Chip Taylor

Farming simulation

The New York Times reports on a farming simulation computer game:

Like Deer Hunter, John Deere American Farmer is priced at $19.99 - or $20 to $35 cheaper than typical PC games. But the game is far more complex than Deer Hunter, requiring an agile mind and financial acumen as opposed to just an itchy trigger finger. There are dozens of variables to manage, like hiring crop dusters, dealing with recalcitrant farmhands and building silos.

The farm's budget swells or shrinks according to the player's decisions, like what equipment to buy or whether to concentrate on hogs rather than a cash corn crop. And the occasional cataclysm can throw everything askew: in one of the zanier twists, a family member is eaten by a crocodile while appearing in a "Survivor"-style reality television show.

The John Deere equipment is rendered accurately. No word on how accurately government subsidies are depicted.