Farming sims blow up this year
Jon Stokes 09.11.13
Farming: it’s a millennia-old way of turning debt into calories, which you then sell for money to retire the debt so that you can take out another loan next season and do it all over again. And now a new breed of computer farming simulators lets you taste the thrill of running a large, for-profit farming operation, but without actually risking your livelihood by gambling on interest rates and weather patterns.
Apparently these farming sims are doing pretty well now, especially in Europe. IGN reports:
You may believe farming is a dull way to spend your leisure time, but half a million people disagree. Farming Simulator 2011 has sold 500,000 copies worldwide, and sales are expected to continue to rise.
Since its release in November, the game has sold over 300,000 copies in Germany alone.
I wonder if they’ll ever do an urban homesteading sim — I’d try that out. I’d love for my oldest daughter to be able to raise virtual chickens, so I wouldn’t have to worry about rats and snakes getting into the feed.
