Living a Thousand Lives: A Beginner’s Guide to Text-Based Simulation
Have you ever wondered what would happen if you had chosen a different career path, moved to a different country, or just decided to make absolutely terrible decisions for a laugh? Most of us are stuck with the one life we have, but thanks to the weird and wonderful world of text-based simulation games, we can experiment with destiny from the safety of our smartphones.
While modern gaming often focuses on hyper-realistic graphics, there is a refreshing charm in games that rely purely on text and imagination. The best example of this genre right now is Bitlife. It’s a "life simulator" where you control a character from birth to death, making every single choice along the way. It sounds simple, but it is surprisingly addictive.
The Gameplay: From Diapers to Deathbeds
The core mechanic of this genre is simplicity. You start as an infant with randomized stats: Happiness, Health, Smarts,…


