Living a Hundred Lives in Your Pocket: Why Text-Based Sims are Still Addictive
In an era of hyper-realistic graphics and massive open-world RPGs, it’s sometimes funny to think that one of the most engaging gaming experiences you can have involves nothing but text menus and simple buttons. There is something uniquely compelling about "life simulator" games. They strip away the need for twitch reflexes and replace it with pure decision-making. If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to become a famous pop star, a notorious criminal, or just a regular person trying to pay off a mortgage, these games are for you.
The current king of this genre is undoubtedly Bitlife. It’s a text-based life simulator that lets you control a character from the moment they are born until their inevitable death. It sounds simple, but the chaos that ensues in between those two points is where the magic happens.
The Gameplay Loop: From Diapers to Tombstones
The core loop of…





