the book · contents
91-catalog 1,384 words about 6 min
The catalog
The 177 games this book draws on, by release year, with the developer, the subgenre the catalog files each one under, and the number of mechanics in its decomposition. Each name links to the game's record and its sources. The catalog is a sample: it favours games documented in English, and a game missing from it can be added through the procedure in chapter 13.
| game | year | developer | subgenre | mechanics |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hamurabi | 1968 | Doug Dyment (Digital Equipment Corporation) | city-builder | 6 |
| Conway's Game of Life | 1970 | John Horton Conway | artificial-life | 3 |
| The Oregon Trail | 1971 | Don Rawitsch, Bill Heinemann, and Paul Dillenberger; later MECC | survival-sim | 5 |
| Lemonade Stand | 1973 | Bob Jamison (MECC) | business-economic-sim | 7 |
| Utopia | 1982 | Don Daglow (Mattel Electronics) | city-builder | 8 |
| M.U.L.E. | 1983 | Ozark Softscape | business-economic-sim | 10 |
| Elite | 1984 | David Braben and Ian Bell | space-sim | 6 |
| Balance of Power | 1985 | Chris Crawford | political-sim | 6 |
| Little Computer People | 1985 | Activision | life-sim | 6 |
| Populous | 1989 | Bullfrog Productions | god-game | 5 |
| SimCity | 1989 | Maxis | city-builder | 17 |
| Railroad Tycoon | 1990 | MPS Labs (MicroProse) | transport-logistics | 15 |
| SimEarth | 1990 | Maxis | god-game | 10 |
| Sid Meier's Civilization | 1991 | MicroProse | 4x-strategy | 13 |
| SimAnt | 1991 | Maxis | artificial-life | 10 |
| SimLife | 1992 | Maxis | artificial-life | 8 |
| Princess Maker 2 | 1993 | Gainax | life-sim | 9 |
| SimCity 2000 | 1993 | Maxis | city-builder | 18 |
| The Incredible Machine | 1993 | Jeff Tunnell Productions | construction-engineering | 6 |
| SimTower | 1994 | OPeNBooK (Yoot Saito) | management-tycoon | 9 |
| Theme Park | 1994 | Bullfrog Productions | management-tycoon | 14 |
| Transport Tycoon | 1994 | Chris Sawyer | transport-logistics | 18 |
| Capitalism | 1995 | Enlight Software | business-economic-sim | 13 |
| X-Plane | 1995 | Laminar Research | flight-sim | 8 |
| Creatures | 1996 | Millennium Interactive / Cyberlife Technology | artificial-life | 12 |
| Harvest Moon | 1996 | Amccus | farming-sim | 8 |
| Tamagotchi | 1996 | Bandai | virtual-pet | 8 |
| Game Dev Story | 1997 | Kairosoft | business-economic-sim | 10 |
| Gran Turismo | 1997 | Polys Entertainment (Polyphony Digital) | vehicle-sim | 6 |
| Theme Hospital | 1997 | Bullfrog Productions | management-tycoon | 16 |
| Ultima Online | 1997 | Origin Systems | mmo-world | 11 |
| Caesar III | 1998 | Impressions Games | city-builder | 17 |
| Out of the Park Baseball | 1999 | Out of the Park Developments | sports-management | 11 |
| Pharaoh | 1999 | Impressions Games | city-builder | 15 |
| RollerCoaster Tycoon | 1999 | Chris Sawyer Productions | management-tycoon | 20 |
| Seaman | 1999 | Vivarium | virtual-pet | 8 |
| The Sims | 2000 | Maxis | life-sim | 15 |
| Black & White | 2001 | Lionhead Studios | god-game | 9 |
| Zoo Tycoon | 2001 | Blue Fang Games | management-tycoon | 11 |
| A Tale in the Desert | 2003 | eGenesis | mmo-world | 8 |
| EVE Online | 2003 | CCP Games | mmo-world | 12 |
| Second Life | 2003 | Linden Lab | mmo-world | 9 |
| SimCity 4 | 2003 | Maxis | city-builder | 16 |
| Aurora 4X | 2004 | Steve Walmsley | 4x-strategy | 13 |
| Football Manager | 2004 | Sports Interactive | sports-management | 15 |
| Garry's Mod | 2004 | Facepunch Studios | physics-sandbox | 7 |
| The Sims 2 | 2004 | Maxis | life-sim | 17 |
| Façade | 2005 | Procedural Arts | social-sim | 5 |
| Nintendogs | 2005 | Nintendo EAD | virtual-pet | 7 |
| Silent Hunter III | 2005 | Ubisoft Bucharest | vehicle-sim | 10 |
| Dwarf Fortress | 2006 | Bay 12 Games | colony-sim | 30 |
| Viva Piñata | 2006 | Rare | ecosystem-evolution | 9 |
| DCS World | 2008 | Eagle Dynamics | flight-sim | 10 |
| Spore | 2008 | Maxis | ecosystem-evolution | 8 |
| The Powder Toy | 2008 | The Powder Toy contributors | physics-sandbox | 9 |
| Universe Sandbox | 2008 | Dan Dixon; Giant Army | physics-sandbox | 7 |
| iRacing | 2008 | iRacing Studios (iRacing.com Motorsport Simulations) | vehicle-sim | 4 |
| Minecraft | 2009 | Mojang Studios | sandbox-world | 15 |
| The Sims 3 | 2009 | Maxis Redwood Shores | life-sim | 19 |
| From Dust | 2011 | Ubisoft Montpellier | god-game | 8 |
| Kerbal Space Program | 2011 | Squad | space-sim | 15 |
| Project Zomboid | 2011 | The Indie Stone | survival-sim | 18 |
| SpaceChem | 2011 | Zachtronics | programming-sim | 6 |
| Don't Starve | 2012 | Klei Entertainment | survival-sim | 13 |
| Euro Truck Simulator 2 | 2012 | SCS Software | vehicle-sim | 11 |
| FTL: Faster Than Light | 2012 | Subset Games | space-sim | 14 |
| Game Dev Tycoon | 2012 | Greenheart Games | business-economic-sim | 12 |
| Plague Inc. | 2012 | Ndemic Creations | ecosystem-evolution | 9 |
| Prison Architect | 2012 | Introversion Software | management-tycoon | 18 |
| Prom Week | 2012 | UC Santa Cruz Expressive Intelligence Studio | social-sim | 6 |
| Species: Artificial Life, Real Evolution | 2012 | Quasar | artificial-life | 8 |
| Arma 3 | 2013 | Bohemia Interactive | wargame | 10 |
| BeamNG.drive | 2013 | BeamNG GmbH | vehicle-sim | 7 |
| Europa Universalis IV | 2013 | Paradox Development Studio | grand-strategy | 21 |
| Factorio | 2013 | Wube Software | factory-automation | 28 |
| Kenshi | 2013 | Lo-Fi Games | rpg-sim | 16 |
| Mini Metro | 2013 | Dinosaur Polo Club | transport-logistics | 5 |
| Papers, Please | 2013 | Lucas Pope (3909 LLC) | job-sim | 7 |
| RimWorld | 2013 | Ludeon Studios | colony-sim | 25 |
| SimCity (2013) | 2013 | Maxis Emeryville | city-builder | 14 |
| Space Engineers | 2013 | Keen Software House | sandbox-world | 14 |
| Surgeon Simulator | 2013 | Bossa Studios | medical-sim | 4 |
| Tomodachi Life | 2013 | Nintendo SPD | life-sim | 8 |
| Versu | 2013 | Linden Lab | social-sim | 6 |
| Banished | 2014 | Shining Rock Software | city-builder | 16 |
| Elite Dangerous | 2014 | Frontier Developments | space-sim | 17 |
| Screeps | 2014 | Screeps, LLC | programming-sim | 12 |
| Subnautica | 2014 | Unknown Worlds Entertainment | survival-sim | 9 |
| The Long Dark | 2014 | Hinterland Studio | survival-sim | 10 |
| The Sims 4 | 2014 | Maxis | life-sim | 20 |
| This War of Mine | 2014 | 11 bit studios | survival-sim | 12 |
| Besiege | 2015 | Spiderling Studios | construction-engineering | 8 |
| Big Pharma | 2015 | Twice Circled | factory-automation | 10 |
| Caves of Qud | 2015 | Freehold Games | rpg-sim | 10 |
| Cities: Skylines | 2015 | Colossal Order | city-builder | 17 |
| Fallout Shelter | 2015 | Bethesda Game Studios, Behaviour Interactive | colony-sim | 16 |
| Offworld Trading Company | 2015 | Mohawk Games | business-economic-sim | 12 |
| Poly Bridge | 2015 | Dry Cactus | construction-engineering | 7 |
| Hearts of Iron IV | 2016 | Paradox Development Studio | grand-strategy | 17 |
| Job Simulator | 2016 | Owlchemy Labs | job-sim | 3 |
| Motorsport Manager | 2016 | Playsport Games | sports-management | 10 |
| Planet Coaster | 2016 | Frontier Developments | management-tycoon | 17 |
| Reigns | 2016 | Nerial | political-sim | 5 |
| Stardew Valley | 2016 | ConcernedApe | farming-sim | 16 |
| Stellaris | 2016 | Paradox Development Studio | 4x-strategy | 21 |
| Bitburner | 2017 | danielyxie and Bitburner contributors | programming-sim | 8 |
| Kingdoms and Castles | 2017 | Lion Shield | city-builder | 16 |
| Mindustry | 2017 | Anuke | factory-automation | 17 |
| Opus Magnum | 2017 | Zachtronics | programming-sim | 6 |
| Oxygen Not Included | 2017 | Klei Entertainment | colony-sim | 24 |
| Stationeers | 2017 | RocketWerkz | survival-sim | 12 |
| The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild | 2017 | Nintendo EPD | sandbox-world | 10 |
| Eco | 2018 | Strange Loop Games | mmo-world | 15 |
| Equilinox | 2018 | ThinMatrix | ecosystem-evolution | 8 |
| Frostpunk | 2018 | 11 bit studios | city-builder | 14 |
| House Flipper | 2018 | Empyrean | job-sim | 7 |
| Jurassic World Evolution | 2018 | Frontier Developments | management-tycoon | 13 |
| PC Building Simulator | 2018 | Claudiu Kiss and The Irregular Corporation | job-sim | 6 |
| Pocket City | 2018 | Codebrew Games | city-builder | 12 |
| Project Hospital | 2018 | Oxymoron Games | medical-sim | 10 |
| Rebel Inc. | 2018 | Ndemic Creations | political-sim | 8 |
| Surviving Mars | 2018 | Haemimont Games | city-builder | 16 |
| Two Point Hospital | 2018 | Two Point Studios | management-tycoon | 17 |
| AI Dungeon | 2019 | Latitude | ai-native | 4 |
| Anno 1800 | 2019 | Ubisoft Blue Byte | city-builder | 13 |
| Autonauts | 2019 | Denki | programming-sim | 12 |
| Command: Modern Operations | 2019 | Warfare Sims | wargame | 11 |
| Foundation | 2019 | Polymorph Games | city-builder | 9 |
| Islanders | 2019 | Grizzly Games | city-builder | 4 |
| Noita | 2019 | Nolla Games | physics-sandbox | 11 |
| Planet Zoo | 2019 | Frontier Developments | management-tycoon | 15 |
| Satisfactory | 2019 | Coffee Stain Studios | factory-automation | 18 |
| Tropico 6 | 2019 | Limbic Entertainment | city-builder | 12 |
| Workers & Resources: Soviet Republic | 2019 | 3Division | city-builder | 15 |
| Animal Crossing: New Horizons | 2020 | Nintendo EPD | life-sim | 13 |
| Crusader Kings III | 2020 | Paradox Development Studio | grand-strategy | 21 |
| Democracy 4 | 2020 | Positech Games | political-sim | 11 |
| Hardspace: Shipbreaker | 2020 | Blackbird Interactive | job-sim | 7 |
| Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) | 2020 | Asobo Studio | flight-sim | 9 |
| SnowRunner | 2020 | Saber Interactive | vehicle-sim | 7 |
| Songs of Syx | 2020 | Gamatron AB | city-builder | 11 |
| Space Haven | 2020 | Bugbyte | colony-sim | 17 |
| Suzerain | 2020 | Torpor Games | political-sim | 6 |
| Teardown | 2020 | Tuxedo Labs | physics-sandbox | 8 |
| Townscaper | 2020 | Oskar Stålberg | city-builder | 3 |
| Against the Storm | 2021 | Eremite Games | city-builder | 13 |
| Car Mechanic Simulator 2021 | 2021 | Red Dot Games | job-sim | 6 |
| Dyson Sphere Program | 2021 | Youthcat Studio | factory-automation | 19 |
| Going Medieval | 2021 | Foxy Voxel | colony-sim | 21 |
| PowerWash Simulator | 2021 | FuturLab | job-sim | 4 |
| Timberborn | 2021 | Mechanistry | city-builder | 13 |
| Valheim | 2021 | Iron Gate Studio | survival-sim | 15 |
| Captain of Industry | 2022 | MaFi Games | factory-automation | 23 |
| Farthest Frontier | 2022 | Crate Entertainment | city-builder | 14 |
| Gran Turismo 7 | 2022 | Polyphony Digital | vehicle-sim | 6 |
| Victoria 3 | 2022 | Paradox Development Studio | grand-strategy | 20 |
| Big Ambitions | 2023 | Hovgaard Games | business-economic-sim | 12 |
| Cities: Skylines II | 2023 | Colossal Order (Iceflake Studios from 2026) | city-builder | 18 |
| Contraband Police | 2023 | Crazy Rocks Studios | job-sim | 6 |
| Generative Agents (Smallville) | 2023 | Stanford University and Google Research | ai-native | 7 |
| Suck Up! | 2023 | Proxima Enterprises | ai-native | 6 |
| Terra Nil | 2023 | Free Lives | city-builder | 6 |
| The Farmer Was Replaced | 2023 | Timon Herzog | programming-sim | 6 |
| Farming Simulator 25 | 2024 | Giants Software | farming-sim | 14 |
| Frostpunk 2 | 2024 | 11 bit studios | city-builder | 11 |
| Infinite Craft | 2024 | Neal Agarwal | ai-native | 3 |
| Manor Lords | 2024 | Slavic Magic | city-builder | 15 |
| Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 | 2024 | Asobo Studio | flight-sim | 12 |
| Project Sid | 2024 | Altera | ai-native | 8 |
| Tiny Glade | 2024 | Pounce Light | city-builder | 3 |
| Where Winds Meet | 2024 | Everstone Studio (NetEase Games) | rpg-sim | 5 |
| shapez 2 | 2024 | tobspr Games | factory-automation | 12 |
| Anno 117: Pax Romana | 2025 | Ubisoft Mainz | city-builder | 13 |
| Schedule I | 2025 | TVGS | business-economic-sim | 12 |
| Whispers from the Star | 2025 | Anuttacon | ai-native | 3 |
| inZOI | 2025 | inZOI Studio (Krafton) | life-sim | 17 |
| Paralives | 2026 | Paralives Studio | life-sim | 12 |
Dataset dfde7895aa6d.