Presumably for the same reason so many games in this stupid-ass genre are about farming (or indeed any number of jobs that suck ass to do IRL).

I do enjoy Story of Seasons/Harvest Moon. From my perspective, it's the ones that involve retail sales that I don't get. The only people that enjoy those jobs have some serious problems.

Same reason power wash simulator and cooking simulator exist. cause its better than the real thing. same logic behind shooters and city builders, they're cool in theory but suck ass IRL

I gotta make an exception for retail sales. It's not something anybody of sound mind and body chooses because of the occupation itself. The target audience has to be people that have never worked retail before.

The distinction I make between retail is that it doesn't require trained abilities. I'm distinguishing "training" from "skilled" here. I've works with several dozen college students and graduates that can't talk to customers or answer simple questions.

Retail requires skill. Just can't imagine anyone choosing it.

When I worked at Sonic, I had a coworker who was always on his phone- playing a game where you worked in a fastfood place, as BoH. We'd be slapping burgers together, and in between that, he'd . . virtually slap burgers together.

... was this guy named bob belcher because who on EARTH can like making burgers that much

Can't recall his name, was a while ago.

That's surreal. Absolutely cinema.

Yeah, it was weird.

I dunno.

I wanted to make a game epic similar to Kingdom Hearts.

Much better in scope and story and actually adds to the plot and doesn't cheese out random Disney characters for 5 minutes of your stay.

ANYWAY.

I don't get it either.
Just some people want to make a cozy sim where you're the one in charge I guess.

I'd prefer something more fantastical and disconnected from reality when I disconnect from my 8 hour 9-5. Cozy or big story scope, I need it to be different.

iunno i feel like the only 'cozy' game that grabbed me ever was animal crossing, and that was more because it was like a home owner simulator. it got me interested in my own garden, thinking about my own decor, the importance of paying a bill down etc.

but seems like every other game i enjoy is either narrative w logic/puzzles (phoenix wright, disco elysium) or high speed stress (don't starve, papers please)

so iunno. while i like a game that stretches my understanding and simulates something irl WITH pressure, i guess there are plenty of people who like games that simulate reality MINUS pressure. and cozy versions of wage slave hell probably appeal to people who never had to be in wage slave hell...

Even Animal Crossing is so game-like that I disconnect very easy when decorating my village's hoarder house.

It's just so funny because I think of retail and I think that nobody except for very messed up people choose this profession.

I do it because it's the only skill set I have, and I also don't want to do a paid job I enjoy, lest I start to hate the thing I once enjoyed doing.