Steam] From Home-built PCs to Gachi-Shodo! Maniacal work simulator PC games!

Dear Akiba Research Institute readers, My name is Nero Hyakkabe. I read as Hyakkabe.

I am a freelance writer and novelist who loves games. I buy games one after another before I finish them, so I have a stack of more than 300 games.

Last summer, I bought a new notebook PC. When gamers buy a new PC, a gaming PC is at the top of their list of choices, and I am writing this article from a geeky and cool gaming laptop with a keyboard that glows red, the GL63 8SE from MSI.
The first thing I did after setting up my new PC was not to surf the Internet or watch videos, but to register and install Steam.

Steam is a large platform for downloading and selling PC games. I used to shed tears in front of my old low-spec laptop every time I heard about an interesting game that could only be played on Steam, but now that I have a gaming notebook, I can play Steam games as much as I want! I have good memories of the summer of 2019, when I was so happy to get a gaming notebook and be able to play Steam games as much as I wanted. Thanks to that, I had more than 10 games in my Steam library the day after I got my new PC.

Now that you know about my familiarity with Steam, I would like to introduce three recommended Steam games under the title of "Work Simulator Games.

Item


Simulator games are crazy hot on Steam!


Many people may think of simulation games such as "SimCity" or "Nobunaga's Ambition," but this time we will focus on "simulator" games, which are a bit different from these simulation games. There may not be many games that come to mind, but many of you may have seen "Goat Simulator," for example, in which you control a goat and make it fly, jump, and stretch out its tongue, which has been ported to PS4 and Switch.

Farming Simulator," a full-fledged farming simulator that allows you to drive real farm machines, is a very popular title that has been released up to its 20th numbered title. This game has also been ported to consumer consoles. In short, a "simulator game" is a game that focuses more on the "experience" of the game than on the simulation of the game.


As you can see, the word "simulator" covers a wide range of games, from full-fledged farming games to goat-rampaging, weird and unusual games. So, let's get started. So let's take a peek into the deep world of "simulator games" on Steam.


1: "PC Building Simulator," a home-built PC simulator for those who love it.


I purchased a gaming laptop in the summer of 2019, but since I don't know much about PCs, when I made the purchase, I asked the attendant at the electronics store, "Well, um, I do game distribution and such, and I wanted a gaming laptop with a level of performance that would still be okay... I told him my request with the utmost faltering, and he recommended the PC I was currently using. (By the way, the reason why we didn't choose a desktop PC was because
(By the way, the reason I did not choose a desktop PC is because I have no place to put it because my workspace is a tea table. ......)
) If you are more familiar with PCs, you can even build your own gaming desktop PC, and I, who am not so familiar with PCs, feel like a genius.



As the name suggests, this game is a simulator for building your own PC.
The game has two modes: Career Mode and Free Build Mode.
Free Build mode allows you to enjoy building your PC as you like, freely using the parts and tools that appear in the game, but as mentioned earlier, I have no knowledge of such things, so I chose Career mode. In this mode, you become the owner of a computer repair company and earn money by solving various requests from customers.



When you start the game, you are in your own office and workshop.
You will receive e-mails from clients to your in-game PC, and you will accept the e-mails and perform the work. Incidentally, the in-game PC seems to automatically set the wallpaper of the PC you are actually using, giving you the strange sensation of operating your own PC inside your own PC, but I digress.


The requests vary from virus removal from the PC, dust cleaning, graphics card replacement, disk expansion, and so on. After accepting the request, I move the customer's PC that was sent to me to my work desk and begin work. I operate everything myself, including the smallest details, such as installing and removing screws, lids, cables, and various parts, operating the power supply, installing virus disinfection software, and purchasing the necessary parts from an Internet store ....... Well, this is a simulator. I was able to do the virus removal work quickly and easily by inserting a USB memory stick, installing the software, and then going to ....... However, when it came to replacing the graphics card, it was quite a challenge for the author who had no knowledge of the subject. I wondered if the graphics card was attached to such a place ......, or what?　I removed it, but I can't put it back in. What's this procedure ......?　I struggled for a while. (I almost gave up, but I got it right.)



And to our surprise, this game is sponsored by a number of actual PC parts manufacturers, so you can use real parts in the game.
One of the reviews of the game said, "It was my first home-built PC, but I was able to build it just like in the game", which suggests that the game can also be used as a rehearsal for building your own PC in real life.
It is truly a full-fledged simulator that goes beyond the boundaries of a game.

Click here for steam

2: Turn the potter's wheel! Burn the pot! Exhibit! Pottery Master.

Pottery Master" is a pottery simulator game. When you hear the word "pottery simulator," most people imagine that you will be spinning a potter's wheel, and yes, you are right. When you start playing, you are first taken to a screen where you read a letter from someone named Mason.



It seems that NERO, myself, has suddenly been put in charge of a facility called the Ceramics Museum. And he wants me to "manage it well. Mr. Mason, that's a tall order. ...... I've never done pottery before. ...... I've never done pottery before, ," he said. It was already spinning on the potter's wheel. This is quite beautiful and realistic. The backgrounds are also detailed, and it looks just like a pottery studio.



As instructed in the tutorial, you move the mouse up and down, left and right, as if you were stretching or pulling the spinning clay with your hand. Hey, hey, I have a talent for ceramics, don't I ......?　Mr. Mason, you were right to trust me! With a sense of egotism, we moved on to the "firing" process.



A pot being fired in a bright red space appeared before my eyes. I see that this is a yakigama (kiln).
But what am I supposed to do here?　I thought, "Aren't you just waiting for the pots to be fired?　But this part is a mini-game.
You have to adjust the timing of your mouse presses to match the range where the gauge glows. By doing so, you can maintain the proper temperature for baking.



After baking, the process of applying dyes, etc. is done.
Again, as the tutorial tells us to do, we draw the lines somewhat. Then, "Very good! I was told "Very good! Really? ......?
After the painting is finished, we will bake it again. By the way, this baking process is not a mini-game, but only a movie. I found out that the first baking process is called "unglazed" and the second one is called "hon-glazed". I have heard of this before. ......

So, the ceramic artwork is completed. You name it and the evaluation of the pot is announced.
I see, so this is the kind of game ...... I thought, but to my surprise, the pots I made were exhibited.



Oh, yes, I see, I was indeed in charge of the pottery museum, but no, no, no, no!　This is not something that should be displayed and shown to the public!　I even named it something really random! But, my "Hajimete no Tsubo" (First Crucible) was seen by visitors. Everyone is so nice to me at .......


The main routine of this game is to make good ceramics and display them to increase the number of visitors, and then use the money earned to buy new clay, patterns, etc., so that you can make more various works of art. The game is not cheaply made, and the spinning of the potter's wheel, in particular, seems easy enough. In particular, the spinning of the potter's wheel looks simple, but it is difficult to create the shape you want, and you can feel the tension as you focus all your attention on your fingertips holding the mouse. Looking at the Steam community for this game, we found that some people have made magnificent pots that really look like they could be displayed in a museum, and others have made pots with characters such as "Doraemon" and "Carly," which shows the depth and freedom of this game. As a fan of "Suiyodo-Do-Do", I would like to try baking a "End-of-the-Century Revolution Love Platter" someday, but I wonder if the day will ever come when I can realize it, Mr. Hansai ......

Click here for STEAM

3: "Chinese Brush Simulator, " an authentic calligraphy simulator that starts from polishing ink.

Speaking of calligraphy games, "Rhythm Oshushuji," one of the games in "Rhythm Heaven" or "Shodo," which was included in the PS2 party sugoroku game "Gacharoku," come to mind (both are "super" masterpieces), but this title, "Chinese Brush Simulator, As the name suggests, "Chinese Brush Simulator" is a simulator based on the theme of "brush writing". When you start the game, expecting to see an uncommonly faithful reproduction of brush pressure control ......, a Chinese-style room suddenly opens up in front of you. What, is calligraphy ......?



Not knowing what to do, I circled the camera for a while and noticed that there were Chinese-style calligraphy tools on the desk. I see, you want me to do calligraphy here ......, so let's try to write something ....... I found a half-sheet of paper curled up in a jar on the left side of the desk and spread it out on the desk. So, the next thing is ink. ...... I look for ink on the desk, but I can't find the "ink" I was thinking of. You know, that ink in a bottle that we used in calligraphy class at school ....... Oh, yes, I remembered that. I remember now. This game is a real calligraphy simulator. You can't be so naive as to think that ink is just a bottle of sumi ink. That's right. You mix solid ink with water and polish it with an inkstone. Tilting the Chinese jug and pouring the water into the inkstone, I grabbed the solid ink and rubbed it with the mouse to dissolve it, finally completing the sumi ink.



I grabbed a brush on the desk, dipped it in the ink, and finally began my longed-for calligraphy. By the way, raising and lowering the ink, raising and lowering the brush, etc. are all controlled by holding down the mouse button for a long time. With a sigh of relief, I quietly lower the brush toward the half-sheet of paper, concentrate my spirit, and slowly move the brush. Ah, yes, this stillness and concentration is the essence of calligraphy: ....... This is now more than a game, it is Zen. ......

This is what I ended up with.



I couldn't get "Soken" to fit. I used the thinnest brush I could find, so it looks like I wrote it with a sign pen. Calligraphy is difficult. ......

So, this "Chinese Brush Simulator" is a very austere simulator game where everything has to be done by hand. If you take a look at the Steam community for this game, you will find many works that have been uploaded, including works that are so expertly drawn that it is hard to believe that they were done with the same mouse operation, and clever illustrations that really make you want to ask how they were drawn. It is inevitable that you will think ...... that there are professionals in every game.

Extra.



I took this photo of the garden just outside the calligraphy room. It is quite well done, even though it has nothing to do with calligraphy. I mean, where am I set up to do calligraphy, ......, courtly?

Click here for steam.

The best part of simulator games is the feeling of "I can do it!


So, I have introduced three recommended games.


One of the best things about simulator games, in my opinion, is the "I-can-do-it" feeling, which is a feeling that you can play the game without any knowledge, and yet feel as if you have acquired specialized skills. This is the kind of enjoyment that can only be found in simulator games, and it is something that cannot be experienced in other genres.


There are many other simulator games on Steam that allow you to experience the "I-can-do-it" feeling, so if you are interested, please type "Simulator" into the Steam search window and dive into the unknown world!

Title Information

  • PC Building Simulator by Claudiu Kiss, The Irregular Corporation
  • Released on January 30, 2019
  • Price: 2,050 yen (as of March 10, 2020)
  • #.
  • The Pottery Master (AZGames)
  • Released November 11, 2019
  • Price: 410 yen (as of March 10, 2020)
  • #

  • Author: Nero Hyakkabe
  • Writer of the type who buys too many games. Also a novelist. Author of "Goaken Unrated Edition" (Kodansha) and "Mother's Lie" (in Takeshobo's "Malicious Kaidan").
  • Twitter: https: //www.twitter.com/KINGakiko
  • Twitch: #
  • about. me: #

Recommended Articles