God Games

Often thought of as a subgenre of simulation games, god games are large-scale strategic simulations (sometimes of entire worlds), which cast the player as an entity with supernatural or divine powers. Players can carry out actions that may affect the world and influence their subjects but not directly control them.

God games fall into two categories:

1. Games in which the player controls individuals or groups of individuals, directing and managing their lives. By far the best known such game is The Sims, published by Electronic Arts in 2000 and the best-selling PC game series of all time.
2. Games in which the user plays a godlike entity that controls entire continents or worlds. The first game of this type was Utopia (1982) for the Intellivison console, followed by Populous in 1989 for the PC. Other examples include SimEarth (1990) and Black & White (2001).