[CaptainHaplo]

I would say the majority of MILITARY (combat flight, Naval warfare) sim players are prior military of some branch.

I have no idea what a "life sim" is.....

I WISH I could drop 2g's on a pc....

No way am I ever paying 300 bucks for a game. I'll wait 6 months and buy it out of a bargain bin.

Simulation players are focused on realism, which merely means we are more patient with steep learning curves and a slower game pace that most if the game delivers the level of "real" we want. The biggest difference between a sim player and a gamer of say, FPS style games, is the patience level. We can stalk a convoy for 3 real life hours, fire one spread and be thrilled or devastated at the results, where a FPS gamer would be impatient if they didn't get to shoot something during any 3 minute period. We also celebrate the cerebral element of sims, they take long term thinking and planning, where an FPS rewards fast reaction without long term thought.

Edit - As a simmer - its fair to note that I also am a huge fan of strategy games in general - either "real time" or turn based. It is the thinking and planning, then executing that plan despite unforseen obstavles that is highly rewarding personally.

2nd edit - regarding patience - this is one reason the THIEF games really got a number of fans outside the FPS market - it isn't a shooter, its a sneaker - you can get the mechanics of a shooter game, but it blended in the requirement of forethought and patience.