Agovernment simulation orpolitical simulation is a game that attempts to simulate thegovernment andpolitics of all or part of a nation. These games may includegeopolitical situations (involving the formation and execution offoreign policy), the creation of domestic political policies, or the simulation of political campaigns.^[1] They differ from the genre of classicalwargames due to their discouragement or abstraction of military or action elements.

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 wasThe Game of Politics, created by Oswald Lord in 1935^[2] which remained in print until 1960. In 1954, the board gameDiplomacy was created, which differs from other wargames in that it features a "negotiation" phase during which players reach agreements with other players, and then execute military moves simultaneously.^[3] National politics has remained a vital area of board gaming, with products such as the 1986 board gameDie Macher featuring elections in Germany,^[4] andWreck the Nation which satirizes the politics of the United States under theGeorge W. Bush administration.^[5]

After enjoying years as aplay-by-mail game,Diplomacy was one of the first games to move to take advantage ofemail, and continued to be a popular email game into the 2000s.^[6]

As computers became more sophisticated, games in this genre moved beyond email to more complex simulations. For most users in Europe, the first well known politics game wasDictator [ru], released in 1983 by DK'Tronics and running on Sinclair's ZX Spectrum. One of the earliest titles in this genre wasBalance of Power, designed byChris Crawford and published in 1985. This game features conflict at the height of theCold War, using political and policy decisions to shape outcomes rather than warfare.^[7][8] InBalance of Power, any armed conflict between the player and the opponent superpower results in a nuclear war, which is considered a loss condition.^{[citation needed]}

OtherCold War era games includedConflict: Middle East Political Simulator created byVirgin Interactive,Spectrum Holobyte'sCrisis in the Kremlin andHidden Agenda.^{[citation needed]}

Conflict simulated a hypothetical situation in 1997 in which the player assumes the role of theIsraeli 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.^[9]

InCrisis in the Kremlin, the user could play as the protege of any of the following Soviet politicians:Mikhail Gorbachev of thereformist faction;Yegor Ligachev, leader of the hard-line faction; andBoris Yeltsin, who was the prevalent figure of thenationalist faction. The player could use the simulation to test certain strategies to lead the failingSoviet 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.^[10]

InHidden Agenda the user takes the role of the president of Chimerica, a post-revolutionaryCentral American country, trying to juggle international relations and the needs of the country's citizens.^{[citation needed]}

Early political simulation games were intended more for education than entertainment. In 1987,On the Campaign Trail was developed as a tool atKent State University's political campaign management program, and engaged students in decision-making regarding the campaigns forUnited States Senate elections between 1970 and 1986.^[11] Subsequently, a commercial market developed for packaged games involving elections and campaigns.^{[citation needed]}

The 1992 gamePower Politics (and, before it, 1981'sPresident Elect)^[12] focused on domestic United States political campaigns (but not the running of the country upon election). In 1996, this was adapted to theDoonesbury Election Game, designed by Randy Chase (who also did Power Politics) and published byMindscape, in which players conducted a campaign with the assistance of a pool of advisors selected from characters in theDoonesbury comic strip.^[13] A successor entitledPower Politics III was released in 2005.^[14] In 2004,Stardock publishedPolitical Machine, in which the player steers a candidate through a 41-week election cycle for United States President, developing policies and tailoring talk show appearances and speech content. The game is heavily tied to modern polling methods, using real-time feedback for how campaign strategy impacts polling numbers.^[15] In 2006, TheorySpark releasedPresident Forever 2008 + Primaries, an election simulation game that allows the player to realistically control an entire election campaign through both the Primaries and General Election.President Forever 2008 + Primaries itself a follow-up to the highly successful general election simPresident Forever, released in 2004.^{[citation needed]}

Some games in the genre involve enacting policies and budget decisions to sway voters. One such game isDemocracy, published in 2005 byPositech Games. InDemocracy, 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.^[16] Candidates make promises before each election, and failure to follow through can result in lower support during the player's re-election campaign.^[17] Other examples are theGeo-Political-Simulator series, produced by Eversim, boasting an array of choices for domestic policy and decisions based around current geopolitical issues,^[18] andTropico series.The Political Process, an independent development in early access, allows players to create a custom politician and control their career. Players can work in different positions, run for political office, write legislation, and appoint government officers.^[19]

There can also be found games that puts the player in the seat of a state leader, such asSuperPower, 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.

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.

Web-based games such asNationStates allow players to manage the day-to-day decisions of individual governments, and compete against rival nations.^[20][21]Other, similar games like Politics and War include trade and war mechanics. Less formally structured games are also played out ininternet forums, 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,^[22] MHoC^[23] and CMHoC.^[24]

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) throughgamemasters.

Otherconstruction and management simulations require government management. For example,city-building games such as theSimCity series of games developed and published byMaxis 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.^[25]

Strategy games frequently make use of government management challenges.4X games require the management of a government, be ittribal orinterstellar. 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, theCivilization series gives players control over resources, and the building of an empire.^{[citation needed]}

Other strategy games focus on government management to varying degrees. For instance, in theHearts of Iron games (set inWorld War II) the civilian population is only a factor withpartisans andmanpower, whereas inVictoria a player must not only conquer, but implement theSecond Industrial Revolution while warding off (or ushering in) political revolutions such as theupheavals of 1848 andcommunist revolt.^{[citation needed]}

Government and politics have also been incorporated intoadventure games.A Mind Forever Voyaging, published byInfocom in 1985, was aninteractive 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 '1984,' but in some ways it is even scarier."^[26]

The 2008 gameSpore features a "Civilization" stage where the player controls vehicles and interacts with other cities until they have control of all 12 cities.

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.^[27]

• Video game genres
• Government simulation video games
• Simulation video games

• Webarchive template archiveis links
• Webarchive template wayback links
• Use mdy dates from April 2022
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• All articles with unsourced statements
• Articles with unsourced statements from August 2025
• Articles with unsourced statements from January 2019