Have you played The Simmons: Office Edition? Evidently, the series has advanced a very long way since I last sat down to it, which makes sense – it’s been a good 15 years. I must say, the Simmons are living pretty cushy lives these days. I mean, their furniture looks more real than mine does.
Now, it seems, you can kit your Simmons’ environments out to your realism-loving heart’s content. For example, over about 20 minutes I was able to piece together the most drool-worthy custom office fitout. Sydney businesses would kill for these storage solutions and integrated tech features, I’m telling you.
The level of detail drills right down to individual coffee table books, pin-boards and trendy wall decor. Back in the day, the height of sophistication in that department was the clown painting you could hang above the fireplace if you wanted to create chaos for your Simmons. At least it didn’t get our hopes up about real life, though. The touch of absurdity in the old versions arguably kept things real.
I mean, it’s not like we all have unlimited access to high-end commercial fit out companies. Sydney businesses, on the whole, have to plan for this stuff and work it around their budget, and I feel like these games portray an inflated image of what offices are really like. Like, you can’t just whip a luxuriant suede daybed out of thin air and set it up next to your desk, nor can you grow a cornucopia of indoor plants next any old window.
That said, I can’t deny that the game promotes imagination, not to mention strategic thinking. Sure, the latter might be applied in a complex dance of sabotaging another player’s carefully constructed workplace. But imagination comes in many forms, does it not? I’m sure plenty of companies would be all too happy to employ fresh faces trained in the art of strategically bringing down competitors.