Last week I got an email from a woman named Vickie who asked me to take a look at her let’s play series, which she posts on YouTube under the name owlsighs. I don’t normally enjoy let’s plays, mainly since I’d just as soon play a game myself, but also since they’re often cynical or ironic. But after sampling a few of Vickie’s videos — this “let me show you my house” for Skyrim is particularly charming — I was struck by her absolute lack of cynicism and irony. So I asked her if Quarter to Three could sponsor a Tomb Raider series. She graciously agreed and it begins in the above video. Furthermore, she’ll be dropping in on the podcast in the coming weeks to keep us updated.
You’d think children would be useless in SimCity Societies given its population model. When you build houses, you add people to your city. Those people visit venues — movie theaters, retail shops, bars, churches — to keep their happiness up so they don’t riot. And that’s all you need in a city if you have infinite money.
But since you don’t have infinite money, you need to build workplaces. People go to workplaces to fill the available jobs, which provides you with money. That’s the basic economy in SimCity Societies. Houses provide people; workplaces translate people’s time into money; and venues make people happy. And the happier they are, the more money they (i.e. you) make.
So in a game without aging, what good are children if you can’t put them to work? Because you can’t put children to work. There are a few options for dystopias in SimCity Societies, but none so Dickensian.
After the jump, children aren’t the future. They’re the now.Continue reading →
