Youtubers Life OMG

After multiple content updates and a few years of play, the rough edges of this simulation game have been rounded out, and made into what it should have been in the first place. Granted, Youtubers Life OMG still has flaws, but the addition of two new career paths and reworked features have turned a mediocre game into an addictive simulation packed with sly social commentary. Internet stardom is the Gold Rush of the 21st century; seemingly everyone wants to get rich by becoming a YouTube celebrity, and no doubt many parents have heard their kids announce as much. But how many wannabe superstars understand the work involved? This fun little sim does a great job of giving kids a glimpse of what's required to gain an online following and shows them not only how much there is to do, but how much time-and-resource management is needed to do it. Things start slow, but soon you're in a frantic race to stay relevant. The hungry online audience constantly demands new content, and it's a long uphill battle before anyone knows who you are or you make any money.

On top of that, it's easy to move out or upgrade your equipment too soon, finding yourself broke, in terrible debt, living on bread and water, missing out on important events, and having clients yell at you for unfinished assignments. It's a lesson in how poor decision-making can get you into trouble, and a great way to assess your priorities. What's more important to you: making appearances, or friends? Buying food or buying that hot new cell phone? Tough questions lurk under the surface that ask us to examine our obsession with "likes" and "followers." The game still suffers from easily avoidable translation errors and confusing interface issues (a Diner Dash-like sequence comes to mind), but these things are minor. Overall, Youtubers Life OMG has matured into a highly entertaining life sim that could function as a valuable tool for teaching kids about the price of internet celebrity, as well as the fleeting nature of it.