Trains

The new Railroad Tycoon III is a lot like the 2nd-generation game, but with a 3D graphic engine and a new economic model. Since the 2nd-generation game was, in my opinion, the best business sim written to date, it's a promising development.

In Tekka 4 (coming very soon), I have an essay about the problems of business games. Business should be a wonderful topic for dramatic games:

The world of work is filled with conflict and tension, with difficult decisions we're expected to resolve instantly, with casual choices of the gravest import. Shall we obey our boss, someone who rightly expects our loyalty, if betraying her would be more profitable? If our boss is a tyrant, a sadist, a fool, is our betrayal justified? What are we to do when our leader is following a course that can only lead to her destruction? What are we to do when we find ourselves hopelessly in love with a subordinate, or a vendor, or a customer?

But you won't find any of this on the game shelves. One reason, of course, is the apparent inability or unwillingness of games to address emotional questions. Another reason, of course, is that people don't seem to find the work world very interesting these days.

An interesting feature of the game site is an Official Fansite Kit, which you're invited to download.