I understand Goat Simulator ’s place in the world, but I lament its legacy. Coffee Stain Studios originally created a trailer of its prototype as a joke; however, when gamers and YouTubers called for its creation, the developers understandably felt obligated to capitalize on the serious business opportunity. Interestingly enough, the team left it buggy, which amused (and continues to amuse) its fans, bringing about some controversy. I personally saw the game as a funny joke written with good intentions, but we all know how the rest of that saying goes.
The slew of simulator games since then is much more difficult to justify. For every genuine example like Euro Truck Simulator , you get a preposterous amount of broken, borderline-unfinished products like Chair Simulator or Grass Simulator . These games are only simulators in name, much like Goat Simulator , but they lack the hype surrounding it because they don’t care that the original joke has gone stale. Artists have a right to repurpose ideas for their own expression, but some of these games are so broken that I doubt they’re doing anything but damaging the actual simulator genre’s reputation and aggravating the consumers who purchase them.
I imagine it’s obvious to most users that Chair Simulator is another joke simulator; I would hope that casual gaming consumers would be able to pick up on that. Some simulators take a closer look, however. I actually saw a game called Bear Simulator the other day, and I had automatically assumed the worst; however, it turned out to be a legit game about exploring the woods as a bear. Yohjo Simulator , on the other hand, is supposedly a game about living the life of a schoolgirl, but all you can do is move and head-butt things; the about page seems to joke that it’s an “amazingly realistic simulator”, but perhaps the real joke is that they’re selling it for money. Even the The Sims knew players would spend considerable amount of time plotting their characters inhumane deaths, but that’s just a portion of the game; a funny joke that the game doesn’t solely rely on.
Part of the problem is that Steam lacks quality control. All of the simulator games that somehow get greenlit and released to early access make it difficult to trust the “simulator” label in the title. The other problem is, well, the developers who still think these games are funny (note: some joke simulators, like Surgeon Simulator , ARE funny, but they’re few and far between) who will hopefully get the message thanks to Steam’s refund policy.
In the meantime, If you want a good game without “simulator” in the title, then I recommend Punch Club . It’s an addictive (I like to think the fun kind of addictive) game about achieving your dreams of avenging your father and becoming a champion while balancing the responsibilities we have as adults. Just use your best judgment; if it looks like a joke, then it’s probably one you’ve heard already.