Inside Social Games

Rendering three dimensions in a social game is a tall order, and My City attempts to leap this skyscraper with a single bound. They don’t exactly nail the landing, but it’s fun to watch them try.

My City allows you to create your own virtual city, starting with a small cottage to a sprawling metropolis consisting of thousands. You add citizens, and their dwellings, by either adding one per day manually or inviting friends to become citizens.

Unfortunately, the major drawback of the game is how social it demands you be. Without your friends accepting invitations and becoming citizens, your city will grow as if it were on an ancient burial ground and had signs that said “Live here- free toxic waste.” You can only add one citizen to your own city per day, or you can add two to others’ cities (I was finding myself less than selfless after no one helped me out). You can choose what kind of citizen you add, and this will improve your stats (science, entertainment, etc). This strategic element is a great concept, and wedded with the 3D renditions of the city, makes for a great start to a game.

But the slow pace of the game for non-friend-finders and the lack of consequences for your actions makes the game seem shallow. If you keep adding accountants to your city, shouldn’t you be asked to confront problems? Text prompts or crises would create more interesting game play. Choosing where your citizens build and perhaps adding other “Sim City”-esque features could greatly enhance the experience.

Right now, aside from viewing your friends’ cities, viewing leaderboards, and trying to turn your friends into citizens, there isn’t much to do in My City. My City can get boring in a New York minute.

Game play: 2

Development: 4

Potential: 9