Retro Gaming: Sim City

The second game on the list is Sim City which was released in 1989. The game is a game that lets you build your own city from just a big piece of land. Over many in game years you get more people moving into your city which gives you money to keep your city growing. The player must define zones, each having limits on the kind of development that can occur there. Development of the zones is not performed directly by the player, but happens when certain conditions are met, such as power supply, adequate transport links or acceptable tax level. The residential zones, in green, provide housing for Sims; the commercial zones, in blue, provide shops and offices; and the industrial zones, in yellow, provide factories, laboratories and farms. There are three different densities in the game: low density for small buildings, medium density for low to mid-sized buildings, and high density for anything up to large tower blocks. The game give many hours of fun play time building and naming your own city that’s built just the way you like. No two cities can be alike in Sim City due to how diverse you can make your cities in game. The main source of income in the game is through taxation. The user can change how much tax he or she can put on their population. This game has branched into many sequels which the most recent one came out in 2012. The cities are mainly based in California type land maps when the player starts out and can be subject to earthquakes in the game. The user can even make nuclear power plants instead of coal power plants to generate power, the player can even make his city a nuclear free zone if he or she wants to.

This is the front cover of Sim City which came out in 1989