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Kayla Pittman
Ms. Greene
UWRT 1102-017
20 October 2016
Simulation Video Games
Simulation video games are games that try to depict real world situations, physics, and
events as accurately as possible, according to Jason Rybka, a game enthusiast. In other words,
simulation games are meant to be an imitation of real lifelike situations. There are many types of
simulation games, however he main three are racing simulators, flight simulators, and the life
simulators such as the game, The Sims. I want to focus mainly on life simulation games where
the games directly imitate life. Sometimes this means using the game to recreate a past event,
using the game to create events that are borderline fantasy, or using the game to create future
situation that can happen (Marchelletta, Courtney).
The Sims is a simulation video game with a large community that is worldwide. The
community surrounding The Sims was majority PC (change to personal computers) users that
interacted with one another through forums, but as the game has evolved so has the different
interactions that are available to the gamers. Gamers are now playing The Sims on their
cellphones, tablets, play stations and Xboxes. I want to focus primarily on the players that play
this game on the computer. So, the question then becomes how do you become a member? What
is the main purpose of the community these players are a part of? What impact does simulation

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games have on ones health, when the game is something that is primarily played by oneself?
And what impact does simulation games have one ones health when playing with others?
How do you become a member of The Sims community? The players who play The Sims
become a member of the community by simply purchasing the game. The Sims community is not
exclusive so anybody can join by simply creating an Electronic Art (EA) account or you can
simply create account on the website for the game. How do the players communicate? And why
does this community exist? The EA account and the website is what connects you to other
players who also enjoy the game. On these sites, there are blogs and discussions that have
varying topics, from cheat codes to just simply sharing about your sims life and
accomplishments. There is no way to communicate with other players through the game when
you are playing on the computer. I believe this community exists for people to share what
theyve made their sims accomplish and to get game help and tips for progressing their sim.
What is the purpose of Sims? Are there health benefits? The main purpose of the sims to me
is to either relieve stress or just plain enjoyment. I believe this game can relieve stress or just be
for simple enjoyment because it is almost like you are living in an alternate reality through your
sim. You can do whatever you want on the game and not have to worry about the consequences
or what could happen in actual reality. The Sims is a simulation video game, where you create
your own sim, in other words person, and you control what they like, who they like, where they
work, where they go, and what they do. The icing on the cake is having a community to share
your accomplishments or story that you have built with your sim.
This brings me to the community aspect of the game. I honestly do not believe that there
is a need for this community because the sims are played in solitary. I have played this game

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with a cousin before, and even then, we did not play together. One of us was watching the other
do everything. Which bring me to the question how can you form a community around a game,
where you do not need help from others or interact with other players at the same time. Yes, there
are cheat codes for the game, however those are not a necessity to be able to play the game. They
are optional to the player.
The community surrounding The Sims is not the traditional community where individuals
who meet up at a certain location and discuss and talk about the game. The specific aspect that I
would like to focus on between gaming and community is whether the need for this community
is necessary because this game is one that is mostly played in solitary. Also, I would like to
know, if the game influences the players physical and mental health on both the positive and
negative end of the spectrum. I would like to consider is whether a game like this helps
individual that are depressed and lonely or on the opposite side of the spectrum whether it takes
individual who are outgoing and makes them that way.
Is gaming beneficial to your mental health? A lot of studies are now showing that playing
video games can help your brain health pertaining to cognitive function. In a study, done my
Queen Mary University of London, researchers had volunteers and measured the cognitive
flexibility (Chan). In this study the volunteers cognitive flexibility was described as the person
capability to shift between one task to another and think about lots of different ideas at a time to
solve different problems. Video games are often being used now to improve reflexes and
increase the rate that your brain reacts to stimuli (Malvaes). Not only that but games are now
proving to have benefits related to hand eye coordination. Reports show that surgeons who
partake in simulation games related to their profession tend to be the more skilled surgeons as the

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play these games over a period (Impact of Computer). The simulations in the games allow you to
keep track of your progress, so that you can see the continuous progress over time.
Does gaming have negative effects on your mental health? A study shows that video
games can take time away from studies, and while girls play for about 5 hours a week, boys
typically play about 13 hours a week (Malvaes). The time that goes into playing video games
can take away from your performance in the workplace for adults, performance in school and
studies and children, and lastly performance in other aspects of your life for both adults and
children as far as social areas of your life. Games like these are said to cause cases of addiction
and in some cases, there were reports of student not showing up to school or their higher
education due to games (Impact of Computer). Games like these also tend to cause social
isolation. Social isolation happens because players are spending so much time playing the game,
they are not interacting with other individuals. The article Impact of Computer Games on
society said this about social isolation:
A gamer who spends so much time alone with no human contact
can become withdrawn and this will have a negative effect on their
social skills. However, many online gamers say that they are happy
with the friends they make playing MMO games and feel comfortable
at being part of a large online social circle. Indeed many gamers value
online friends even more than friends that they know in person. As online
is a virtual world there are trust issues and not everyone can be taken at
face value. Being able to communicate in a virtual environment is a good
thing but it should not outweigh everyday verbal communications with
friends at face to face level.

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This can be very dangerous because this can cause people to become distrusting towards their
relationships and often can turn out creating situations where third party help needs to get
involved. For adults, this is more severe in my opinion because adults should not lose social
skills once they are developed. As for children, however I believe that it can be easily corrected
because children are still being molded until a certain age. Games such as The Sims can cause a
separation from reality. This is where you become so obsessed with the game that you believe
that you are a part of the game. This is not all bad, but in certain situations where individuals
start to become violent or the mood is changed when they are not playing the game.
Does The Sims have a negative or positive affect on mental or physical health period?
The Sims does not affect physical health in positive ways as much as it does negatively. It affects
your physical health if you form a kind of addiction to the game. Not only are you not engaging
in physical activity, but sitting in front of a computer puts a strain on your eyes, which in turn
starts to have worsening effects on your body. Long periods playing this game then start to affect
your social life and interactions, which can in turn start to have damaging effects on your mental
health. It is very possible to start to pull away from other people and start down a path that can
be very hard to fix or break.
From personal experience, I know that playing video games can be very addictive. I
remember when I first purchased the sims, I would play the game for hours at a time, only taking
breaks to grab food or use the bathroom. I was forced, by my parents, to limit the time I played
the game every day.

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Works Cited
Chan, Amanda L. "Strategy-Based Video Games, Like Starcraft, Improve Brain's 'Cognitive
Flexibility'" The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, n.d. Web. 05 Oct. 2016.
"Impact of Computer Games on Society - Content Writer." Content Writer. N.p., n.d. Web. 04
Nov. 2016.
Malvaes, Luis. "Video Games and How They Affect Mental, Emotional, and Physical Health."
Prezi.com. N.p., 18 Apr. 2011. Web. 05 Oct. 2016.
Marchelletta, By Courtney. "Play Simulation Games." Lifewire. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Nov. 2016.
Rybka, By Jason. "Simulation Games." Lifewire. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Nov. 2016.