Where do waste simulators like Revenge Of The Colon come from? Who develops this, why are they buying it?

A few days ago, a horror-esque proctologist simulator appeared in the depths of Steam Revenge Of The Colon, which captured players’ attention within moments. The very concept of this project causes a fit of bewilderment, but the audience really likes this kind of “cringe.” Valve’s store is full of similar simulators, and they’re selling surprisingly well – and even getting sequels. In this article, we’ll look at where these games come from and why people buy them. We will also tell you about the most absurd simulators that players waste time on.

Simulation games are not a new phenomenon in the industry. Somehow, each new genre grew out of a particular simulation. Do you want to become a city planner? Here are the strategies for you, please. Have you dreamed of visiting a war zone? Shooters are perfect for you. Are you planning to drive around the city at high speed at night? So why take risks in real life when there are risks? Need for speed! Over time, simulation games began to expand beyond standard genres and offer unusual concepts. Theme Hospital gives you the opportunity to build your own hospital, and the popular series The Sims – to fully get used to the role of a deity.

Gradually, the simulation took on a separate niche in the genre hierarchy. What is special is that it conveys to the player authentic sensations of a particular activity. Without simplification, game design tricks and other tricks. Yes, popular series Microsoft Flight Simulator gives you the opportunity to master the profession of a pilot. Each aircraft model has its own set of toggle switches and buttons, without knowledge of which it is impossible to take off, let alone land safely. It’s almost impossible to master everything in one gaming session; driving is not the easiest task. This is the whole point of the simulation genre: we get the opportunity to try ourselves in a new company.

In the late 2000s, there was a general demand for simulation projects. This was largely due to German gamers who enjoy such games. All available niches in popular professions were occupied, and many game studios had to experiment with the implementation of unusual professions in order to somehow compete with larger publishers. That’s how the series appeared Truck Simulator, which allows you to become a truck driver. It would seem that what is more boring than monotonous driving along the highway? And who wants to spend dozens of hours delivering goods from point “A” to point “B”? That’s right, millions of gamers. The games in this series became so popular that each new installment sold better than the previous one.

Another, no less strange, but popular example is Farming simulator. It is difficult in reality to drive people to fields or to a banal dacha, but they are ready to spend hundreds of hours growing virtual corn for a dear soul. Gamers liked the farming simulator so much that the series spread no worse Duty. Since 2008, 14 volumes of FS have been released on all possible platforms, including smartphones.

Farming Simulator has convinced many developers and enthusiasts that players are ready to buy any simulator. After 2010, Steam quickly began to fill up with simulators of varying quality: fishing, hunting, home renovation, washing and repairing cars, driving trains, and so on. Among the good examples, absurd projects emerged that offered ambiguous simulation experiences.

It is difficult to reliably find out who first came up with the idea of ​​​​creating a “cringe” simulator, but the popularity of this idea began with the release of “Stone Simulator”. The aim of the game is quite simple: lie down on the ground like a cobblestone, listen to the sounds of nature and wait for something special. In short, the concept is very funny, but would anyone in their right mind buy such a game? Certainly! Rock Simulator has become so popular that it has received a sequel, multiplayer and Rock Pass – users are absolutely delighted. Thousands of positive reviews with humorous content, there are Steam accounts with hundreds of hours of play.

However, the authors of Rock Simulator do not try to take advantage of users, but only joke about the popularity of simulators among players. At the same time, other developers saw another subtext in this “statement.” The more absurd the concept, the more it will be discussed on the Internet and, of course, purchased for review. We don’t think that anyone in their right mind dreamed of being reincarnated as a goat, running through the city and knocking down passers-by with his horns, but at the same time Goat Simulator quickly gained an audience and provided good profits for the Swedes of Coffee Stain. No matter how crazy the concept of the game was, at least it had interesting gameplay, because before the goat simulator, the developers created “normal” projects. The same cannot be said about the following “patients”.

The British studio Bossa Studios became famous for its bread simulator – I am Bread. The project did as well as Goat Simulator and quickly gained an audience. From a game design perspective, the game turned out well. Good puzzles and overall implementation will not make you regret the money spent. Surgeon Simulator is the next project from Bossa Studios, which has also become extremely popular. In many ways, this was made possible by bloggers struggling with tricky controls and swearing at the stupid idea. The surgeon simulator has become the hallmark of the studio. The game found its place in VR and even received a sequel in 2021. What can not be said about the studio’s other game: Pigeon simulator. Real junk, a shame to keep on your Steam account.

The homeless simulator has become particularly popular Bum Simulator from the studio of Ragged Games. The developers tried not to go in the direction of outright garbage and presented players with a full-fledged sandbox with many interactive elements and a full-fledged plot. The game is published by the well-known company PlayWay SA, specialized in simulators. She has projects like a duology behind her Thief Simulator – Thief Simulator, Smuggling Police – Border Guard Simulator, Cooking Simulator – Chef Simulator, Tank Mechanic Simulator – military equipment repair simulator, UBOAT – submarine simulator, Junkyard Simulator is a junkyard simulator, Prison Simulator is a prison simulator, Farmer’s Life is an attempt to win back the audience of Farming Simulator.

PlayWay SA games cannot boast of good graphics and technical implementation, but there is no shame in playing them. Each project really tries to show this or that profession, but not with reliable realism, but with a dose of sarcasm and demonstration of stereotypes. These projects are in great demand among bloggers, as they provide an unusual gaming experience and emotions. Thanks to such PR campaigns, PlayWay SA games sell well and are released year after year. Yes, in some places they are very messy, but the publisher does not fall into outright nonsense, which we will talk about below.

Most “flavors” of the simulation genre are developed by individual studios without the participation of a publisher. Have you ever dreamed of building a public toilet? Please, please Toilet management simulator. Or maybe you wanted to be born as a bear and scare people in the forest? Then there is one for you Bear simulator. There is also a simulator for receiving a summons from the Military Registration and Recruitment Agency (Summon), a “Russian village simulator” with vodka, a stove and a drunk grandfather at the store, a life simulator in a panel house (Panelki), a gravedigger simulator (Graveyard Keeper), Car Dealership Simulator and other garbage you spend your hard-earned money on.

Every release of a waste simulator is accompanied by a wave of informative notes that offer excellent PR and the opportunity to make money from curious users. The quality of such games varies greatly; most developers spend no more than a week creating their “masterpieces”. Even 1000 copies sold provide good income and motivation to create another waste simulator.

This system is used not only by the creators of simulators, but also by the authors of other waste crafts. Modern consoles are also filled with waste projects, the development of which takes no more than a week. For them, the main goal is to fill the store with garbage and fly to the most in-demand niches. The more such games there are on the shelf, the more likely it is that more unwary users will buy them. Domestic waste makers, who have distinguished themselves mainly in the field of ‘simulation construction’, work according to a similar scheme.

Three years ago, we compiled a large summit of domestic waste simulators, including the following works: “Booze Simulator Online” “Simulator of sitting at the entrance”, Gopnik simulator, “Garage Jumping Simulator”, “Toothbrushing Simulator”, Bed simulator, “Simulator of bathing in the fountain”, Toilet Simulator and a dozen other similar games. It’s funny, but publisher Kavkaz Sila Games still has a lot of simulators in the bins that should be released in the near future.

Players are especially willing to buy this garbage. But not to spend time with him, but to leave a funny comment. The publisher understands this very well and that’s why they don’t even check the quality of their games. Furthermore, thrashers are well aware of how Steam’s search algorithms work, which is why “trash” pops up in recommendations all the time.

The much-hyped proctologist simulator Revenge Of The Colon is far from a new phenomenon in the industry. Not only Steam, but also console stores are filled with such nonsense. Thanks to constant mentions in the press, videos of bloggers and posts on social networks, this waste will find its buyers and bring profit to its creators. Unfortunately, this phenomenon has one problem that makes you want to go on the warpath with the makers of “garbage” games: the fading and tossing aside of worthwhile indie projects. Talented developers spend years implementing their ideas, which are eventually washed away by a wave of waste.

If you have found a worthy indie game and want to share it with other players, you can always post on our website and share your opinion with the readers. Maybe you can help independent authors find an audience. Or tell us in the comments about your thoughtless purchase of waste crafts. Maybe you can prevent other players from being introduced to the clutter of video games.