While one can make the argument that gaming is still growing, there have been genres that stay with gaming ever since its birth. God Games, or games where you control a world, are often fun escapes from the shooters and the RPGs. However, they also have a depressing quality about them. It could be that the total control is a double edged sword, acting as both as a fun mechanic and an examination of what people do when they have all the power in the (game) world. So before you pick up the control and start playing virtual family games, ponder these reasons why God Games are fun and sad at the same time.

10. Total Power means you can do anything you want

That’s right, in most of these games it’s your task to do everything you possibly can to make your city/ tribe/ amusement park thrive. All the power is literally vested in your hands, and that means you control the fates of all your denizens. It’s actually quite a bit of fun because having a whole world rely on you means the better the job you do, the more awesome you are as an omnipotent being.

9. It still means you have total control and you can do anything you want

There’s a very old saying that has something to do with power. It goes “Any Man can stand adversity, to truly test his character give him power”. So now that you have all the power you want, and have a city under your control, will you be a benevolent God, or will you be kind of a dick as you rain down your wrath on your unsuspecting peoples. It’s actually quite funny when you watch someone play a God game because you get a little peak at what they might do when they are granted omnipotence.

8. Your cities, or whatever you’re simulating, will be the greatest!

That’s right, if you have a knack for micromanaging, then these games will surely show off just how much you know about controlling a world. This is because it is your task to control every aspect of your game, and the rules are there more as guidelines. So what’s the first objective that probably jumps into your head? Well, it’s probably to prove every bad governing body wrong and through your methods, you can make a utopia.

7. On the other hand, you just might suck at being all powerful

You know what a Rooster Illusion is? Well, if you had a notion that you are one of the best Omnipotent beings, and you find out that you’re not, well then you would know that Rooster Illusion meant. It’s just a grim truth after all, and everyone has to accept that they can’t be great at everything they do. So when your city is lying in ruins, and the giant alien monsters have used your people for cheap labour, remember, maybe you just weren’t cut out to be God.

6. New God Games are awesome

God Games in general have evolved to encompass a lot of aspects of life. Spore is about creating a whole planet of creatures, The Sims concentrates on solitary avatars, and there’s even a game called Evil Genius, where you task is to raise an army of evil. Even though some of these games are a bit old, they’re still part of the relatively new titles in the God Game genre. These new premises are actually pretty awesome too.

5. Some God Games are easy to make fun of

Spore is the inevitable perpetrator of this problem, and the reason for that is the freedom. Of course, the games are pretty great, featuring some fun gameplay and a lot of options when it comes to evolution. However, for every creative creature made in the game, there were at least 200 shaped like walking genitalia. This made the game easier to make fun off, and when that novelty wore off, people started making funnier creations.

4. A lot of God Games delved into history

Some of the best God Games to ever come out often delved into history. Since the Civilization series is a little too obvious of a target, why don’t you look to the Pharaoh series instead. In it, you’ll find a lot of the history is accurate to a sharpened edge, and the system implemented in the game was impressive. Beyond that, there’s the Total War series, which was set in many different eras in time. The Shogun addition was a particularly good part of the series.

3. A lot of them are set in fictional, albeit hilarious, history

You know a common complaint that gamers have with Civ 5? It’s that Ghandi, a well know philanthropist and pacifist was able to initiate Manhattan project. It’s that sense of absurdity that made the game quite funny, and when Ghandi chose to nuke you, the game only got funnier. At the same time though, this inaccurate depiction of a well known hero could be taken as a negative, it could go either way.

2. Some simulation games take hours off your day

Yet another reason that can be taken either way, the massive number of hours games like these take is often staggering. While you might think that this is only limited to serious games, check up on your friends who play Sims Social and Farmville on Facebook. These games, in any shape or form, are usually designed to take up as much of your day as possible, so these aren’t really casual games that you can just pick up and play.

1. They are a part of gaming history

This reason is probably the biggest reason why God Games are still alive and kicking. You see, without this genre, the ever famed RTS style of games wouldn’t have take up so much roots. At the same time, its games like Black and White that really show off just why these titles are so addictive in the first place. While there are a pros and cons to this genre, nothing in gaming comes without baggage anyway.