Educational power grid simulation teaching electricity infrastructure, economics, and environmental impact

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Game Overview

electrobillion is an educational power grid simulation game that teaches players about the complex systems underlying modern electrical infrastructure. Through engaging city-building gameplay, players learn about power generation, distribution, economics, and environmental impact.

The game aims to educate anyone with simple mental models about electricity to understand and appreciate the complexity of the infrastructure we rely on. Players manage a power company, building various energy sources from renewable wind and solar to traditional fossil fuel plants, while balancing supply and demand for a growing city.

As we face the challenge of transitioning to sustainable energy, electrobillion helps players understand the economic and environmental trade-offs involved in powering our modern world.

Power Grid Management
Substation icon

Build and manage various power sources including wind, solar, fossil fuels, and batteries. Connect everything through substations and transmission lines.

Economic Simulation
Electricity icon

Run your power company with realistic financial mechanics, dynamic pricing, and government subsidies. Balance costs and revenue while keeping the lights on.

City Development
City hall icon

Cities grow autonomously, with the population demanding more power as they grow.

Watch the city grow organically with residential, commercial, industrial, and agricultural zones, each with unique power consumption patterns.

Environmental Impact
Pollution icon

See the real effects of your energy choices on pollution levels, and use air scrubbers and natural solutions to maintain environmental balance.

Nature itself also reacts to the power grid, with flora and fauna suffering from pollution.

Educational Tutorial
House icon

Comprehensive tutorial system that progressively teaches all game mechanics through hands-on experience.

Real-life analogies and explanations to help players build a mental model of the power grid.

Real-Time Simulation
Power plant icon

Day/night cycles affect solar power and demand patterns, with seasonal variations and weather effects adding realistic complexity.

Power supply and demand are balanced in real-time, with the city growing organically based on the needs of the population.

Factsheet

Developer
Evrim Öztamur (evrim.zone)
Genre
Educational Simulation
City Builder
Platform
Windows, macOS, iOS, Android
Technology
Rust, WebGPU, Skia
Art Style
Top-down 2D Vector Graphics
Target Audience
Educational, All Ages
Languages
English
Development Status
Active Development

Screenshots

Game Screenshots

A relatively small city, with a few buildings and mixed generation sources.
A disasterous situation with a bunch of buildings on fire, distressed from lack of power.
Power metrics dashboard showing the hourly overview of the power grid, with an expansion request from the city council.
A financial report showing the company's revenue and expenses for the day.
A large farm complex powered by a bunch of batteries and solar panels.

Videos

Available Videos

Original trailer from March 2025, made for the Steam launch.

Tutorial Walkthrough

Coming Soon

Step-by-step introduction to power grid management and city development

Development History

Origin Story

electrobillion began as a personal journey to understand the complexity of electrical infrastructure. After spending weeks studying what happens when we flip a light switch, developer Evrim Öztamur discovered the extraordinary complexity of the power grid - one of the most complex machines ever created by humanity.

The game emerged from a realization that most people share overly simplified mental models of how electricity works. The goal became creating an educational experience that could teach anyone about the interconnected nature of power generation, distribution, economics, and environmental impact.

As we face critical decisions about sustainable energy transition, electrobillion aims to educate players about the challenges and trade-offs involved in powering our modern civilization sustainably.

Technical Development

Development began in April 2024 and is expected to complete by July 2025. The project started as a web application built with Rust, WebAssembly, and HTML5 technologies, building on earlier work from the Maginet project. As simulation complexity grew, the architecture evolved into a fully native application using Rust, WebGPU, and Skia for superior performance.

The entire game was built from scratch and tailor-made at every level to achieve the best possible architecture for the simulation complexity required. Few shortcuts are taken in modeling electricity flows, with accurate market dynamics and realistic supply/demand structures built into the core systems. This technical foundation ensures that players experience authentic power grid challenges while maintaining educational integrity.

Inspirations

electrobillion draws inspiration from classic simulation games like SimCity 2000, Factorio, and Transport Tycoon Deluxe, combining their engaging mechanics with educational content inspired by academic works on energy infrastructure and policy.

Academic and popular science works on energy infrastructure and policy, such as Energy: A Human History by Richard Rhodes and Landscape and Energy by Dirk Sijmons have also been very helpful in shaping the game's vision of the power grid and its future.

Team

Evrim Öztamur – Code + Graphics + Design

Evrim has a background in economics and finance, including quantitative finance research and portfolio optimization. His current focus is on combining technical expertise in Rust, Python, and process automation with his understanding of complex systems to create educational games. He's been passionate about making games since he was a kid, and has been making games for over 20 years by now!

Earlier, he founded asm33, a software consulting firm that builds automation tools for financial services companies, serving 150+ businesses across Europe. He's currently working as a corporate and tax valuation analyst as his day job when he's not working on electrobillion. His prior education includes a BSc in Economics and Business and an MSc in Quantitative Finance from the University of Amsterdam.

Contact

Website

Press Inquiries

For press kits, review copies, and media inquiries, please contact the developer directly.