After seeing “Façade” in action today, it had made me want to try it out. It appears to be one of those games that tries to attract the non-gamer as well as peek the interest of the regular gamer. The reason for this being that it appears to me that it has a “Sims” like quality. Meaning, that it has tries to simulate some aspect of life by putting you in this god-like role.

With “The Sims” or “Sim City” you either can control people or a city and the way in which they act. The difference with “Façade” is that you are more in control of human emotion. As a character you can respond in any way you please and it affects the way in which characters react around you, similar to other simulation based games.

Although simulations are often classified as a game, I do agree that they can fall under game and non-game categories. I believe a game would be defined as something that has rules and an end goal. Simulations often fall under the first part, since any kind of programming intrinsically has rules and restrictions within the code. However, there is no end in sight, or at least something officially programmed as an end. The end can only be made by the player. Such as wanting a certain size house or city in “The Sims” and “Sim City,” or wanting the couple to reconcile in “Façade.” In other words, the end rule has to be established by the player in order for it to become fully a game. Otherwise, it remains on the borderline.