God game

God game is a style of artificial life simulation in which the player takes on the role of a supernatural, god-like being or ruler, either literally or in an abstract sense. Gameplay is centered around the player using their powers to guide and observe smaller, autonomous beings in the development of their lives and societies, and in many cases manipulating the physical world around them to do so. The player is generally tasked with protecting these beings so that they may safely grow and evolve, with some games allowing the player to use various abilities to wreak havoc upon the denizens of rival realms. God games are almost always played in real-time, with many such as Dungeon Keeper and Populous crossing over into real-time strategy. Other titles such as ActRaiser and Spore include gameplay elements of genres such as platformer and action-adventure; but regardless of their stylistic experimentation, god games always have the central feature of grand scale world manipulation over smaller beings.