Simulation Games

The simulation game genre aims to simulate an experience, such as flying a plane, as realistically as possible, taking into account physics and other real-world limitations. Some are relatively simple to play, involving just a short tutorial, whilst others may require a great deal of reading before the game can even be attempted. Many of these games are incredibly realistic and are used in actual training for military or civil purposes.

Flight Simulators

A flight simulator game tries to replicate the experience of flying an aircraft as closely as possible. The two major types of this game are combat flight simulators (for example, Falcon 4.0 and IL-2 Sturmovik) and civilian flight simulators (for example, Microsoft Flight Simulator and X-Plane).

Military Simulators

There are a number of types of simulation games built around warfare, such as the tank simulator, Abrams Battle Tank for the PC and Sega Mega Drive. Other combat simulation games may provide a comprehensive experience, in which the player can choose to drive a tank, boat or plane, or fight as an individual soldier using a variety of weapons. One such game is Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis. Its successor, Virtual Battlespace Systems 1 (VBS1), released in 2004, is used by the US, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand military to teach tactics, techniques and procedures during platoon and squad offensive, defensive and patrolling operations.

Space Simulators

Combat space simulators tend to span over a number of genres, including action and strategy games, and consist of combat in space using a spacecraft. Examples include the Elite series that founded the genre, and other games such as Star Wars: X-Wing, Freelancer, Descent: FreeSpace, Wing Commander, Independence War and Homeworld. This style is quite different from the other types of simulator games as its simulated objects do not always exist and often disregard the laws of physics.

However, there are a small number of more realistic space simulators, such as Orbiter, a freeware game that enables users to explore the solar system on a number of spacecraft, both realistic, such as the Space Shuttle Atlantis, and fictional, such as the Delta-glider.

Train Simulators

Train simulator games simulate the vehicles, environments and often economics associated with railway transport and include titles such as Microsoft Train Simulator and Trainz. The games are often historical in nature, harking back to the evolution of the railroad in various countries, and the economic booms that often accompanied them.