Fall 2006 - Auburn University



Teaching Mall Tycoon

Christin D. Hamilton

The game that I taught was Mall Tycoon. Mall Tycoon is a small budget simulation game based from the Tycoon series. Its genre is not only simulation but it is also in the economic genre. Mall Tycoon was released in 2002 for Windows 95/98/ME [2]. In Europe it is called Shopping Centre Tycoon because the word "mall" is not commonly used in European countries or British English. Holistic Designs, Inc. is the designer of the game, and Take Two Interactive developed it. Mall Tycoon preludes Mall Tycoon 2, Mall Tycoon 2 Deluxe and Mall Tycoon 3 [3].

According to Wikipedia, an economic simulation game simulates a financial system or economy of some sort. Most games that allow its players to build a city (e.g. SimCity) focus games that simulate the economy. Most games in the Tycoon series are economic simulator games. Economic simulator games are mainly always games of strategy and never war games [1].

In this particular genre of computer games, players will rarely interact with units (like subjects, persons or the transportation), but rather arrange or establish the foundations for their condition. Therefore, all effects on the population will be indirect, which is comparable to god games [1].

A great example of economic simulator games is Capitalism, a simulator of business. The player builds an industrial and financial empire. Another ruthless business simulator is Transport Tycoon, which is looks a lot like SimCity 2000 except the player has to design a transport infrastructure and business for a number of cities [1].

Like some of the other Tycoon games (e.g. Rollercoaster, Zoo, etc), Mall Tycoon is a computer game that allows the player to assume the role of a omniscient, omnipresent being that designs, builds and manages a shopping mall. The game begins as an empty plot of land upon which the player develops his or her mall [3]. Included in the players abilities are choosing the type of mall, choosing the location, hiring and managing all types of mall employees (i.e. security guards, mascots with balloons), and choosing what type of stores, and advertising. The ultimate goal of the computer game is to make a certain amount of money over a year’s time. It is imperative that the player figures out what is profitable and what is not to make certain the endurance of the budding mall. In addition to that, the mall may become infested with zombies or aliens but you can employ the Men in Black to take care of those types of situations [3]! If the bank loans are not paid back or if the mall goes bankrupt, then the objective is not met.

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Figure 1. A view of the entrance and an older man walking in from the outside.

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Figure 2. A view of an animated carousel. It makes music as well.

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Figure 3. A view of an animated water fountain, with sound, and trees.

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Figure 4. This is an aerial view of the first floor of a mall. We know it’s the first floor (or a bottom floor because we see the escalators.)

Even though it is probably the least popular of the Tycoon series, in comparison to other economic simulation games, Mall Tycoon is just as fun. Like the other Tycoon games, Mall Tycoon is a game where you have a constant set of objectives, so that if you complete one then you have a whole new level to defeat. There is a graphical interface that displays your world and somewhere within the screen you will see your controller that will allow you to make most, if not all, of your decisions.

These games are similar in that you must first design and build your world (in this case, a shopping mall) and then open it for business. You must attract the customers through some type of advertisement, and once they arrive, you must keep them satisfied by knowing and understanding the demographic of the area you chose. A primary task is keeping a close watch on the budget. The game will start you off with a bank loan, like other Tycoon games, but you must make as much money as possible and as soon as possible to play that loan back and still have a profit. The money must be budgeted wisely because it is quite easy to go into debt.

Like the other Tycoons, this exciting “god-game” will get your heart rate up as you fight to stay on top of your tasks. You will, of course, lose track of time because each objective lasts for a while and once you think you’re at a place where you can quit for a moment, something always comes up to grab your attention. The game is definitely hard to “put down”.

It’s fun to make decisions and see the results. Designing and being able to create your shopping mall using a blank canvas is very exciting. With this game, a player’s creativity is able to be discovered and realized as well as his/her business and people skills.

The computer technology in this game definitely makes this game worth playing. Like any game, once the player becomes more familiar with the interface and design layout, the game really takes off. The technology really lets the player feel as if s/he is truly in control having freedom to do pretty much anything with everything s/he has access to. As far as designing the mall goes, the location is a piece of land and the player is the architect.

The animation within the game, gives the feeling that each customer and each employee has a purpose and even their own objectives, desires, and needs. The player even has the ability to choose what type of customers the mall should appeal to (e.g. ages, genders). Other great animations that make this game so inviting are the large displays (e.g. the water fountains, the rock concert stage, the carousel).

The person I taught the game to enjoyed it a lot. She wasn’t playing to learn how to run a business, but simply to relax and have fun. Like we have previously said in class, it is fun to play a game that is realistic without worrying about suffering any consequences like in real life. Once she grasped the functionality of the interface and understood what each of the images in the control area were used for, she found it fairly easy. Because there is a small tutorial that explains what each button was for, she didn’t really need me for anything. It only took approximately twenty minutes for her to get acquainted with the software and to begin having fun. The only thing she asked me was my opinion on her designs or to remind her of a function.

References

1. Wikipedia: .

2. (screenshots): .

3. Wikipedia: .

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