SimLife

SimLife was a genetic diversification simulator from Will Wright and Maxis. Create new life forms, introduce them to a planet's ecosystem, and watch them flourish or become extinct.

Released: 31 December 1992
Platforms: Amiga MS-DOS Windows macOS
Genres: Simulation
Developers: Maxis
Publishers: Maxis
Modes: Single-player
Perspective: Bird view / Isometric
Themes: Science fiction

About

SimLife: The Genetic Playground is a video game produced by Maxis in 1992. The concept of the game is to simulate an ecosystem; players may modify the genetics of the plants and animals that inhabit the virtual world. The point of this game is to experiment and create a self-sustaining ecosystem. SimLife was re-released in 1993 as part of the SimClassics Volume 1 compilation, alongside SimCity Classic and SimAnt for PC, Mac and Amiga.

Keywords

life simulation
genetic experiment
terraforming
world building

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Development

The producers of SimLife refer to it as "The Genetic Playground". The game allows users to explore the interaction of life-forms and environments. Users can manipulate the genetics of both plants and animals to determine whether these new species could survive in the Earth's various environments. Players can also create new worlds with distinctive environments to see how certain species (earth's species or their own) fare within them.

SimLife gives players the power to:

Reception

Computer Gaming World in 1993 praised SimLife, stating that "By neatly bridging the gap between entertainment and education, SL brings the engrossing science of genetics within reach of any interested person".

Games Finder gave SimLife a score of 7 out of 10.