• Light/Dark
  • Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.
  • We have made minor adjustments to how the search bar works on ResetEra. You can read about the changes here.

Euro-ERA, why are the Bus Driving/Ski Resort/Street Cleaning Simulator games so popular in Europe?

Taki

Taki

Attempt to circumvent a ban with an alt account
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
5,308
I'm talking games on the top #10 of steam charts like:

Farming Simulator. German Truck Simulator. Bus Driver. U-Boat Simulator. Ski Region Simulator. London Underground Simulator. Street Cleaning Simulator.

These are all actual Simulator games. Yes, even the Street Cleaning Simulator. And they're not "joke" games like Goat Simulator was; they're serious effort creations.

What's the appeal, Euro ERA? Please explain to me like I'm a non-Yuropean.
 

Vault

▲ Legend ▲
Member
Oct 25, 2017
13,618
ea3.jpg
 

Deleted member 9932

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
5,711
Who knows. I have a friend who spends his work day just looking at a monitor (air traffic controller) and then plays all kind of simulators in his free time (flight, bus, train, etc.).
 
Tetrinski

Tetrinski

Banned
May 17, 2018
2,915
Europeans like public services and public transit.

Ever wondered why shooters and hunting simulators are so popular in America?
 
Necron

Necron

▲ Legend ▲
Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,292
Switzerland
I think there's something... cathartic (?) about wanting a certain profession/experience simulated.

There's this level of precision involved that's pleasurable in its own right, I suppose. I nearly bought a steering wheel + manual gear change when Gran Turismo Sport came out. Then I looked at the price...
 
Last edited:
Daedardus

Daedardus

Member
Oct 25, 2017
928
Most of those are very relaxing games where you can't do much wrong but that have a very clear goal to complete. It serves as a perfect distraction during the workweek to just isolate you from all noise and just 'mindless' click some buttons, but still have that feeling of reaching something. It's similar in what it's trying to achieve as games like Animal Crossing. Trying to explain to someone what makes it special is futile, but damn are they nice to just play.
 
Aaron D.

Aaron D.

Member
Oct 25, 2017
9,331
I'm American and I love Mundane Vehicle Sims.

They're a pleasant change of pace from standard power-fantasy tropes so prevalent in the medium.

They're relaxing as hell. A great way to Zen-out after a long day at work.

They generally have really smart business management systems baked in, adding an additional layer of complexity and progression to the games.

The nuts & bolts gameplay actually educate about real-world industries. Everything from the fine minutia of the actual vehicles and equipment used to the more abstracted systems like supply chains, etc.

All told the MVS genre gets clowned on, thankfully not as much as it used to thanks to crossover hits like Euro Truck Simulator 2. But I find them to be essentially valuable to the industry, offering a pleasant change of pace that's methodical, intellectually stimulating and relaxing all at the same time.
 
toad02

toad02

Banned
Oct 10, 2018
1,530
Tetrinski said:
Europeans like public services and public transit.

Ever wondered why shooters and hunting simulators are so popular in America?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

This. It's just cultural.
Same way Asians enjoy games about dating anime girls and Americans like games about shooting people.
Europeans have a very computer-centric gaming culture. Commodore, Amiga and etc. were very popular there, much more than NES and other consoles and these types of games have been popular with gamers there since those times.
 
Pariah

Pariah

Member
Oct 29, 2017
3,945
You get to do your job, this time for fun and with no added pressure.

PS: I think they're popular in Central Europe and Scandinavia, not so much in the rest of the region.
 
Max|Payne

Max|Payne

Member
Oct 27, 2017
8,978
Portugal
I'm European and while I love Euro Truck Simulator 2, I still look at the other Sim stuff like Farming and Garbage Truck Sims and go a bit "uh, really? That sells that much?".

I mean, it's not a huge deal and I recognize them as being decent educational software but my monkey brain still goes to that place where games are meant to be shooty punchy action stuff. Blegh.
 
vestan

vestan

#REFANTAZIO SWEEP
Member
Dec 28, 2017
24,637
because they're fun

also helps that physical versions are stocked in shops
 
monmagman

monmagman

Member
Dec 6, 2018
4,126
England,UK
I'm from the UK........which is currently a part of Europe.....no,sorry we are leaving Europe,I think.......or.......no,leaving the EU but staying in Europe cos that's a continent and we can't leave a continent can we,unless we drift off into the Atlantic..............anyway,I've got no idea tbh they look boring as hell.
 
OP
OP
Taki

Taki

Attempt to circumvent a ban with an alt account
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
5,308
monmagman said:
I'm from the UK........which is currently a part of Europe.....no,sorry we are leaving Europe,I think.......or.......no,leaving the EU but staying in Europe cos that's a continent and we can't leave a continent can we,unless we drift off into the Atlantic..............anyway,I've got no idea tbh they look boring as hell.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

:lol
 
Aftermath

Aftermath

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,756
Same reason why people collect toy trains, go train spotting etc I guess.

Probably A lot of older people who own P.C's who think they are to old for those Videogames them darn kids play, but these Simulators they aren't fun, between the Spread sheets and databses this is how they unwind, it reminds them of serious times at work, so they don't feel guilty.
 
tyfon

tyfon

Member
Nov 2, 2017
3,680
Norway
It's fun.
I'm not German but Norwegian and I've been playing these types of games since forever.
They're not just "driving around pushing buttons" games but whole economic simulations often like farm simulator that I have on my ps4.

But I think my facination with these games actually originated in maxis games like sim tower, sim ant and more.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.