Tag: world-sim

World simulators are universally fun as hell. So many great video games fall into this category. Stone cold classics like SimCity and the Sims, Civilization and MS Flight Simulator, and the tragically under-appreciated Spore in which you take the reins on natural selection itself (OK, Spore isn’t an amazing game, but as a world simulator it’s fantastic). Or take modern epics like Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption — and the transcendental Goat Simulator. Playing a world simulation game is like taking a break by sitting on the throne of God.

World simulators extend beyond gaming. I would categorize Bartosz Ciechanowski’s Mechanical Watch simulator as a World Sim. Yes, it's a blog post, also a pedagogical tool, and a neat web technology demo — but Bartosz's visuals are based on legitimate simulations of mechanical behavior. Virtual springs and gears in his simulation operate a lot like the real thing. The spring mechanics in particular are a joy to interact with because they feel so real. If I needed to quickly get up to speed with the functions of a mechanical watch, I can’t imagine a better approach short of playing with a physical example (incidentally, some 3D printed mechanical watch simulators can be found on AliExpress or built in Lego).