Description

"SimEarth: The Living Planet" is a complex simulation video game originally developed by Maxis in 1990 and later adapted for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). In this engaging game, players take on the role of an omnipotent being tasked with managing and nurturing an entire planet, guiding its various ecosystems, evolutionary paths, and technological advancements. The game spans across billions of years, encompassing the development from single-celled organisms to advanced civilizations capable of space exploration. The player must balance environmental factors, cope with natural disasters, and influence genetic evolution to sustain life and achieve ecological harmony.

The gameplay in SimEarth is deep and intricate, presenting players with a planet divided into numerous tiles, each representing different biomes such as oceans, forests, and grasslands. Players adjust temperature, atmosphere, and continental drift to create environments conducive to life and observe how life forms adapt and ecosystems evolve. Released during a time when educational simulations were becoming popular, SimEarth stood out for its scientific underpinnings, drawing on concepts from James Lovelock's Gaia theory. Despite its challenging nature and steep learning curve, SimEarth became a cult classic for its thought-provoking approach to simulating planetary processes, offering a unique blend of education and entertainment in the budding genre of simulation games.