God simulation
God simulation is the name of a genre of computer games. Within these games, the player acts as a god (or in the case of Populous: The Beginning as a shaman ), whereby he usually has to lead a people to fame, prosperity and / or sole rule. The interaction with these people is often indirect, in that the god changes the environment or commands a creature, for example a giant ( Doshin the Giant ).
Depending on the point of view, the god simulation is a strategy game (building strategy ) or a special form of economic simulation , even if some features may differ. For example, in god simulations, unlike in pure economic simulations, acts of war are often part of the game. God simulations are mostly implemented as real-time strategy games.
Utopia from 1981 is often mentioned as the first god simulation for the Intellivision , which is also considered the first economic simulation and a pioneer of real-time strategy.
Even Populous , which coined the gods simulation was also an early precursor of the real-time strategy games, and later gods simulations often play an unclassifiable intermediate position between these two games categories.
The player has a god-like position in the computer game series The Sims without being specifically characterized as a god.
Representatives of the god simulation
- 1981: Utopia by Don Daglow by Mattel
- 1989: Populous by Peter Molyneux of Bullfrog Productions
- 1990: Powermonger by Peter Molyneux of Bullfrog Productions
- 1990: ActRaiser from Enix and Square Enix
- 1998: Populous: The Beginning by Bullfrog Productions
- 2001: Black & White and its sequel by Peter Molyneux of Lionhead Studios
- 2008: Spore
- 2009: Pocket God
- 2011: From Dust
- 2013: Reus