SimLife

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title: "SimLife" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1992-video-games", "amiga-games", "amiga-1200-games", "classic-mac-os-games", "dos-games", "god-games", "biological-simulation-video-games", "maxis-sim-games", "video-games-about-evolution", "video-games-about-genetic-engineering", "video-games-developed-in-the-united-states", "video-games-scored-by-mark-knight", "video-games-scored-by-russell-lieblich", "windows-games", "single-player-video-games"] description: "1992 video game" topic_path: "philosophy" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SimLife" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary 1992 video game ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox video game"]

Field	Value
title	SimLife: The Genetic Playground
image	SimLifeCover.jpg
caption	Cover art featuring different hybrid creatures
developer	Maxis
publisher	Maxis
producer	Jim Siefert
designer	Ken Karakotsios
programmer	Daniel Goldman
Rodney Lai
artist	Jenny Martin
Bonnie Borucki
composer	Russell Lieblich
series	Sim
platforms	Mac OS, MS-DOS, Windows, Amiga
released	1992
1993 (Amiga)
genre	Life simulation
modes	Single-player
::

|title = SimLife: The Genetic Playground |image = SimLifeCover.jpg |caption = Cover art featuring different hybrid creatures |developer = Maxis |publisher = Maxis |producer = Jim Siefert |designer = Ken Karakotsios |programmer = Daniel Goldman Rodney Lai |artist = Jenny Martin Bonnie Borucki |composer = Russell Lieblich |engine = |series = Sim |platforms = Mac OS, MS-DOS, Windows, Amiga |released = 1992 1993 (Amiga) |genre = Life simulation |modes = Single-player SimLife: The Genetic Playground is a video game produced by Maxis in 1992. The concept of the game is to simulate an ecosystem; players may modify the genetics of the plants and animals that inhabit the virtual world. The point of this game is to experiment and create a self-sustaining ecosystem. SimLife was re-released in 1993 as part of the SimClassics Volume 1 compilation, alongside SimCity Classic and SimAnt for PC, Mac and Amiga.

Development

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/03/SimLife.PNG" caption="''SimLife'' running on [[Windows Vista"] ::

The producers of SimLife refer to it as "The Genetic Playground". The game allows users to explore the interaction of life-forms and environments. Users can manipulate the genetics of both plants and animals to determine whether these new species could survive in the Earth's various environments. Players can also create new worlds with distinctive environments to see how certain species (earth's species or their own) fare within them.

SimLife gives players the power to:

• Create and modify worlds.
• Create and modify plants and animals at the genetic level. Exclusive animals appearing in this game are the Killer Penguin, the Monkeyphant, and the Orgot.
• Design environments and ecosystems.
• Study genetics in action.
• Simulate and control evolution.
• Change the physics of the universe in your computer.

Reception

Computer Gaming World in 1993 praised SimLife, stating that "By neatly bridging the gap between entertainment and education, SL brings the engrossing science of genetics within reach of any interested person". Games Finder gave SimLife a score of 7 out of 10.

In 1993, SimLife received a Codie award from the Software Publishers Association for Best Simulation.

References

References

1. "SimLife: The Genetic Playground At MobyGames".
2. (August 1994). "SimClassics Volume 1 Compilation Advertisement". emap Images.
3. Eden, Maxwell. (April 1993). "Last one in the gene pool is a...".
4. "Simlife Genetic Playground Review - Games Finder".
5. (May 1993). "Awards - Thy Name Is Controversy".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::