video games by Maxis involved manually installation of underground water and power pipes within the virtual cities. However, the 2013 version allows for resource placement to be along roads that tend to carry the flow of resources within and without the virtual city. In essence, the 2013 version of SimCity makes a player responsible for the laying down of infrastructure, control of water supply and that of water, and setting up zoning areas. In addition, a player has the task of managing public utilities like setting up of taxes, sewer and waste management, and trade with other virtual cities. Other aspects of management by a player include matters education and health that are of principal importance to the virtual city. Primarily, access to this video gaming option requires verification subjected to all players intending to play the game. Therefore, this means that the Electronic Arts central servers save player information and only allows authenticated players to access and play the online video game. Ideally, this aspect was not applicable in past SimCity gaming experience as the servers to experience system overload aspects. Another aspect that did not exist in past SimCity video games is the Digital Rights Management application that allows players to interact with payers in other cities. The objective of the interaction is to create access to global resources within the gaming EA server. This is on a real time basis as a player focuses on playing the game. However, the SimCity 2013 version allows players the opportunity to create whatever they want through the Sandbox mode that inhibits interactive engagement with players hosted on the server. Cultural impact of SimCity Remarkably, SimCity has had intense cultural impact that tends to apply in the betterment of managerial skills for players. In essence, the video game is one that educates on the environmental consequences of certain decision that one may make within a city in the game (Klisman 2013). Emphasis is also the advantages and disadvantages of using certain energy forms as compared top other forms of energy within a city. Essentially, a player may use the game as a captivating way of learning the various energy conservation methods and their implication on environmental up grade or degradation (Klisman, 2013). Additionally, the game also allows players to understand the health effect of using certain energy forms hence facilitating real time approach to these issues. Moreover, has the remarkable aspect of emphasizing the need for players to go green that is a relative application to real-time. Therefore, the game has attracted positive accreditation by environmentalists for the contribution it will bring in encouraging the passing environment conservation information to players. Space use and game play Remarkably, the game uses the advanced Glass Box Engine application, which is contrary to the previous game application engines. For instance, cities within the game have back scaled features that depict geographical size that creates the contrast between this game and other versions. In essence, the Glass Box engine was a purposeful contributor in the development of the SimCity video game, as it is a visual projection of all elements that make up a city. For instance, the engine recognizes individual citizens living in a city referred to as Sims where it shows their routine performance of daily tasks. The Glass Box engine also allows a player to see the desires and needs of a citizen in the virtual city. On the other hand, the developers of SimCity game had to shrink the city size of any one city in order to facilitate play on a wider computer hardware range. This makes it harder for these cities to have self-sustaining attributes for themselves. Simultaneously, this influences interaction between players on an online basis as a way of resource access and distribution for effective management of cities. In turn, the sharing of resources facilitates social flow, which is the impact ability that a city would have on other cities within a region. For instance, each region accommodates a maximum of sixteen cities where a player may have control over the same. This means that a player may have establishments in other cities within a region meaning that there is also the aspect of risk sharing like pollution among other risk factors. Additionally, the Glass Box engine also allows for the abandonment of a city where the zone becomes eligible for occupancy by another player. On the contrary, the game play aspects of the game also allows for the expansion of already established industries by placing additional smoke tanks on top of a company to depict increased capacity. This trait falls under the modular modification aspect within the game that depicts the upgrade of a facility rather than building a new one adjacent to the old one. Further, the game allows a player or players to make contributions towards completion of various projects and acquisition of resources for the overall benefit of a region within a city. On the other hand, the game presented various advantages to itself through the removal of certain game aspects that were some of the causes for server malfunction. For instance, the game developers of SimCity removed the Cheetah speed function that allowed players to accelerate game play speed. Weaknesses of SimCity in relation to constructing game play In essence, the most commonly criticized aspect of this game was the fact that it is a server centered game. This means that all data came from the SimCity central server that many at times experience the hosting of many players at the same time. For instance, negative reception resulted from persistence on server issues game critics terming it as a captivating city builder while being a broken product at the same time. The core reason for this perception is that an individual has to have a constant attachment to the SimCity server that also has overflow of intending to play gamers. Another weakness presented in hindered game flow is the fact that some players could not download the game while others complained of server disconnects while playing the game. On the contrary, the design of SimCity only draws appreciation to a special audience of players as it is educative rather than entertaining. This means that those without interest in nature and the environment may not find the game appealing to them making one for the selected few in society. Therefore, this aspect serves as another weakness as it only targets part of the population making it to have limited capabilities and impact. Reflection Video games have a contrary definition that many may not be aware of that includes informative and educative aspects. For instance, the perception surrounding many players is the fact that video games are only entertaining and do not have any other purpose attached to them. Therefore, playing SimCity has proven to have a significant share of challenges that vary from server connectivity issues to multi-player gaming systems that inhibit information access for players. Works Cited Klimas Liz. Does New SimCity Game push environmentalism. 13 March 2013. Web. 18 March 2013. Read More