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{{Short description|Game that attempts to simulate the politics of a nation}}
{{Simulation VG}}
A '''government simulation''' or '''political simulation''' is a game that attempts to simulate the [[government]] and [[politics]] of all or part of a nation. These games may include [[Geopolitics|geopolitical]] situations (involving the formation and execution of [[foreign policy]]), the creation of domestic political policies, or the simulation of political campaigns.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/news/2004/08/12/news_6104371.html |title=Spot On: Games get political |
==Background==
Games based on geopolitics and elections existed long before the emergence of personal computers and their ability to quickly process large amounts of statistical data. One of the earliest such games was ''The Game of Politics'', created by Oswald Lord in 1935<ref>
After enjoying years as a [[play-by-mail game]], ''Diplomacy'' was one of the first games to move to take advantage of [[
== Computer gaming ==
[[File:BalanceOfPower.png|thumb|A screenshot from the 1985 [[Atari ST]] version of ''[[Balance of Power (
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▲[[File:BalanceOfPower.png|thumb|A screenshot from the 1985 [[Atari ST]] version of ''[[Balance of Power (computer game)|Balance of Power]]'']]
As computers became more sophisticated, games in this genre moved beyond
Other [[Cold War]] era games included ''[[Conflict: Middle East Political Simulator]]'' created by [[Virgin Interactive]], [[Spectrum Holobyte|Spectrum Holobyte's]] ''[[Crisis in the Kremlin]]'' and
▲As computers became more sophisticated, games in this genre moved beyond e-mail to more complex simulations. For most users in Europe, the first well known politics game was {{Interlanguage link multi|Dictator (video game)|ru|3=Dictator (компьютерная игра)|lt=Dictator}}, released in 1983 by DK'Tronics and running on Sinclair's ZX Spectrum. One of the earliest titles in this genre was ''[[Balance of Power (computer game)|Balance of Power]]'', designed by [[Chris Crawford (game designer)|Chris Crawford]] and published in 1985. This game features conflict at the height of the [[Cold War]], using political and policy decisions to shape outcomes rather than warfare.<ref>Chris Crawford (2003), Chris Crawford on Game Design, {{ISBN|0-13-146099-4}}</ref><ref>Robert Mandel, The Journal of Conflict Resolution, Vol. 31, No. 2 (Jun., 1987), [https://www.jstor.org/stable/174017 "An Evaluation of the 'Balance of Power' Simulation"], pp. 333-345,</ref> In ''Balance of Power'', any armed conflict between the player and the opponent superpower results in a nuclear war, which is considered a loss condition.
▲Other Cold War era games included ''[[Conflict: Middle East Political Simulator]]'' created by [[Virgin Interactive]], [[Spectrum Holobyte|Spectrum Holobyte's]] ''[[Crisis in the Kremlin]]'' and virtually unknown ''[[Hidden Agenda (1988 video game)|Hidden Agenda]]''.
''Conflict'' simulated a hypothetical situation in 1997 in which the player assumes the role of the [[Prime Minister of Israel|Israeli Prime Minister]] and is obligated to employ various diplomatic and covert directives to defeat its rival nations. Surrounded by hostile nations, the player is restrained by a very limited military force and thereby encouraged to employ peaceful means to remain in power until he acquired more advanced weapons systems and power.<ref>Zzap! Issue 70, February 1991, p.48, [https://web.archive.org/web/20071017063735/http://amigareviews.classicgaming.gamespy.com/conflict.htm "Conflict: the Middle East Political Simulator"]</ref>
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In ''[[Crisis in the Kremlin]]'', the user could play as the protege of any of the following Soviet politicians: [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] of the [[reform]]ist faction; [[Yegor Ligachev]], leader of the hard-line faction; and [[Boris Yeltsin]], who was the prevalent figure of the [[Russian nationalism|nationalist]] faction. The player could use the simulation to test certain strategies to lead the failing [[Soviet Union]] into a new era of prosperity or force its dissolution and integration into the new world order. This game introduced the concept of budget management, citizen and faction satisfaction as well as multiple economic values and political spectrum.<ref>Social Science Computer Review, Vol. 12, No. 3, 447-448 (1994), "Software Reviews: Crisis in the Kremlin"</ref>
In ''[[Hidden Agenda (1988 video game)|Hidden Agenda]]'' the user takes the role of the president of Chimerica, a post-revolutionary [[Central America]]n country, trying to juggle international relations and the needs of the country's citizens.{{citation needed|date=August 2025}}
Early political simulation games were intended more for education than entertainment. In 1987, ''[[On the Campaign Trail]]'' was developed as a tool at [[Kent State University]]'s political campaign management program, and engaged students in decision-making regarding the campaigns for [[United States Senate]] elections between 1970 and 1986.<ref>Nadine S. Koch, [https://www.jstor.org/stable/419407 "Winning Is Not the Only Thing 'On the Campaign Trail': An Evaluation of a Micro-Computer Campaign Simulation"] ''[[PS – Political Science & Politics|PS: Political Science
[[File:PoliticalMachine.jpg|thumb|left|A screenshot from [[Stardock]]'s 2004 game ''Political Machine'']]
The 1992 game ''Power Politics'' (and, before it, 1981's [[President Elect (
Some games in the genre involve enacting policies and budget decisions to sway voters. One such game is ''[[Democracy (game)|Democracy]]'', published in 2005 by [[Positech Games]]. In ''Democracy'', players make decisions during each turn regarding which policies to support. As turns progress, the player views how their favourability rating changes amongst certain types of voters.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nzgamer.com/reviews/317/democracy.html|title=Democracy (PC)|
There can also be found games that puts the player in the seat of a state leader, such as ''[[SuperPower]]'', and its sequel, ''[[SuperPower 2]]'' and SuperPower 3, whose goals are to produce economic stability and prosperity, but the game mainly revolves around foreign policies, with the abilities to interact with other countries in many ways. The game includes a great number of real-life treaties that influence countries.▼
▲Some games in the genre involve enacting policies and budget decisions to sway voters. One such game is ''[[Democracy (game)|Democracy]]'', published in 2005 by [[Positech Games]]. In ''Democracy'', players make decisions during each turn regarding which policies to support. As turns progress, the player views how their favourability rating changes amongst certain types of voters.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nzgamer.com/reviews/317/democracy.html|title=Democracy (PC)|accessdate=2007-12-06|author=Jess Nickelsen|publisher=NZGamer.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140805042654/http://nzgamer.com/reviews/317/democracy.html|archive-date=2014-08-05|url-status=dead}}</ref> Candidates make promises before each election, and failure to follow through can result in lower support during the player's re-election campaign.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.positech.co.uk/democracy/democracy1.html|title=Positech Democracy|accessdate=2007-12-06}}</ref> Other examples are the [[Commander in Chief (video game)|''Geo-Political-Simulator'']] series, produced by Eversim, boasting an array of choices for domestic policy and decisions based around current geopolitical issues,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.gamingrespawn.com/features/19320/best-political-games-play-pc-2018/|title=Best Political Games To Play On PC in 2018|last=Jackson|first=Stephen|date=2018-04-04|website=Gaming Respawn|language=en-GB|access-date=2019-01-12}}</ref> and ''[[Tropico]]'' series.
Other video game series such as Crusader Kings aim to show the political situations of medieval governments. These are more centered on dynastic politics and court intrigue than simulation games set in modern eras. Total War: Medieval also aimed to simulate this side of dynastic politics. Both of these simulate individual personality traits and different skills of characters who exist within governments and their surrounding courtiers.
▲There can also be found games that puts the player in the seat of a state leader, such as ''[[SuperPower]]'', and its sequel, ''[[SuperPower 2]]'', whose goals are to produce economic stability and prosperity, but the game mainly revolves around foreign policies, with the abilities to interact with other countries in many ways. The game includes a great number of real-life treaties that influence countries.
==Online games==
Web-based games such as ''[[NationStates]]''
Other, similar games like Politics and War include trade and war mechanics.
Less formally structured games are also played out in [[internet forum]]s, where players manage governments and nations according to a set of agreed rules. These such forum-based simulation games – often known as polsims – simulate the politics of one specific nation throughout rounds set in differing time periods. Not all polsims take place on a national level. Some polsims take place internationally, whereas others take place on the state or local levels. Players on such games play as fictional politicians and participate in debates, media activity, and simulated elections. An example of a polsim like this would be AustraliaSim,<ref>{{Cite web|last=Wilson|first=Cameron|title=People Are Role-Playing As Politicians On Reddit And It's Actually Surprisingly Wholesome|url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/cameronwilson/reddit-roleplay-politics-elections-australiasim|access-date=May 17, 2021|website=BuzzFeed|date=November 6, 2019 |language=en-au}}</ref> MHoC<ref>{{Cite web|last=Le Conte|first=Marie|title=The People Who Roleplay as UK MPs on Reddit|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/model-house-of-commons-subreddit/|access-date=July 20, 2024|website=Vice|date=February 3, 2022 |language=en-uk}}</ref> and CMHoC.<ref>{{cite web |title=Canadian Model House of Commons |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/cmhoc/ |website=Reddit |access-date=24 June 2023}}</ref>
In other web based games players register, apply for an open position (either a country or person inside a country such as a politician or army general) and carry out game activities either through newspapers or other activities or (more commonly) through [[gamemaster]]s.
==Related games==
[[File:Lincity-ng.png|thumb|right|City-building games, such as ''[[Lincity]]'', require the player to manage the governing features of a city.]]
Other [[construction and management simulation]]s require government management. For example, [[city-building game]]s such as the ''[[SimCity]]'' series of games developed and published by [[Maxis]] simulates the experience of being a mayor. ''SimCity'' features a real-time environment in which the player can create zones for city development, build roads, power and water utilities, and watch as their city develops based on their decisions. The game was originally published in 1989 and as of 2013 was in its fifth major release.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pc.ign.com/articles/382/382583p1.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030117225246/http://pc.ign.com/articles/382/382583p1.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 17, 2003|title=Sim City 4 Review|
[[Strategy video game|Strategy games]] frequently make use of government management challenges. [[4X]] games require the management of a government, be it [[tribe|tribal]] or [[Galactic empire|interstellar]]. This includes tasks such as building infrastructure and conducting trade. ''[[Galactic Civilizations II]]'' requires players to manage their approval rating to keep their political party in power. Domestic policy is sometimes abstracted with more emphasis on international conflict. For example, the ''[[Civilization (computer game)|Civilization]]'' series gives players
Other strategy games focus on government management to varying degrees. For instance, in the ''[[Hearts of Iron]]'' games (set in [[World War II]]) the civilian population is only a factor with [[partisan (military)|partisans]] and [[Human resources|manpower]], whereas in ''[[Victoria: An Empire Under the Sun|Victoria]]'' a player must not only
Government and politics have also been incorporated into [[adventure game]]s. ''[[A Mind Forever Voyaging]]'', published by [[Infocom]] in 1985, was an [[interactive fiction]] game in which the player controlled a sentient computer capable of experimenting with potential future scenarios based on varying public policy decisions. [[Newsweek]] said of the game, "It isn't '[[Nineteen Eighty-Four|1984]],' but in some ways it is even scarier."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mobygames.com/game/a-mind-forever-voyaging/adblurbs|title=Ad-Blurbs for A Mind Forever Voyaging|
The 2008 game ''[[Spore (2008 video game)|Spore]]'' features a "Civilization" stage where the player controls vehicles and interacts with other cities until they have control of all 12 cities.
==Training and education==
Beyond entertainment, these games have practical applications in training and education of government personnel. Training simulations have been created for subjects such as managing law enforcement policies (such as racial profiling), the simulation of a military officer's career, and hospital responses to emergency situations.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://washingtonexaminer.com/simulation-games-help-prepare-government-unite-local-businesses |archive-url=https://archive.
==Examples==
{{div col|colwidth=
* ''[[Balance of Power (video game)|Balance of Power]]'' (1985)
* ''[[Bandit Kings of Ancient China]]'' (1989)
* ''[[Conflict: Middle East Political Simulator]]'' (1990)
* ''[[Crisis in the Kremlin]]'' (1991)
* ''[[Crusader Kings (video game)|Crusader Kings]]'' series (2004-2020)
* ''[[CyberJudas]]'' (1996)
* ''[[Diplomacy (board game)|Diplomacy]]'' (1954)
* ''[[Democracy (video game)|Democracy]]'' series (2005-2020)
* ''[[eRepublik]]'' (2008)
* ''[[Floor 13 (video game)|Floor 13]]'' (1991)
*
▲**''[[Commander in Chief (video game)|Commander in Chief]]'' (2008)
* ''[[Hidden Agenda (1988 video game)|Hidden Agenda]]'' (1988)
* ''[[
* ''[[Not For Broadcast]]'' (2022)
* ''[[Power Politics (video game)|Power Politics]]''
* ''[[President Elect (computer game)|President Elect]]'' (1981)
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* ''[[Republic: The Revolution]]'' (2003)
* ''[[Republic of Rome (game)|Republic of Rome]]'' (1990)
* ''[[Romance of the Three Kingdoms (video game series)|Romance of the Three Kingdoms]]'' series (1985-
* ''[[Shadow President]]'' (1993)
* ''[[SuperPower]]'' series (2002-2022)
* ''[[Suzerain (video game)|Suzerain]]'' (2020)
▲** ''[[Supreme Ruler Cold War|Cold War]]'' (2010)
* ''[[Twilight Struggle]]'' (2005)
* ''[[Victoria:
==References==
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[[Category:Video game genres]]
[[Category:Government simulation video games| ]]
[[Category:Simulation video games]]
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