In 1964, Mabel Addis, who was the first female video game designer, created the text-based strategy game The Sumerian Game, which is considered to be the first game with a narrative. Since players took on the role of three rulers of the ancient city state of Lagash and managed the civilization, this title also began one of the oldest genres in video game history: construction and management simulations (CMS).
CMS games have players build and manage fictional projects or communities. From running a city to building an amusement park, players use limited resources to strategically build an economy.
Sid Meier's SimGolf
Sid Meier's SimGolf is a 2002 simulation game developed by Sid Meier's company Firaxis Games, which is best known for creating the Civilization and XCOM series, in collaboration with Maxis, who is best known for The Sims franchise. In this game, the player attempts to build and manage a successful Golf Resort by creating golf courses, building various facilities, and hiring employees. If the player creates an enjoyable Golf Course, they will receive more money and gifts from visitors.
But, unlike most CMS games, the player isn't an invisible character that's disconnected from the game's environment. Instead, like The Sims, the player customizes their own in-game character who actually participates in golf competitions. Similarly to other sports RPGs, the in-game character levels up their golf skills as they play.
City Building Series
In 1992, British studio Impressions Games released the CMS game Caesar, which has players take on the role of a Roman governor who must build and manage ancient Roman cities. The success of this game led to multiple sequels and spin-offs that are collectively known as the City Building series. Some of these spin-offs include the 1999 title Pharaoh, that takes place in ancient Egypt, and the 2000 title Zeus: Master of Olympus, that takes place in ancient Greece.
Although these games focus on different areas, they are all tied together by having similar gameplay mechanics. Besides the historical settings, the series sets itself apart from other ones like SimCity by including more micromanagement details and by having armies to control. During this year, Triskell Interactive plans to release a remake of Pharaoh on Steam titled Pharaoh: A New Era.
Virtual Villagers Series
Beginning with the 2006 award-winning title Virtual Villagers: A New Home, Virtual Villagers is a series of village simulator games. After a volcanic eruption on their previous island, the last surviving natives discover a new island called Isola that still has remnants of a previous civilization. To help the villagers start a new civilization, the player will have to raise the villagers and teach them skills so that they can build more huts, gather food, learn new technology, and successfully grow.
Besides being a great obscure life simulation game series, the franchise is also known for having the player solve various puzzles to uncover the mysterious history behind Isola. During the various sequels and spin-offs, players slowly discover more about the hidden lore of what happened to the previous natives.
Zoo Tycoon Series
While the RollerCoaster Tycoon franchise is rightfully one of the most well-known business sims, there's another business management series that's often forgotten despite being almost as good: Zoo Tycoon. Unlike most games where the player raises in-game characters, the Zoo Tycoon series has players raise an entire zoo full of animals that each have their own needs and preferences. Players build enclosures, add facilities, and hire staff to make a perfect, and profitable, zoo.
Although the games have free modes where the player is able to make their own zoos however they want, they also have scenarios where players must fix an already existing zoo and complete certain objectives. In 2019, Frontier Developments released a spiritual successor to the franchise called Planet Zoo.
RollerCoaster Tycoon Series
Before creating Planet Zoo, Frontier Developments developed the 2016 game Planet Coaster, which is a spiritual successor to one of the most popular CMS franchises ever made: RollerCoaster Tycoon. Created by Chris Sawyer, who made the iconic simulation game Transport Tycoon before this, the RollerCoaster Tycoon series has the player create and manage their own amusement parks.
With a certain amount of funds at the start, the player must transform a patch of barren land into a popular theme park by placing attractions, building facilities, and hiring employees. But, the best aspect about the series is that players can make their own rollercoasters and other rides.
Idol Manager
Most people know about the horrors of the idol industry, which includes shady producers, overworked performers, and plenty of scandals. But, no other game best reflects these issues than the 2021 satirical business management sim Idol Manager. As either a faceless man or woman, the player attempts to start a successful idol company within a creepy abandoned building.
After hiring a couple idol girls, the player can start creating songs, making ads, going on tours, and building new company rooms such as a dance studio for the idols to practice in. During the game, the player can decide how much they pay their idols and how much they control their lives. Reflecting the issues in the industry, players will be able to choose whether they exploit their workers, consider 30 to be too old, date their idols, and more.
Frostpunk
Released in 2018, Frostpunk is a unique title because it's a great survival game along with being an excellent city builder. Set in an alternate 1886, the world has been devastated by a volcanic winter, and people can only survive the extremely cold temperatures by living in cities that are built around large coal-powered generators. Because of this, the player, as the leader of one of these cities, must worry about survival along with the regular issues that come with building and maintaining a city.
Depending on the scenario the player picks, they will encounter various different objectives, stories, and possible endings that slowly reveal more of this universe's lore and draw the player in. Currently, the developer, 11 Bit studios, is working on a sequel.
Factorio
Another great survival CMS game is the 2020 title Factorio, which is all about building factories and killing aliens. After accidentally crashing their spaceship on an alien planet, the player must harvest the planet's resources and build large factories so that they can build another rocket and escape. But, the planet is filled with alien creatures who don't like the player's presence and will try to destroy the machines and kill the player.
If the player wants to keep building even after the story ends, they can choose to stay on the planet and continue the game. Also, the game has multiplayer support and a strong modding community.
RimWorld
Although Frostpunk and Factorio are both excellent games, the best survival CMS game is arguably the 2018 science fiction colony sim RimWorld. After crashing on a procedurally generated planet within the frontiers of known space, three randomly generated survivors must try to build a new colony by building, crafting, trading, farming, fighting, raiding, and more. Even though the survivors are randomly generated, they each have their own unique personalities and relationships.
But, the most interesting aspect about the game is that every "random" element is controlled by an A.I. storyteller that the player picks at the start. Depending on the storyteller, players will experience all kinds of engaging stories and unique events.
Cities: Skylines
Even though the SimCity series is a classic CMS franchise, the recent installments have felt lacking compared to other current titles. To bring the classic city-building formula to the modern era, the Finnish game studio Colossal Order created the perfect 2015 city-builder Cities: Skylines.
Combining some of the basic concepts established by the SimCity installments and the micromanagement aspects from the City Building series, Cities: Skylines allows players to build, manage, and modify every detail of their own virtual city. The thousands of in-game people within the city visibly affect how the city looks and evolves, and natural disasters keep players on their toes. With an extensive modding community, the possibilities in this game are truly endless.