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Life Simulation
Life simulation games form a subgenre of simulation video games in which the player lives or controls one or more virtual characters (human or otherwise). Such a game can revolve around "individuals and relationships, or it could be a simulation of an ecosystem". Other terms include artificial life game and simulated life game (SLG). Definition Life simulation games are about "maintaining and growing a virtual life", where players are given the power to control the lives of autonomous people or creatures. Artificial life games are related to computer science research in artificial life. But "because they're intended for entertainment rather than research, commercial A-life games implement only a subset of what A-life research investigates." This broad genre includes god games which focus on managing tribal worshipers, as well as artificial pets that focus on one or several animals. It also includes genetic artificial life games, where players manage populations of creatures ove ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Simulation Video Game
Simulation video games are a diverse super-category of video games, generally designed to closely simulate real world activities. A simulation game attempts to copy various activities from real life in the form of a game for various purposes such as training, analysis, prediction, or entertainment. Usually there are no strictly defined goals in the game, and the player is allowed to control a character or environment freely. Well-known examples are war games, business games, and role play simulation. From three basic types of strategic, planning, and learning exercises: games, simulations, and case studies, a number of hybrids may be considered, including simulation games that are used as case studies. Comparisons of the merits of simulation games versus other teaching techniques have been carried out by many researchers and a number of comprehensive reviews have been published. Subgenres Construction and management simulation Construction and management simulation (CMS) is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Petz
''Petz'' (''Dogz'' and ''Catz'') is a series of single-player video games dating back to 1995, in which the player can adopt, raise, care for and breed their own virtual pets. The original ''Petz'' has sold over 1.5 million copies worldwide and the brand has grown to over 22 million copies since coming under Ubisoft. The original Petz games were developed by P.F. Magic. After earning revenues of $8 million in 1997, P.F. Magic was acquired by The Learning Company for $15.8 million in 1998. In 2001, Ubi Soft (since 2003 Ubisoft) acquired the entertainment division of The Learning Company, granting Ubisoft exclusive publishing rights to 88 titles, including Dogz and Catz. After Ubisoft acquired the series, some games that were actually Japanese in origin were localized under the Petz name. For example, ''Petz: Hamsterz Life 2'' on Game Boy Advance is a localization of ''Hamster Club 3'', and distinctly different from its DS counterpart, although both DS Hamsterz games were also Jap ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lion (game)
''Lion'' is an animal simulation video game for MS-DOS where the player takes the role of a lion. It was published by Sanctuary Woods in 1995 as a follow-up to ''Wolf''. Gameplay The gameplay is divided into two parts. The first is a sandbox simulation mode, where the player has no predetermined goal. The second is a scenario mode, where the player has to complete specific actions; this is comparable to quests given in RPGs. As in the original, the player takes on the role of a lion chosen from a pool of 20 different animals, with varying attributes, in existing prides or handpicked groups made by the player. The player can control a single animal or all members of a pride. Unlike ''Wolf'', which takes place in three different locales, ''Lion'' is played only on the savannas and plains of the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania (though in four different seasons). Also includes a "Lion Safari", an interactive tour of the leonine life on the Serengeti. Reception A ''Next Gener ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wolf (video Game)
''Wolf'' is a 1994 life simulation and role-playing video game. The player takes the role of a wolf. It was followed by ''Lion'' in 1995. It is unrelated to the 1994 film of the same name. Gameplay The gameplay is divided into two parts. The first is a sandbox mode, where the player has no predetermined goal. The second is a scenario mode, where the player has to complete specific actions; this is comparable to quests given in RPGs. Reception In ''Electronic Entertainment'', Joel Enos wrote that ''Wolf''s "unique take on role-playing/simulation games puts it in a class by itself". He concluded, "You'll not only spend many happy hours playing, you might even learn something." The magazine later named ''Wolf'' its 1994 "Best Simulation Game". The editors reiterated that the game is "great fun to play, and you also can't help but learn about these intriguing creatures as you step into their skin." Vince DeNardo of ''Computer Gaming World'' called ''Wolf'' "a role-playing simul ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Natural Selection
Natural selection is the differential survival and reproduction of individuals due to differences in phenotype. It is a key mechanism of evolution, the change in the heritable traits characteristic of a population over generations. Charles Darwin popularised the term "natural selection", contrasting it with selective breeding, artificial selection, which in his view is intentional, whereas natural selection is not. Genetic diversity, Variation exists within all populations of organisms. This occurs partly because random mutations arise in the genome of an individual organism, and their offspring can inherit such mutations. Throughout the lives of the individuals, their genomes interact with their environments to cause variations in traits. The environment of a genome includes the molecular biology in the Cell (biology), cell, other cells, other individuals, populations, species, as well as the abiotic environment. Because individuals with certain variants of the trait tend ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gene
In biology, the word gene (from , ; "...Wilhelm Johannsen coined the word gene to describe the Mendelian units of heredity..." meaning ''generation'' or ''birth'' or ''gender'') can have several different meanings. The Mendelian gene is a basic unit of heredity and the molecular gene is a sequence of nucleotides in DNA that is transcribed to produce a functional RNA. There are two types of molecular genes: protein-coding genes and noncoding genes. During gene expression, the DNA is first copied into RNA. The RNA can be directly functional or be the intermediate template for a protein that performs a function. The transmission of genes to an organism's offspring is the basis of the inheritance of phenotypic traits. These genes make up different DNA sequences called genotypes. Genotypes along with environmental and developmental factors determine what the phenotypes will be. Most biological traits are under the influence of polygenes (many different genes) as well as gen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Neopets
''Neopets'' is a virtual pet website. Users can own virtual pets ("Neopets") and buy virtual items for them using one of two virtual currencies. One currency, called Neopoints, can be earned within the site, and the other, Neocash, can either be purchased with real-world money, or won by chance in-game. The website was launched by Adam Powell and Donna Williams in late 1999. Two years later, a consortium of investors led by Doug Dohring bought a controlling interest in the company and in June 2005, Viacom (the company that owns Nickelodeon) bought Neopets Inc. for US$160 million. On 17 March 2014, Viacom and Nickelodeon sold ''Neopets'' to JumpStart Games for an undisclosed amount. On 3 July 2017, Chinese company NetDragon acquired JumpStart. Gameplay ''Neopets'' allows users to create and care for digital pets called "Neopets" and explore the virtual world of Neopia. There is no set objective for the users, but they are expected to feed and care for their Neopets when ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nintendo DS
The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens working in tandem (the bottom one being a touchscreen), a built-in microphone and support for wireless network, wireless connectivity. Both screens are encompassed within a clamshell design similar to the Game Boy Advance SP. The Nintendo DS also features the ability for multiple DS consoles to directly interact with each other over Wi-Fi within a short range without the need to connect to an existing wireless network. Alternatively, they could interact online using the now-defunct Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service. Its main competitor was Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony's PlayStation Portable during the seventh generation of video game consoles. Prior to its release, the Nintendo DS was marketed as an experimental "third pillar" in Nintendo's cons ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nintendogs
is a real-time pet simulation video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS handheld video game console. It was released in Japan, and was later released in: North America, Australia, New Zealand, Europe and other regions. It was originally released in three different versions: ''Dachshund & Friends'', ''Lab & Friends'' (''Shiba & Friends'' in Japan) and ''Chihuahua & Friends''. It has been re-released twice, first as a bundled release with a special edition Nintendo DS with a new version called ''Nintendogs: Best Friends'' and later as ''Nintendogs: Dalmatian & Friends''. ''Nintendogs'' uses the DS's touchscreen and built-in microphone. The touch screen allows the player to pet a dog, as well as to use various items that can be found or purchased. These range from balls and frisbees, to toys, to grooming supplies to keep the dogs happy. The microphone is used to call to the player's dog by speaking the name given to the dog in the beginning of the game as w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Non-game
Non-games are a class of software on the border between video games and toys. The term "non-game game" was coined by late Nintendo president Satoru Iwata, who describes it as "a form of entertainment that really doesn't have a winner, or even a real conclusion". Will Wright (game designer), Will Wright had previously used the term "software toy" for the same purpose. The main difference between non-games and traditional video games is the lack of structured goals, objectives, and challenges. This allows the player a greater degree of self-expression through freeform play, since they can set up their own goals to achieve. Some genres that have been considered non-games include Computer-assisted language learning, language-learning software, digital tabletop games, Puzzle video game, puzzle games, Simulation video game, simulation games, and art games. History Non-games have existed since the early days of video games, although there hasn't been a specific term for them. One of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Emergence
In philosophy, systems theory, science, and art, emergence occurs when an entity is observed to have properties its parts do not have on their own, properties or behaviors that emerge only when the parts interact in a wider whole. Emergence plays a central role in theories of integrative levels and of complex systems. For instance, the phenomenon of life as studied in biology is an emergent property of chemistry. In philosophy, theories that emphasize emergent properties have been called emergentism. In philosophy Philosophers often understand emergence as a claim about the etiology of a system's properties. An emergent property of a system, in this context, is one that is not a property of any component of that system, but is still a feature of the system as a whole. Nicolai Hartmann (1882–1950), one of the first modern philosophers to write on emergence, termed this a ''categorial novum'' (new category). Definitions This concept of emergence dates from at least the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spore (2008 Video Game)
''Spore'' is a 2008 life simulation real-time strategy God game developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. Designed by Will Wright, it covers many genres including action, real-time strategy, and role-playing games. ''Spore'' allows a player to control the development of a species from its beginnings as a microscopic organism, through development as an intelligent and social creature, to interstellar exploration as a spacefaring culture. It has drawn wide attention for its massive scope, and its use of open-ended gameplay and procedural generation. Throughout each stage, players are able to use various creators to produce content for their games. These are then automatically uploaded to the online Sporepedia and are accessible by other players for download. ''Spore'' was released after several delays to generally favorable reviews. Praise was given for the fact that the game allowed players to create customized creatures, vehicle ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
