The Steam Simfest: Hobby Edition (opens in new tab) kicked off yesterday with some sweet deals on sims of all kinds. The week-long online event will also include a host of game demos, developer livestreams, gameplay sessions, and more.
The interesting thing about "sim" as a genre is that it covers a huge amount of ground—simulating other activities is an inherent element of videogames, after all. Valve defines sims, for the purpose of this particular event, as "games that attempt to simulate a hobby or job," which is a little narrower in scope, but not much, really. That's how you end up with a single genre containing games like:
- Mudrunner (opens in new tab) - $4/£4/€4 (80% off)
- Arma 3 (opens in new tab) - $8/£6/€7 (75% off)
- Assetto Corsa Competizione (opens in new tab) - $14/£12/€14 (66% off)
- Potion Craft: Alchemist Simulator (opens in new tab) - $12/£9/€10 (20% off)
- Animal Shelter (opens in new tab) - $18/£14/€15 (10% off)
- The Hunter: Call of the Wild (opens in new tab) - $7/£7/€7 (65% off)
- Two Point Hospital (opens in new tab) - $9/£6/€9 (75% off)
- UBoat (opens in new tab) - $12/£10/€10 (60% off)
- Hellish Quart (opens in new tab) - $13/£10/€11 (25% off)
- Surgeon Simulator 2 (opens in new tab) - $11/£8/€9 (45% off)
Honestly, if you were to line all of those games up and ask me what they have in common (perhaps leaving out the two with "Simulator" in the title, so as not to give the game away), I'd be baffled. Arma 3, Hellish Quart, and Assetto Corsa Competizione are about as different from one another as you can get, and yet here they are, all sharing space in the boundless glory of the "sim" genre.
(Ironically, immersive sims are not included! Shame, that.)
Here are some highlights from the upcoming panels, discussions, and Let's Play sessions:
- Panel: Can hobby sims teach you to do a real life Job? (opens in new tab) - Featuring: Planet Zoo, Farming Simulator 22, Euro Truck Simulator 2, and Gas Station Simulator.
- Panel: What is a hobby Sim and why do people play them? - (opens in new tab)Featuring: Wobbledogs, Powerwash Simulator, Niche, Mars Horizon, and Brewmaster: Beer Brewing Simulator
- Welcome to Planet Zoo, the ultimate zoo simulation! A tour with the devs (opens in new tab)
- House Flipper - Pets DLC and Lunar New Year news with the developers (opens in new tab)
- PC Building Simulator - Fun vs realism and the history of the game (opens in new tab)
- Brewmaster: Beer Brewing Simulator - IRL vs Digital homebrewing plus a trip to Moor Beer Brewery (opens in new tab)
The Steam Simfest: Hobby Edition is live now and runs until April 4.
