If The Sims took place in a national park instead of quaint neighborhoods filled with horny avatars, I suppose it might look something like Ranger’s Path: National Park Simulator.
After all, there’s a video game for everything these days, so why not make one focused on park rangers? That’s the gist behind Ranger’s Path. It’s an upcoming release from Epic Games, a major player in the video game industry that created the cultural phenomenon Fortnite and the Unreal game engine (if you don’t know, ask your gamer friend).
Early trailers for the game, which gets an “early release” on March 10, show gameplay from the perspective of a hard-working ranger in a fictional national park called Faremont. The environment, filled with steep mountains, dense pine trees, and abundant wildlife, feels like an amalgam of Yosemite and Yellowstone.
You play as the titular ranger, and your job is to maintain the park for both visitors and wildlife. That means removing trees from roads, picking up trash, and even helping lost hikers, according to game trailers and descriptions from Epic Games.
Much like The Sims — a game so ubiquitous that even pop stars like Doja Cat live-stream gameplay — Ranger’s Path is as much about people as nature. It’s an idealized context for recreating the national park experience. For those (like me) who might be a little exhausted by the real-life politics impacting America’s parks, Ranger’s Path could offer a refreshing break from reality.
A Happily Mundane World
A handful of trailers illustrate the gameplay, which includes many of the real duties of park rangers. In this simulator, you’ll be fixing fences and picnic tables, removing fallen trees from trails, or dealing with an infestation of yellow jacket wasps near a campsite. You can also use an in-game camera to snap photos of wildlife and collect information about the park’s various animals.
Rangers have to deal with people as well, of course. So you’ll have to ensure that visitors have the proper permits or guide them to the correct locations. Sometimes, you can even help confused hikers get back to civilization.
If that all sounds absurdly mundane — you’re not wrong. But that comforting lack of conflict has become a major component of some of the most popular games around. From the quotidian appeal of The Sims to the farming simulation and debt management of massive hits like Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing — many of us clearly crave the idealized alternate world that video games can provide.
“Faremont’s diverse biomes range from dense forests and meadows to winding rivers,” according to the game’s website. “With your ranger pickup, you’ll cover long distances along the park’s road network, reaching remote areas filled with natural landmarks like waterfalls, rock formations, and scenic viewpoints.”
No Layoffs in This Park
The game sounds like a fun sandbox to play in, especially for outdoor obsessives and national park lovers.
Even so, it’s difficult to avoid my intrusive thoughts about the current reality facing park rangers. I have spent a significant portion of the last year writing about layoffs and funding cuts of the National Park Service. Not to mention the park scientists forced to clean bathrooms because the current administration refuses to pay for sufficient staff. (So far, no toilet scrubbing has shown up in game trailers.)
So when the game narration says things like “Faremont National Park: a place of beauty and peace, but only if someone takes care of it” — it’s hard not to feel the sting of irony.
But there’s always the possibility that Ranger’s Path may evolve into something a bit more complex. The game’s “early access” release in March is part of a development strategy now employed by many developers. The full release will happen after developers receive feedback from early testers.
So there’s still time to add in some Grand Theft Auto-style elements to make gameplay a little spicier (a.k.a. less moral). Or as one YouTube commenter put it, “Wait a sec, where’s the part where I can decide to let the bison gore a tourist as a reward for their stupidity?”
We can only hope.
