It’s 2021 and America has gone through a rough time. This has been felt hardest by small, local businesses forced to shut down due to draconian lockdowns. But while things have gotten dark, the American Dream is still alive. This is one of the core beliefs here in the U.S. where anyone can attain their own level of success regardless of their class, where they were born, or skin color. Sacrifice and hard work are needed to help people reach this goal. So we wanted to highlight video games that will help you rediscover the American Dream.
Before taking a look at some of the games we recommend, we will explain our parameters for what made it on this list. As stated before, hard work and sacrifice are two of the main factors for what makes the American Dream a reality. So we wanted games that would have the player start from the beginning and work their way to the top or achieve a certain level of success. In other words, where players have to grind for that success.
So let’s take a look at some of the games we decided would best help gamers discover and believe in the American Dream.
American Truck Simulator
With American Truck Simulator, you can experience some of what it takes to be a truck driver while checking out the amazing, picturesque views of the American landscape. There is no denying it, trucks are one of the lifelines of modern society. Especially here in America where our borders stretch from sea to shining sea. Without trucks, our stores wouldn’t be stocked. The assortment of food, construction supplies, and other goods would be drastically reduced or shortages occur. But being a truck driver isn’t easy and does require sacrifice. This is why the job has a high turnover rate.
Yet, it can be a means to an end. A way to move forward in life since the pay is slightly above the median. This game will allow you to start off as a driver for hire who can then work your way up to eventually creating your own shipping company.
What better way to experience the American Dream by starting from the bottom and rising to the top?
Gold Rush: The Game
When it comes to the gold rush, America isn’t unique in that regard. However, the California Gold Rush and the Klondike certainly made their mark and probably spurred the notion that America was “paved in gold.” A concept that, while ludicrous at face value, continued to feed into the American Dream. It is why so many wanted to immigrate to the United States back then and still do today.
Now, you can experience a more modern take on gold mining with Gold Rush: The Game which is based on the tv show. You start out with a few bucks and a dream of striking gold. To do that, you will need to utilize a variety of vehicles such as an excavator, bulldozer, front-end loader, and more as you dig through the earth to find that yellow ore. As you dig, equipment will break down and you will need to repair them. But will you find a gold bonanza and become a millionaire?
That’s up to you!
Let’s be honest, though. When it comes to gold, you’ll “do anything for a Klondike.”
What? That’s not what Kanye West was talking about?
House Flipper
If you want to talk about taking risks, working hard, and making sacrifices look no further than being a house flipper. In House Flipper, you take the risk of buying a house, fixing and renovating it, and then hope to flip it for a higher price for a profit margin. So rather than watching all those YouTube videos out there, why not play as a house flipper yourself in this game?
You’ll get to be a one-man renovation crew who will have to buy and repair houses. But it doesn’t just stop there with the repairs. Oh no. You will also have to work on your interior design skills to make the house more attractive to buyers. So learn to manage your budget and hone your skills so you can make the best profit on this risk-taking venture.
Ranch Simulator
The American Dream doesn’t get any more basic than starting up your own ranch. In Ranch Simulator, which is still in early access, you have been given the family ranch which has seen better days. Now it is up to you to restore it and make it the most successful ranch in the region.
You will have to clear out the mess, renovate the house, raise livestock, and even go hunting to chase the almighty dollar so that you can breathe new life into the ranch. It’s hard work, but it is rewarding!
Railway Empire
Before the Titans of Industry and before the Captains of Industry became a thing, a new generation of entrepreneurs had to emerge in order for industrialists to become what they were. For that to happen, the Big Four and other railroad companies had to create the vast railroad system that helped catapult America into becoming an industrial giant.
In Railway Empire you’ll be able to create your own vast rail network that will connect America from sea to shining sea. To do that, you will be able to buy or build railroad stations, hire and manage a workforce, maintain maintenance buildings, tourist attractions, and factories while choosing from 40 different trains to tie it all together. As an up and coming railroad tycoon, you will also need to research and develop technologies that will improve your burgeoning business. But with success also comes competition. Three competitive railroad companies aren’t just going to let you build your empire.
It is up to you to create the circulatory system of America that will give life to the industrial era and spurn the economy to unreached heights.
Project Highrise
While Railroads are the arteries of America, the skyscraper is the monument for the Titans of Industry that came after. The Chrysler Building and the Empire State building were a testament to some of the men who helped spur America’s industry and economy.
In Project Highrise you will be in charge of designing and building a modern-day skyscraper that will be the envy of everyone. As the architect, you will have to make decisions regarding everything when it comes to construction. From the wiring, to walls, and the placement of offices and apartments; you have final say.
But your job doesn’t stop there.
You are also the building owner and that means you will be responsible for collecting rent and keeping your tenants happy. Happy tenants means more money and more prestige for this monument you have created.
Cities: Skylines
You have tried your hand at the small, local business. You have run a ranch and built a railway empire. Now it is time to try to create and run the culmination of all of that. Without small businesses, ranches and farms, and a system to transport all that food and goods, there would be no cities. Now you can get an idea of what it takes to run a city.
But instead of becoming just the mayor of a city, or something similar, Cities: Skylines will let you build, design, and run your own city. Think New York City is a convoluted, complicated maze? Chicago a hot mess? Or Los Angeles populated by too many hippies, rich out-of-touch celebrities, and fascistic tech and media companies?
Well now you can try to design your idea of a perfect city. You get to decide how big of a police force you should have, the tax rate, your healthcare, if any, and more that will determine how big your city will grow.
Think you have what it takes to create the greatest city in the world? Prove it!
GTA Online
You’re not interested in working hard and making sacrifices to make loads of money, or to carve out a nice, simple life for yourself. Oh no, you want fast cash and a bombastic lifestyle. Sure, you can become a wealthy drug dealer, weapons merchant, or even run a biker gang in GTA Online. But you’ll find out that, while you can achieve success pretty quickly, it still requires hard work and sacrifice.
However, there is another issue. When it comes to fast cash, you are going to get problems. Other aspiring crime lords and law enforcement will be there to stop and hinder your progress along the entire way. So this isn’t going to be as easy as you think.
Sure, we could have added Grand Theft Auto V to this list, but we would just be repeating ourselves since it is already on another list. Besides, playing an established character looking to live the American Dream is a lot different when creating your own character and doing it yourself.
Stardew Valley
You would think that the final game on this list would be something like GTA 5 or another game involving a business empire or some other grandiose thing. No, the American Dream can be fully encapsulated in Stardew Valley. In this fun, little indie game you can work from the ground up raising animals, harvesting crops, producing food and goods, explore dangerous caves, and fight creatures you can also get married and have children.
You see, while the American Dream is about hard work and sacrifice, we haven’t really talked about the reason to do all of this in the first place. Working hard and making sacrifices isn’t about just building a life for yourself or just a comfy retirement. You get to work for and strive for the American Dream that all culminates into family.
When Stardew Valley first came out, your character couldn’t get married or have children. But, over time, the developer added to the game and it really is a really good representation of the American Dream in video game form.
Family is what drives people to work hard and sacrifice. People go through all of this so that they can have a family, provide for the family, and watch it grow. This is a strange thing to hear these days, especially as social media, tech oligarchs, and some politicians seem to say otherwise. It would appear that today’s culture seems to think that family doesn’t matter, that the nuclear family unit should be disrupted, or that childfree is the way to be.
However, this is a sentiment shared by a vocal minority. Having children is a sign of success and history shows that the nuclear family unit is beneficial for society and for individuals. Of course, it is easy to have a family during an economic boom. But it is much harder to have one when there is a depression or economic crisis taking place. Yet family is the bedrock of civilization. It is the reason why humanity has evolved from hunter-gathering nomads to agriculturists living in high-tech, long-lasting structures with knowledge at our fingertips.
Life isn’t easy and it never will be. As gamers, we are privileged to have a hobby that not only entertains us, but can also improve cognitive performance, social skills, increase our puzzle-solving abilities, and more. It allows us instant access to other cultures and ideas and learn about them in real time. However, it can also be a detriment if you allow it to take up a majority of your time.
What I have to say now is more for the male audience, which is my primary reader base, than it is for the women. If you want to find a good partner, if you want to have a good family then you need to work hard and make sacrifices. Unless you plan to make video games your career, either as a developer, streamer, etc. It is up to you how much you want to devote your time to them.
The time you spend on games in your early years is time taken away from what you could be doing to achieve a level of success when it comes to earning money, finding a partner, and raising a family. Balance is key. Don’t stop playing games. But don’t let it consume you either. If you want to have the American Dream then you need to work hard, sacrifice, and keep yourself fit.
As men, you are there to provide for and protect the family. But you can’t live the ideal American Dream if you aren’t the ideal man. In other words, you need to be a traditional man. It’s odd having to say that, it used to be that saying you should “be a man” was more than enough to imply what was needed. Just know that if you want a female partner, the majority of them will want a man that is taller than them, makes more money than them, will provide for them, protect them, and be fit. It is up to you whether or not you want to work hard and make the sacrifices needed to live the American Dream.
So those are some of our suggestions for rediscovering the American Dream. What other games would you suggest?
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