July 23, 2022
04:57
“PowerWash Simulator” doesn’t look like much. Yet this high-pressure cleaning simulation exerts a hypnotic, soothing power.
The problem, when you live next to an active volcano, in a lost hometown in the USA, is the accumulation of grime due to the fallout of ash. Facades of houses, cars and other street furniture quickly become dirty and covered in soot.
Fortunately, if you have the right arsenal, dust and rust can be just bad memories. Armed with a high-pressure water cleaner, we are therefore placed at the head of a cleaning company. The first contract is simple: give a second life to a van that looks like it has spent the last twenty years in a pool of mud.
In the game world, a jet of Kärcher restores any surface to its former glory. Everything is repairable, nothing is serious.
Admittedly, we are not necessarily overflowing with enthusiasm when launching “PowerWash Simulator” for the first time. However, we quickly fall under the spell: by pressing the trigger of the lever, the jet of water crashes on the bodywork in a dull white noise. Behind the mud and dust, a gleaming blue body begins to appear. We juggle between the different nozzles in order to alternate between the powerful but narrow jet and the others, with a wider radius but with a more moderate force.
follow from long hours of relaxation during which we methodically clean a patio, a playground or house facades.
From the outside, “PowerWash Simulator” is pointless. He really doesn’t have much to say.. However, it is impossible not to appreciate the experience. The game is almost therapeutic. Its repetitiveness, the sound of water that differs depending on the surface touched, everything gives the impression of being in front of an ASMR video, these experiences of listening to soft and relaxing sounds. Total relaxation. In the gaming world, a well-placed Kärcher jet can restore any surface to its former glory. A toboggan that we thought was good for the dumpster quickly regains its splendor. Everything is repairable, nothing is serious. For a moment, we genuinely feel the euphoria forced by the actors of laundry detergent ads. And it feels good.
Developed by FutureLab
Published by Square Enix Collective
25€
Available on PC and Xbox
Note from L’Echo:
“Simulation is more a means than an end”
Take care of his fields and harvest corn when the weather permits; transporting a cargo of screws between Le Havre and Munich at the wheel of a semi-trailer; manage the purchases and contracts of footballers to raise their club in the rankings…: many are the simulation video games similar to this “PowerWash Simulator“, and their success is undeniable. How to explain that some players prefer to spend their free time performing these thankless tasks in front of a screen rather than living extraordinary adventures in an “Elden Ring” or embodying, at random, Batman or Spiderman?
“It’s the exact opposite of a shooter and yet it plays the same.”
“Often, the development of a strong trend calls for its opposite. More and more games are designed to be competitive and aim for e-sports competitions. It is quite logical to see other proposals to emanate that are aimed at players looking for calmer and quieter experiences”, believes Thibault Philippette. This professor at the Faculty of Economics, Social, Political and Communication Sciences at UCLouvain is one of the creators of the Louvain GameLab, a university center bringing together researchers interested in video games and virtual universes. “Games like ‘Animal Crossing’ on Nintendo Switch, for example, take away a lot of the pressure that you find in other titles. There’s no timer, no enemies. You just manage the island you live on as you see fit, harvesting various resources. Most simulation games act the same way. These are often quiet experiences that become almost poetic. Where a multiplayer game like ‘Splatoon’ pits two teams once morest each other trying to cover as much surface of an arena as possible with their team’s color in a limited time, ‘PowerWash Simulator’ is the exact opposite: we clean quietly, at his own pace. It’s quiet, contemplative, repetitive. In a word, relaxing.”
“The simulation game is a form of cultural reappropriation. Like children playing at being an adult in short.”
But the game does not distort only “Splatoon”. It is an assumed counterpoint to many current games. “It hijacks the codes of first-person shooters that see the world through the eyes of the person holding the gun. But instead of the gun, the player here is holding a Kärcher,” notes Thibault Philippette. “It is played mechanically in the same way as war games, which have been very popular for years. But here, there is no need for sharp reflexes or enemies to shoot down. It’s the exact opposite of a shooter and yet it plays the same.”
The soothing aspect of this type of game alone does not explain the success of simulations. More complex experiences like “Farming Simulator” ask the player to manage a farm from A to Z, from choosing seeds to buying tractors and harvesters. We can also mention “Eurotruck Simulator” which places the player at the wheel of a heavyweight and forces him to travel endless highways to transport various goods. “Some players seek to optimize their actions, to master a set of complex procedures. It’s a way to check if you’re competent enough to fly a plane or taxi for hours without damaging your cargo. And it’s less restrictive than doing it for real. It’s a form of cultural reappropriation. Like children would play at being adults in short.
Still, all games, to varying degrees, are actually simulations. “But don’t confuse a game’s theme with its mechanics. In many games, simulation is more of a means than an end. All games seek to simulate a credible universe, even if it means simplifying it. Like an aquarium imitates the ocean. Every game mechanic is a simulation. Some, like ‘Flight Simulator’ or this ‘PowerWash Simulator’, are the purest examples of simulation for simulation. Other games invite players to introspect. In ‘Everything’ for example, the player moves from one living being to another, in a section punctuated by comments from philosophical conferences, thus offering a real reflection on the interconnection of matter. A simulation can also hide an adventure game or a puzzle game.”
