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Sim City is one of the most important videogames ever made, but Will  Wright's magnum opus isn't revolutionary because it made architecture  fun, but in how it created an entirely new kind of videogame: the  problem solver. Problem Solving videogames are a unique collection of titles that rely  not on the developer to author specific obstacles, but on the player to  interact with a set of meticulously-balanced variables and rules and in  the process create a series of challenges that are totally unique.   

The Architect has been trying their hand at alchemy, logistics, speed  running and even... whatever that word is for planning out what  buildings look like in an effort to figure out the root of this  particular problem - and they've come to a startling conclusion. Some of  the best problems in videogaming are, in fact, designed to be  unsolvable.

You Saw:

Streets of Rage - 1991

Super Mario Bros - 1985

Surviving Mars - 2018

Game Dev Tycoon - 2015

Sim City - 1989

Civilization 6 - 2016

Starcraft 2 - 2010

Sim City 3000 - 1999

Sim City (2013) - :/

Sim City 2000 - 1993

Utopia - 1982

Sim City 4 - 2003

Anno 1800 - 2019

They Are Billions - 2017

Teardown - 2022

Hardspace Shipbreaker - 2022

Factorio - 2020

The Stanley Parable Ultra Deluxe - 2022

Super Mario Odyssey - 2017

World of Goo - 2008

Rimworld - 2018

Evil Genius 2 - 2021

Satisfacotry - Early Access

Neon White - 2022

Dorfromantik - 2021

Spacechem - 2011

Infinifactory - 2015

Exapunks - 2018

Opus Magnum - 2017

Human Resouce Machine - 2015

Cities Skylines - 2015

Two Point Hospital - 2018

Frostpunk - 2018

Northgard - 2017

Mini Motorways - 2019

Death Stranding - 2019

Wilmott's Warehouse - 2019

Tetris 99 - 2019

Fallout New Vegas - 2010

Super Mario 64 - 1996

The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim - 2011

Quake - 1996

Elden Ring - 2022

Divinity Original Sin 2 - 2017

Terra Nil - Early Access

Baba is You - 2019

The Greatest Movie Of All Time (2007)

Fall Guys - 2020

Files

Previews only

How To Design An Unsolvable Problem

Support the channel on Patreon!: https://www.patreon.com/ArchitectofGames Follow me on twitter!: https://twitter.com/Thefearalcarrot Plz i need tax revenue to buy a big statue of me its more important than electricity i swear: https://www.patreon.com/ArchitectofGames Want to tell me directly just how terrible I am at these games? Go twoot in my direction!!: https://twitter.com/Thefearalcarrot Check out SokPop! https://sokpop.co/ Sim City is one of the most important videogames ever made, but Will Wright's magnum opus isn't revolutionary because it made architecture fun, but in how it created an entirely new kind of videogame: the problem solver. Problem Solving videogames are a unique collection of titles that rely not on the developer to author specific obstacles, but on the player to interact with a set of meticulously-balanced variables and rules and in the process create a series of challenges that are totally unique. The Architect has been trying their hand at alchemy, logistics, speed running and even... whatever that word is for planning out what buildings look like in an effort to figure out the root of this particular problem - and they've come to a startling conclusion. Some of the best problems in videogaming are, in fact, designed to be unsolvable. You Saw: Streets of Rage - 1991 Super Mario Bros - 1985 Surviving Mars - 2018 Game Dev Tycoon - 2015 Sim City - 1989 Civilization 6 - 2016 Starcraft 2 - 2010 Sim City 3000 - 1999 Sim City (2013) - :/ Sim City 2000 - 1993 Utopia - 1982 Sim City 4 - 2003 Anno 1800 - 2019 They Are Billions - 2017 Teardown - 2022 Hardspace Shipbreaker - 2022 Factorio - 2020 The Stanley Parable Ultra Deluxe - 2022 Super Mario Odyssey - 2017 World of Goo - 2008 Rimworld - 2018 Evil Genius 2 - 2021 Satisfacotry - Early Access Neon White - 2022 Dorfromantik - 2021 Spacechem - 2011 Infinifactory - 2015 Exapunks - 2018 Opus Magnum - 2017 Human Resouce Machine - 2015 Cities Skylines - 2015 Two Point Hospital - 2018 Frostpunk - 2018 Northgard - 2017 Mini Motorways - 2019 Death Stranding - 2019 Wilmott's Warehouse - 2019 Tetris 99 - 2019 Fallout New Vegas - 2010 Super Mario 64 - 1996 The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim - 2011 Quake - 1996 Elden Ring - 2022 Divinity Original Sin 2 - 2017 Terra Nil - Early Access Baba is You - 2019 The Greatest Movie Of All Time (2007) Fall Guys - 2020

Comments

DasKänguru

This video scratched an itch, i didn't know i had :D I've played lots of problem solving games lately, apparently without even realizing they're all this "genre"

Adrian Slider

A really insightful reading of a type of game that's dear to me. I would also suggest that a lot of them include an element of aesthetics--when I'm building cities in any version of SimCity, or building something in Minecraft, or developing my farm in Stardew Valley, I'm engaging with the mechanics in the way you describe, and also looking for the satisfaction of completing a design that I'm going for, dusting off my hands, and going yeah, look at that!