A unique coaster concept in "Roller Coaster Tycoon 2"
Remember going to your library as a kid, taking out books and reading them for school assignments that you had no interest for? That's always the case, however, for me, it wasn't.
I enjoyed going to a library as a kid. I didn't really have many close friends nor had I really had interest in them. I just adored reading. I knew the librarian by name, she would recommend new books for me to read. She exposed me to "The Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy", "Percy Jackson and the Olympians", and other amazing books. Later on, the library started to acquire a massive amount of computer games such as "Zoo Tycoon 2" and my personal favorite, "Roller Coaster Tycoon."
I would go to the library plenty of times to check-out these games so I can play them; "Roller Coaster Tycoon "being the most popular among all the kids, especially me. The game, which is a simple 2D tycoon game in which you are a theme park designer making amazing parks, was a lot more in-depth than it appears. Balancing budgets, limiting disasters to zero, making profit, and conserving land are all aspects of all the "Roller Coaster Tycoon "games. The second game, which has been out for more than ten years, is a staple in modern gaming. More people play "Roller Coaster Tycoon 2" than one, three, and Worlds combined! The detail that people put into the game itself and the time they take out of their lives to make the little citizens happy are what make this game such a phenomenon.
A Pier Attraction from "Roller Coaster Tycoon 2"
There is something about "Roller Coaster" Tycoon 2" "that makes people feel calm. Maybe it's the sight of all the patrons walking around the theme park. Maybe it's the thrill of the screaming people going down the first hill on your wooden coaster. Maybe it's the laughter you hear as someone takes a picture of some funky scenery. Quite possibly, it's because you are building a theme park empire from the ground up; each shop you place, each loan you take out, each tree you plant making the map more cluttered and more populated. Some days I wish I could change my wallpaper or screensaver on my computer to a video of one of my most populated parks. I feel that this game could be a cure for anxiety.
"I would go to the library plenty of times to go and check-out these games."
A new indie variant, OpenRCT2 allows far more integration options for this age-old classic, which includes Twitch inclusion and an active debug menu. The Twitch integration is, what I believe, one of the best features of OpenRCT2. Many people see the application extending "Roller Coaster Tycoon 2"'s functionality, but for a volunteer at a home for mental rehabilitation, I see a calming and interactive game to help aid teamwork and community.
OpenRCT2 allows you to have the users following your Twitch stream to show-up as park goers, and the game alerts you every time they do something. For instance, BuddyBob followed you on Twitch. The game will alert you that, "BuddyBob entered your park!" Then it will tell you what rides they are enjoying or if they buy anything or leave the park. The Twitch integration also allows people to broadcast news onto the game, making the chat appear in-game. It's very interesting!
Other than that, the OpenRCT2 application allows for multiplayer. By working together to build a park to satisfy the game's scenario, the patients will learn cooperation and money-management.
Money Management Window in "Roller Coaster Tycoon 2"
In the original game, the budget window is rather archaic, showing important expenses and how much profit you are making. However, for "Challenging" and "Expert" scenarios, money management is key. You start to learn how much profit shops and rides are making, and if they are hemorrhaging money, which shops and rides to delete. You kind of get nostalgic if you delete one of the rides from the beginning of your park. I had to delete a merry-go-round that I had in my boardwalk since the beginning to reach my goal, and it took me some soul searching to make the decision.
I feel that this game could be a cure for anxiety.
In essence, this game, although being its age, is still relevant today. Why don't you guys go pick this beauty up? It's on Steam here:
