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‘Rock Simulator 2014’ lets you play as a rock in a field

The game's developers have rolled out a unique promotional campaign.

 

James Cook

Internet Culture

Posted on Jun 30, 2014   Updated on May 31, 2021, 1:18 am CDT

Simulation games are big business. Enter a video game store in Germany or eastern Europe and you’ll see shelves filled with them: Farming Simulator 2013, Chemical Spillage Simulation, Emergency Ambulance Simulator… There are even video game developers who cater solely to the simulation game market, producing incremental upgrades for an increasingly niche selection of titles. 

But until now, there has been a gaping hole in the simulator game market. While new, exciting titles like Goat Simulator have captivated the masses, no simulation game has faithfully recreated the experience of, err, being a rock in a field. 

Florida-based Strange Panther Games launched an Indiegogo page to help fund their latest title: Rock Simulator 2014. Despite some early hiccups involving an accidental 0 on the end of their goal amount, the developers managed to smash their crowdfunding target within hours, raising over their $500 target. 

Strange Panther Games has used some novel techniques to get people interested in its game that is, essentially, a screensaver. The trailer features a Biggie Smalls/Thomas the Tank mashup, while the rewards for those who back the project on Indiegogo are increasingly large collections of rocks sent to backers in the post. 

Now that the developers have raised over their target amount, simulation game fans may well be wondering if Strange Panther Games plans to include new rocks, or even a multiplayer mode.

H/T PC Gamer | Screenshot via Strange Panther Games/YouTube

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*First Published: Jun 30, 2014, 6:40 am CDT