Cart Life: How Games Can Feel Real Without Looking Real

I always love how discussions of “realism” in games come down to graphics and physics. I ultimately think that neither of those factors ever made a game more "real." Sure, when a trailer plays for the new Call of Duty or Final Fantasy, the graphics do look amazing. The facial features and lighting are very life-like, and the voice dubbing is top notch. But just because something looks real, doesn't make it feel real. There is nothing in those games that pulls at something inside you. A good game may make you feel different emotions: anger, love, sadness, or joy—but not futility or helplessness. And I understand that it's not supposed to. Most games just use the graphics as an immersion factor, but the ultimate point of the video game is just for entertainment. But still, people want their graphics real and it always cracks me up.

Look at dem in-game graphics! It's so real!

And if it's not graphics, people harp about the physics. The way a gun shoots or the way a car tumbles. Sometimes people love their explosions. Or maybe a gamer will clamor about how the hair on a character flows so accurately. This makes the game more grounded in reality, I admit, but it ultimately never provokes a sense of realism in a player. When I shoot a gun in Battlefield 3, it doesn't describe what life is really like. It doesn't get to you because you're not a soldier. And even if you are, these characters take multiple bullets and can pull amazing feats that are impossible in real life. In reality, no one is a super soldier.

Most of the time, games aren't grounded in realism. And there's good reason they shouldn't be. I mean, there is this fine line between being a realistic game and a fun game. Thus, simulators usually have the highest realism factor, but only appeal to very small niche of gamers. Even then, the games can easily be broken and glitched to have hilarious results.Evidence. (Just to clarify, it's not really a real simulator game...I think).

Maybe video games shouldn't be too real. A lot of gamers love playing games because of the escape it provides them. We ultimately want to be entertained whenever we play games and not really feel the real world much—or at all. Gamers love being pulled into worlds and immersed in them even if it's just for an hour. Most games empower the player at some point in the game and rarely ever make you feel helpless. Even if it's Dark Souls or Ninja Gaiden, games maybe hard—I mean, like, ridiculously hard—and you may give up in frustration, but you would never say that you were controlling a helpless character. I mean, most good hard games require you to have or develop some sort of skill before being able to complete the game, and there is always hope that you can overcome the odds if you just play enough.

So I guess what I mean is there are few games that make you feel a sense of helplessness throughout the entirety of the game. And part of helplessness is being victim to the environment. This makes games unfair. Games have rules; they have been developed with balance and fairness. These unspoken rules make games accessible and lessens the amount of frustration and helplessness experienced by players. Games should be fun, and if they are not, then they’re bad. But this brings me to the exception to the rule: Cart Life.

Before I begin, I probably should touch upon why unfairness and helplessness is a more accurate approach to realism. A graphics or physics engine can immerse a player into the game. Things look real and getting "lost" is easier since environments look more and more believable. But a game's plot and story can only be enhanced by the video game's graphics or physics. Many of us experience the burden of responsibility. We usually have some type of goal we work towards, but the objectives are undefined. Yet we have no pause menu, we must progress or else we waste time. This is main reason why Cart Life stands out to me. Its use of time and vague objectives actually helps the game drive its point home while, in other games, this would be considered a flaw.

I haven't done much research on Cart Life. I don't know who made it, where it came from, or the history behind it. But it only took me one hour to understand it. This game provides that feeling of helplessness that is so elusive in the gaming community. It's deemed a "real world simulator"—and with good reason. This game is just unfair, dreary, and as difficult as the real world could possibly be.

Immediately the game greets you with a wide array of gray-scale colors: everything from the whitest of white to the blackest of blacks. The colors are the first thing you notice about the game, and the colors will definitely affect your mood, especially if there is prolonged exposure. The game forgoes the modern graphics for a more retro look. I assume it's an homage to the old NES days where games had time limits (Super Mario Bros.) and mysterious objectives (Castlevania).

The game asks you to pick between three characters: Vinny, Melanie, and Andrus. Each character runs some kind of stand, whether it be a newspaper, bagel, or coffee one. The objective is to make sure you start and run a successful stand while also keeping up with your personal life. For example, Melanie just recently had a divorce with her husband and wants to keep custody of her child. She recently got fired from her job and needs to make enough money not only to keep the two of them happy, but also to prove to the court that she is a good mother. This is just an example; all of the characters have their own perks (for example, when Vinny drinks caffeine, he walks faster), but also have responsibilities and addictions that can be quite frustrating.

She starts with the most money but she's addicted to her daughter...Oi...

I admit, none of this seems to really show helplessness. Sure, the game maybe dreary, but, from the premise described above, it doesn't seem like it would make you feel bad. This would be true until you realize how time works in this game. Minutes in game time go by in seconds. It's such a simple change, but it causes immense challenges in living your game life. Just like in real life, time doesn't stop for you. So planning out your day needs to happen in seconds and you have to act fast. Not only that, but all the shops have their own hours, which really mess with your errand schedule. You also have to make sure to eat and get enough rest to be productive the next day. Procrastination and poor decisions decrease your quality of life.

Even brushing your teeth is a chore...

I've never felt so helpless in a game. I run around trying to buy items for my coffee stand only to forget to pick up my daughter from school. I try to rush over there by taking a cab but it's too late. I try to return to the machine shop to get my coffee stand made only to realize the shop is closed. I go back home only to find my daughter and my sister (who I currently am leeching off of) pissed at me. The next day, I run to the machine shop to get my coffee stand built only to find I need a permit. I rush to the courthouse and have to wait for my number to be called to buy my permit. Time is ticking and I have to make sure to pick up my daughter from school at 4:00. I get the permit and have to blaze through the menus. Now I have to rush to the machine shop and find out that I need an effin' espresso machine to be attached to the machine! The store sells it but now it’s 3:00 p.m.! I see if I can ride a taxi (the quickest way to travel, but the most expensive) to the school to pick up my daughter, but I guess traffic makes it impossible. So, in defeat, I get to the shop to buy the espresso machine and head home. Another day, and I'm closer to losing my daughter.

Guess it's time to walk home again...

When I get home, my daughter is missing. My sister is furious and freaking out. I'm exhausted and hungry. I've been having the weirdest dreams, and I just don't care about my daughter right now. I'm too tired. I try to assure my sister that she's probably safe. Then there is a knock on the door. It's my ex-husband with my daughter. He tries to be all nice and stuff, but I can see through him. He's a grade A douche. He made sure to remind me that we have a meeting with the judge at the courthouse tomorrow at 12:00. Such a chump.

This is Cart Life. A series of struggles and challenges that make sure you understand that life is just not fair. I struggled the whole way through, never seeming to win. I was always a second too late and that second cost me another lost day with my daughter and another day without income.


I only played about an hour of Cart Life. It's a very unique game. Its price point is low, and its novelty factor is high. It's a nice experiment, but I probably won't be playing it again for a while. There's a reason developers never make you feel like a victim in a game. It's just not fair or fun. And in developer/publisher terms: it doesn't sell.