I’m gonna be honest. I was very late to the party when it came to building a computer for the first time. When I was learning, my research mainly included out-of-date books from charity shops. I also worked on as many beaten-up hunks of junk from the local scrap man that I could.
In what felt like no time at all, I had gone from knowing very little about the inner workings of PC to being able to identify parts and smush them together to build a half-decent build. I was pretty proud of myself. It was a pretty enjoyable and fulfilling endeavour. So when I saw that PC Building Simulator was a thing, I jumped at the chance of being able to build digital computers.
Risk-free tinkering
Probably the best thing about PC Building Simulator is how it allows players to get their grubby mitts on digital representations of real world branded parts. These can then combine together into some impressive creations. Whilst not entirely accurate, PC Building Simulator helps players learn the basics of putting a computer together. After the initial build, troubleshooting and benchmarking with tools like 3DMark comes into play. All this tinkering and upgrading can be done without worrying about barbecuing your CPU, or dropping and smashing your very expensive Graphics Card.
The graphics aren’t anything to write home about, but many of the minute yet important details are represented here. Applying thermal paste and clipping in sticks of RAM. All part of the experience. Cable management and misplacing a tiny annoying screw aren’t included, so it isn’t a true-to-life experience. It does do well in teaching players how to build a PC. Something else that adds to the legitimacy of the game is the sheer amount of real-world companies involved. That’s pretty impressive stuff.
Building those machines
Outside of the basic PC-building gameplay, there’s plenty to do. A substantial career mode, free build mode, and tutorial will help the player repair and build plenty of rigs. In career mode, the player inherits their uncle’s failing PC repair business and must recover the company’s reputation. Tasks include anything from simple virus scans to full-blown build-from-scratch jobs.
These jobs can be accepted via the email system on the main office computer, which is also used for a myriad of other things, like buying computer parts. A delightful detail I noticed immediately is that it sourced the background image from myown real-world computer.
Harder and harder
As the game progresses, the faults that must be fixed become less apparent. The client might mention something in their email to you, so it’s always worth reading the email carefully. If they say they keep getting funny pop-ups, chances are they have a virus you need to sort, in addition to the main requested job of upgrading the graphics card. This might sound too easy, but those jobs start piling up quickly.
Soon, there are multiple machines to fix and many parts to order. Time management is a must. Ordered parts don’t come straight away, so planning is key. This all accumulates into a nice little gameplay loop. It’s very satisfying to clear a bunch of machines after having figured out what is wrong with them.
For enthusiasts and newcomers
Overall, this game has a good amount of content for PC-building enthusiasts and newcomers alike. It’s probably best to avoid PC Building Simulator if you find the inside of a computer tedious; looking at a digital representation of one won’t be much fun for you. If you have a burning desire to learn how to build a PC in a somewhat practical way without breaking the bank, though, this game is definitely for you. If you have already invested many hours of your life to the inside of a case, this might be an enjoyable time.
