How to Play Free Life Simulation Games

The life-simulation genre of games began with Little Computer People, developed and published by Activision across six platforms in 1985. Many titles have been released in the genre, perhaps most notably Maxis The Sims series. With the advent of affordable high-speed Internet access and social networking, a new breed of free online life-simulation games have appeared. Second Life and Habbo Hotel are the most popular.

Instructions

1. Visit Habbo.com or Secondlife.com to create an account for either game. Each requires a working e-mail address and creation of a unique username.

2. Install the Second Life client to play that game. Habbo Hotel is web-based.

3. Customize your character's appearance. Habbo Hotel and Second Life offer fairly in-depth character creation at startup with the option of more advanced customization later.

4. Join a room from either game's hub. Habbo Hotel features a navigator that allows you to choose a room based on what you intend to accomplish, whether trading or socializing. Second Life features an open world and an ability to fly to important locations.

5. Socialize with other players and purchase items using in-game currency. Both games feature special items that can be purchased with real currency, but these are optional.

Tips & Warnings

• Be wary of giving out personal information on any social networking website or game.

References

• Second Life
• Habbo Hotel