![]() ![]() Game themes and stories are just “skins” that one can apply to game designs, engines and mechanics. In a way, this axiom applies to every game, digital or analog. As every box has an inside and an outside, you could say that the simulation mechanics are the inside of the box, and the theme and story are the outside. From the perspective of the player, the simulation part of every SIM is akin to a black box – an arcane algorithmic puzzle that mimics “real-world systems”. SIMS have one foot in the logic of simulation, the other in popular entertainment. Part of the tension inherent to the SIM form is that it is not a “pure” entertainment format. Otherwise put: the alleged neutrality of the Tycoon genre – the idea of a themed business simulation sandbox – becomes politically charged when we use a prison theme. So why then, should we take interest in Prison Tycoon? I’d like to suggest that we should look beyond surface game design and marketing flaws to understand the ideological failure of the series, and by extension, the limits of the SIM genre. In fact, unless you’re deliberately seeking out the game, chances are you’ll never stumble upon it on the great algorithmically-enhanced grapevine of the Internet. The response to the various instalments of Prison Tycoon has been overwhelmingly negative. Read anything about Prison Tycoon, and you’ll find, like I did, that few people have anything good to say about the series. So this intrepid reporter got himself a copy of Prison Tycoon 4 and Prison Tycoon 5 (ValuSoft, 2008, 2010), and plugged through the oft-reported bad user experience, and overall lifeless SIM experience that the series delivers. I found the premise of relating prison-themed management SIMs to our contemporary prison culture a worthy mission to undertake. In fact, I turned to Prison Tycoon (PT) as a result of Trevor Owens’ call for submissions at Play the Past in August 2013. “Apparently”, because even though I’ve played it myself, I wasn’t seeking entertainment. You can read the introductory remarks for the series here.Īpparently, Prison Tycoon isn’t much fun to play. This article is part 1 of a 2-part series on prison management games, and the controversies surrounding them.
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