Before I wrote about video games from the comfort of my computer screen, I worked for my dad’s construction company, so playing the upcoming Construction Simulator 2022 was a bit surreal. Just when you thought you did some hard manual labor in the backseat of a tractor while wearing a yellow helmet, this beautifully detailed and incredibly fun simulation all of his games came to mind and with nostalgia before finishing the tutorial I became dizzy. You don’t get many chances to walk off the beaten path, but when you put that toolbelt back on while driving meticulously detailed roller machines and excavators, completing repair jobs and pushing away dirt, It felt like looking into something through a window, and that’s the best compliment I can give to a game that prides itself on its realistic portrayal of trade.
Given my personal ties to the construction industry, I decided to test the pace of Construction Simulator 2022 by seeing how accurately I could replicate my father’s real-life company. Create an avatar that bears a striking resemblance to your real-life father, name your company after the family business, and hone your skills as a builder after choosing between his two open-world his locales in Construction Simulator I’m ready. We started off with simple jobs like replacing a broken pipe or compacting gravel in a parking lot. You might not think these simple chores are particularly fun, but you’d be wrong. As with many good simulation games, watching the results of your virtual work is strangely satisfying.
But things went from zen-like and satisfying to downright fun when I was introduced to a more complex job involving incredibly heavy and complex machinery. We used cranes to remove letters from old hotel buildings, felt like operating a giant arcade crane machine, and used flatbed trucks to slam letters into nearby motels. When I finished work my dad’s business digital doppelgänger made money that I could use to get new equipment or raw materials or use it for fast travel from place to place in case I wanted to skip travel time . Good stuff (which was a really nice touch).
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One of the things that impressed me the most as I worked my way through job after job was how quickly I could get into the action compared to other simulation games where I spent a lot of time. It usually takes a lot of prep work and it can be a bit monotonous to manage a business and line up ducks before you get to the good stuff, but Construction Simulator 2022 overcomes many of the challenges found in other sims. You eliminated the fat and consistently kept the action moving in a way that made me feel like I wasn’t working my way through the monotonous task – I really appreciate it!
Interestingly, the two campaigns of Construction Simulator 2022 seem to have a story attached to them. After a few quick introductory jobs, I learned that the town I’m in has hit hard times. It was up to me to rebuild it and breathe new life into the area. Sometimes I was asked to accomplish this by doing unconventional work, such as staging a crash site. I’m not sure how much they’ll actually commit to this story, but the prospect of diving further into it to see where it goes made me laugh. I didn’t do it.
Construction Simulator 2022 also features online multiplayer, allowing you to work together with friends to complete tasks, rake up moolah, and develop your town faster. So far, working cooperatively with other players has been great and sometimes chaotic. Once I tried it, it was difficult to go back to playing solo. It’s more fun working on projects together or splitting and conquering to complete multiple jobs at once and earn even more money and resources. Because you could accidentally push your tractor into a building or accidentally throw your valuable equipment into a ditch.
It’s been a while since I’ve thought about construction, but Construction Simulator 2022 put a smile on my face and finally gave me a chance to empathize with what my dad did for work. You might even get them to pick up a game controller and try their hand at digital construction.