I needed no further incentive to check out this video that explores why a SimCity game set in the United Kingdom wouldn’t work, but even if the idea of comparing metropolitan systems of government isn’t thrilling to you, you’re going to want to watch it just to see who crops up at the end. It’s so unexpected that I think it probably counts as a jump scare, and while I can’t say whether it makes the video better or worse, it’s sure as hell makes it fascinating.
The subject of the video—which is by YouTuber Chris Spargo—delves into how a SimCity set in Britain would differ from the standard, Americentric version of the game, using SimCity 4 as its case study. As Spargo points out, you can manage some “British” cities in SimCity 4, like London. But it doesn’t really look or act like London, because it’s built according to the US system of city governance.
As Spargo lays out, the differences between British and American cities are many and run deep. Even some of the most fundamental things diverge radically, like who runs a city in each nation. As with most modern urban city-builders, SimCity 4 puts players in the role of mayor, which works fine for American cities because mayors wield most of the power within a city. But in the UK, or at least, in England, power can be much more widely distributed among councils and boroughs.
Other differences include SimCity’s fundamental mechanic of zoning. Spargo points out that zoning in the US is very rigid, hence why they end up with sprawling residential districts with no nearby amenities. The UK has a much more nuanced system that allows for multipurpose zones, but it’s also much harder to build anything due to extensive.
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The video also delves into things like what public services a British “mayor” would actually control, and also tacitly explains why UK councils never seem to have any money (short answer, centralisation and massive social care costs).
It’s all very interesting, but as the video seems to be wrapping up, Spargo says he “got the chance to speak to someone who seemed like he might know some things about this”. Cut to Spargo chatting with UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who he credits as a “Part-time YouTuber (51k subs).”
For context, Spargo appears to be at some sort of event also attended by the PM, who explains that he’s a big advocate of devolution as he thinks “people who live and work in their community make better decisions about what’s best for their community than people sitting in Whitehall or Westminster, frankly.”
Starmer then points out that this is why the Labour government has “given more power to, particularly our mayors”, which, given Starmer is seemingly about to be replaced by the former Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, is a tad unfortunate.
Putting aside surprise Starmer, Spargo makes some valid points, and it has given me a hankering to play a game that more accurately replicates the challenges of municipal management in the UK.
