PC Building Simulator’s computers are well rendered enough to satisfy tech geeks, with plenty of real-world parts depicted in decent detail. Some customers, as the title of the game suggests, will even ask you to build a PC from scratch. You’ll be tasked with installing new parts, removing viruses (read: installing anti-virus from a USB stick and running a scan), cleaning filthy PCs with compressed air, using a tool called 3Dmark to benchmark gaming systems, and so on. After moving a system to your workbench you can start to take it apart and play with the pieces inside. However, the meat of the game is in the PC building itself. This adds a strategic element: Have you done everything you can today? Are any customers’ deadlines set to pass? And what delivery speed should you pay for from the parts shop in order to meet them? At the end of the corridor is the exit door, clicking on which brings up the calendar and lets you progress to the next day. Emails and the online shop are accessed via your computer. At its most abstracted level, you play the technician in first person, walking around your office between different shelves, workbenches, and your desk. The game provides several different perspectives on all of this. This adds some variety to the jobs and components you’ll see as you play. Second, when customers receive their upgraded machines they’ll leave an online review, which influences a star rating that dictates which jobs you can pick up. As you level up, you’ll gain access to the flashier manufacturers and latest tech. First, your access to parts in the game’s online store is dependent on your current level. Your progression is limited by two factors. Some also hint at little details, noting that they like a particular parts manufacturer or cable colour, for example, and they’ll complain if you install used components. They also set budgets, so you need to meet their requirements without maxing out their PC build with the latest 3090 Ti. Your assignments become more complex as the game progresses, introducing new mechanics or getting more vague, with customers requesting “upgrades” or sending in broken systems without knowing what exactly the issue is. The basic loop is that you’ll check your email for jobs, take delivery of the computer, diagnose the problem, order and install parts, sometimes install and run software or perform other maintenance tasks, and send it back to the customer. So here’s the setup: In PC Building Simulator you take on the role of the new owner of a small IT shop, and spend your time servicing and building PCs for customers to make money and grow your business. Despite these doubts, I dived into this recent Epic Games freebie anyway… The challenge How much of a game was there to be built out of the task of preparing a system to play games? When I built my PC the reward was that I got to play said games, so barring some sort of gameception I couldn’t see how PC Building Simulator could deliver. I wasn’t sure what to expect, to be honest. One of the most recent additions to the pile was PC Building Simulator, a 2018 release from The Irregular Corporation that promises edutainment as you learn how to build a computer through the medium of video games. This week I decided it was time to start tackling my backlog - all those games sitting on the virtual shelf waiting to be enjoyed.
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