# The first ever 'life sim' **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 31, 2007, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-ever-life-sim/417574 "2007-08-31T03:12:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2007, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-ever-life-sim/417574/1 "2007-08-31T03:12:23Z")
A year ago or so, I happened upon an interesting web-based game where you actually lived out an entire life. You put in your name and picked your gender, and then you got to make various choices in each stage of your life, until you died. It had separate categories, which changed at each stage of your life: Exploration, Romance, Sports, Work, etc., which you could spend as much or as little time as you want focusing on, but you only got a certain number of turns between birthdays. It was originally developed in the 80s by a psychologist, but now has a comfy home somewhere on the Web. I found it by stumbling through Wikipedia articles about various psychology concepts, and I have no idea where I could find it now. Google has not been my friend so far, but maybe I’m searching the wrong thing. Can any Dopers help me find it? Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2007, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-ever-life-sim/417574/2 "2007-08-31T03:43:49Z")
[Alter Ego](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alter_Ego_%28video_game%29) Oops! I see you’re looking for a web-based game. Still, it sounds as if it’s based off of the old Commodore game I linked to. It looks like [this is the online version](http://www.theblackforge.net/) (as I follow the Wiki links) ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2007, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-ever-life-sim/417574/3 "2007-08-31T03:59:10Z")
That’s exactly it, thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Gut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@Gut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gut)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2007, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-ever-life-sim/417574/4 "2007-08-31T04:00:02Z")
[Kudos](http://www.positech.co.uk/kudos/index.html) is not web based but sounds similar. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2007, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-ever-life-sim/417574/5 "2007-09-01T00:33:26Z")
Alter Ego just made me tear up a bit. > [@](#): > > You take Gabby out of the bowl and keep her with you in a secret place. Every once in a while you put her in the bowl to see if she will swim, but she just floats along the top of the water. You bring her a small piece of food and put it in her mouth. You are taking good care of her, but she is dead. By the time your Mom finds out, you already understand more than what she can explain to you. Neat game. ---
**Author:** ![Menocchio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Menocchio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Menocchio)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2007, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-ever-life-sim/417574/6 "2007-09-01T02:56:00Z")
Left at the altar. TWICE. Once by my Babymomma. Then I died from lung cancer. ---
**Author:** ![Boozahol\_Squid\_P.I](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d9b06d/32.png) [@Boozahol\_Squid\_P.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boozahol_Squid_P.I)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2007, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-ever-life-sim/417574/7 "2007-09-01T10:54:18Z")
I died twice by being killed by a kidnapper. I guess there are some situations where there isn’t a way out? ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2007, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-ever-life-sim/417574/8 "2007-09-01T11:28:44Z")
That’s a pretty cool game, reminds me of experiments people used to do with hypertext in non-linear story telling etc. ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2007, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-ever-life-sim/417574/9 "2007-09-01T18:53:25Z")
[QUOTE=Diomedes] I died twice by being killed by a kidnapper. I guess there are some situations where there isn’t a way out? [/QUOTE] Really? I’ve never been killed in that one. Just Refuse to get into the car. Don’t pick “curious” or whatever it is in the emotion part. If you remember the license plate number, you can tell the police later and get him arrested. ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2007, 9:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-ever-life-sim/417574/10 "2007-09-02T09:46:13Z")
that was kinda sad. i was so involved in clicking all the icons, i didn’t realise you had to spam click the relationship icon to have one. by the time i found out (heart icons was blocked to me because i wasn’t married) it was too late - everything i worked for ended up at some obscure charity.. [QUOTE=Diomedes] I died twice by being killed by a kidnapper. I guess there are some situations where there isn’t a way out? [/QUOTE] i was kidnapped too, but the car was pulled over for a broken tail light. “i was lucky”