On Twitch and YouTube, many content creators are currently playing strange games, far from AAA or AAAA games, but the viewers seem to be more interested in these than in current, hyped games.
What kind of games are they? Supermarket Simulator, Kebab Chefs! – Restaurant Simulator, Beer Factory, or Internet Cafe Simulator 2 are the opposite of the currently hyped games on Steam. All the titles are simulators that simulate life around the respective profession.
There is hardly any focus on realism, diversity, or graphic innovations. With similar graphics and unusual mechanics, they attract players into their world. Many of the games also have additional features unrelated to the actual gameplay, such as gambling or fights against NPCs.
HandofBlood is one of the content creators who repeatedly entertains his viewers with simulators. You can learn more about him in our video.
Thanks to Humorous Videos, the Genre is Growing More and More
How do the games become famous? The reason for the success of the games likely lies with content creators on Twitch and YouTube, who have made it their mission to dive into the daily lives of simulators and entertain their viewers in various ways.
While the creators of the videos use various approaches, they are all connected by the fact that there are usually only single streams or videos per game, in which the stereotypical daily life of a person in the respective profession is portrayed. Sometimes, personal experiences or stories from the lives of the influencers are included.
Here you can watch a video that is exemplary of the kind of simulator videos.
How do the videos receive attention? The videos are well received by the community. The YouTube channel PietSmiet now frequently publishes videos about simulators, like Beer Factory, alongside other projects. Viewers express their joy about the simulator videos in the comments.
Under the YouTube video for Beer Factory, for example, @groebaz76 writes: “I love it. Pedda [PietSmiet] playing alone is always pure entertainment.”
Kevlovic writes under the same video: “Cool video! Hopefully, this simulator will have a few more videos and Peter [PietSmiet] gets to build his beer empire.”
How big is the hype around the games? Measuring the hype of an entire genre is not easy. It is noticeable that simulator games currently belong to the “Trending Games” on SteamDB. The Supermarket Simulator, for example, is currently seeing a steadily growing trend with over 16,000 players.
Other games can also record growth in players after streams or YouTube videos. However, the hype around the respective game usually lasts only a short time. After 24 hours, player numbers often decline again. The PietSmiet video, for example, helped the game Beer Factory reach a new peak in players before the numbers dropped again since then.
We have also reported on simulators in the past. One company found the American Truck Simulator so realistic that they are now looking for drivers for their real trucks there.
