visual journal — 2024 May 11 - May 19

SimPocalypse

Our older kiddo has been playing SimCity — the first version. I’ve always preferred the simplicity of its symbolic graphics. I remember when SimCity 2000 came out and, despite all its upgrades, I still played the old version. Same thing for Civilization, and its series of updates.

I always thought that maybe it was because my mind couldn’t keep up with the increases in complexity — that I wasn’t smart enough to play these newer games. But I’m coming around to a different view in my middle age: what I once thought was a matter of intelligence was just a matter of preference.

It’s astounding to me how well this almost 40-year old game has aged.