As has become an annual tradition at DDNet, we are here to help you count down towards Christmas! One new game every day for the 24 days from December 1 to Christmas Eve. Think of it as a kind of Advent Calendar, if you will, giving you new tips and ideas for games to pick up and play at that rare time of year where everyone does have a little more time to indulge their favourite hobbies.
Also, it’s an excuse to post pictures of cute anime girls in Christmas gear every day. I won’t deny that we love doing that too.
Day #16: Idol Manager
There’s no real seasonal reason to play Idol Manager, but I do highly recommend the game anyway, and the reason I’m bringing it up here is that I do think it very much flew under the radar this year. When you hear the title “Idol Manager” you’re almost certainly going to end up thinking about fan service and what-not, but in practice, this game has none of that and is a relatively serious simulator (mechanically, at least, the narrative is crazy), that simulator fans shouldn’t miss, whether they’re fans of the whole idol scene or not.
Managing a group of idols is difficult. You need to crank out the hits and make sure you’re pulling in the sponsorship and advertising money, but you also need to make sure you’re not overworking the girls, and you need to deal with their egos. Running a profitable business is genuinely hard to achieve, but if you can get there, you do get the thrill of basking in fame and fortune, and I guess there’s a bit of Christmas cheer in that? Anyhow, if you missed this game over the year, make sure you pick it up for your holiday play time.
