Describing a game as serious doesn’t seem like the best marketing strategy.  Games are supposed to be fun and entertaining, not filled with and built upon all the world’s already thriving negativity.  So IBM’s announcement that it’s releasing a new game called CityOne seems counterintuitive for reasons far beyond the fact that IBM isn’t known for highly anticipated game releases.

The game is billed as “a no charge, ‘sim-style’ game in which the player is tasked with guiding the city through a series of missions that include the Energy, Water, Banking and Retail industries.”  Players attempt to solve the complex problems with which any city could be presented and each mission encompasses several industries across the financial, logistical, and environmental aspects of city planning.  And although IBM has released other highly acclaimed “serious games” for use in educational environments, the thought of complex infrastructure problems being presented in a manner realistic enough for players to garner enough practical knowledge to solve real-world problems seems unlikely.  Gaming is not a substitute for actual experience, although after playing Monopoly City Streets a few months ago I think I’m pretty good at property development.