The choice is yours. This game will change your life. (Alter Ego was originally published in 1986 for the Commodore 64, MS-DOS, Apple II, and Macintosh. The current edition of the Alter Ego game is a production of Choose Multiple LLC. This edition includes an updated interface and fixes bugs in the original version.

While everyone's been off playing Titanfall and other heavily interactive MMOs, I've been stumbling around the web in search of obscure games that I feel more people should be aware of. Easily one of my favourite games, Alter Ego is a text-based life simulation with plenty of, well, life in it.

Text-based games have always attracted me in some special way; maybe it's because I am a writer myself. I can more easily form the story into something my own imagination can get hooked on, creating my own mental images in place of rendered wire frames covered in texture that I may or may not like.

This particular online version is a port of the original game that was released for Apple II, Commodore 64, MS-DOS and Mac OS and was originally created by Activision in 1986. Fair warning: the text and situations hilariously still refer to 1960s and 1970s experiences, so you may find yourself in high school deciding how to handle a friend who wants you to sell 'ludes.' There's also a bit of sexism present in the game; it's mild, but very reflective of attitudes from when the game was first released. It all adds to the hilarity of the game.

When you start the game, you'll be presented with a set of quiz questions. This is easily the least favorite part of the game for me. Simply put, it's kind of boring. But these quiz questions are what the game uses to put together your in-game personality, so don't skip them. We all have to do difficult things in life that we don't enjoy, after all.

The questions can be a little strange. You've been warned.

Once you make it past the very-boring questions, it's time to dig into the real fun - being born! The game allows you to choose whether you want to come out fighting, come out peacefully, or stay in a while longer. While this may seem like it has no impact on the way your simulated life plays out, it does impact certain variables. I won't reveal which, because part of the fun is learning the game and how it works.

Once you've officially decided to be born (or you have been pushed out whether you like it or not), you'll enter infancy. This is where the skills tree is presented. This tree is representative of all of the experiences you will have during each life stage. Click the graph bar to see where your stats stand, then and there. Click the hourglass to skip a life stage or to see your current age. Click an icon to have an experience. Later down the road, in successive life stages, you will have access to school, vocational, and relationship icons where you can have a child, get married, attend college, or start your own business. Your choices within each of these dictate how your life will play out, how healthy you will be, and how happy you will be.

Personally, I like to mix things up. Sometimes I intentionally make bad choices just to see what will happen. When I came across the childhood stage that had a stranger drive up and motion me towards his car, I got in the car. Then, I got kidnapped and had to start the game over. Lesson learned! Sometimes the results are a little unexpected, so be wary of trick questions lest the game peg you as boring and unwilling to take any risks in life.

You'll work your way through:

• Infancy
• Childhood
• Adolescence
• Young Adulthood
• Adulthood
• Middle Adulthood
• Old Age

Suddenly, when you reach the end of the tree for old age, you'll find an experience that has you lying down in bed for the night peacefully, everything feeling wonderful.

After a long, but very relaxing day, with a deep sigh you climb into bed and sink into the warm, cushiony fabric. As you drift off, feelings of intense serenity and well-being overwhelm you. Pleasant images of childhood visit with sweet memories of Mom and Dad, school, and growing up.
The memories flash by your mind's eye with startling reality -- the smell of school on your first day, the flowers your boyfriend brought you on your first date. You recall places you haven't visited for years in picture-perfect detail. Friends and neighbors who have gone on greet you.
They are filled with excitement to see you, though you soon realize they are not communicating their joy in words. It's almost as if...

this will go on forever...

You have died, and the game is over. The first time around I thought that the game would allow you to play every icon for every stage--this is not the case. There is an algorithm that decides when you've had enough experiences to advance.

All in all, this is an excellent game, even today. I've lost hours playing it. A few tips to follow when and if you play:

1. Beware trick questions. Think about each response before you give it; for example, picking the 'safe' option constantly will lead to emotional problems later because you become boring.
   
2. Work early, and focus on school if you want to get into a good college and have the money to have interesting experiences.
   
3. Drugs are bad, even in Alter Ego, but you will be presented with choices about them.
   
4. Because the game does include adult themes like sex, drinking, and drugs, it's probably not appropriate for children.
   
5. If you really feel you want to cheat, a rough walkthrough can be found here.

Since Alter Ego is free, you can get started right now by clicking on this link. Note that you can make a donation to the developer if you choose; I'll leave that up to you. Happy living!

EDIT: It seems as of March 2015, Alter Ego is no longer free. Which is really, really sad. You can still purchase it from the same link for a nominal fee. In my opinion, it's still worth the fee simply based on the sheer amount of work the creator put into it.
Sorry for the bad news, everyone.
- Mandie

11 Alter Ego Alternatives & Similar Games for Mac OS

1. My Tribe

My Tribe brings you in real-time control of an island paradise. Your intelligent group of people is in your fingers while they learn innovative skills, begin families as well as understand the secrets of the island they inhabit.

Using a selection of significant structures, you have to develop areas, discover real-time aspects that maintain the game. Story-wise the game uses several shipwrecked survivors who find a mysterious island after a massive storm. They have to use their wits to settle the island, besides, to survive in this new-found condition.

More importantly about My Tribe is the close to infinite replay-ability using the choice for players to select from various island designs. Once inside the game, My Tribe seems similar to a typical RTS experience as gamers direct their settlers using a click of the mouse to gather the different assets available on the island.

2. The Sims

The Sims is an Addictive video game series with Management, Massively Multiplayer Online, Role-playing, and Life-Simulation elements. Maxis develop the series and published by Electronic Arts. The Sims is the first entry in the series which released in 2000.

In the series, the player can create virtual people called Sims and places them in his own house and fulfill their desires. The player can build and decorate his home with lots of buildings, accessories, and items. The series lets the player create to live his second life, fulfill his desires, create his family, and earn money in a better way.

Interact with NPCs, complete quests for them, and gain experience points. Join parties, or arrange his own, the game provides the player with exciting gameplay. The Sims has prominent features such as Dating, Romance, Make a Family, Different Professions, Make Living, Decorations, etc.

The Sims is the best video game series as compared to other MMORPG and Virtual World games. Try it out, and you’ll surely enjoy it.

3. The Sims 4

The Sims 4 is an addictive, Virtual World, Fantasy, and Single-player Life-Simulation developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. The game takes place in the fantasy-based world populated with thousands of Sim characters.

To get into the game world, you have to create your character and customize it using different accessories and items. There is a chance to live your second life through this game where you can perform various tasks, fulfill your desires, become what you want, find your love, go date, and create children.

You can create your own family, decorate a sweet home, and makeover rooms using furniture, items, and accessories. Find a job and earn money to complete the wishes of your family. Interact with NPCs, and play different mini-games to earn experience points.

Go market to buy different required things and keep your family happy. The Sims 4 offers core features such as Fantasy World, Superb Gameplay, Brilliant Mechanics, and lots of Decoration, and more. With enhanced controls and visuals, The Sims 4 is the best game to play and enjoy.

4. Wandering Willows

Wandering Willows provides a universe full of missions and wildlife where gamers will attract pets, teach them, and more. The originality of Wandering Willows makes it a game that’s difficult to explain with lots of components combining to produce the adventure.

On the other hand, you will have pets that will join you via the adventure in battle along with different abilities. But gamers may also enjoy obtaining food recipes and personalizing their avatars using over 100 components of clothing that need to make. Your Wandering Willows adventures begins with players, who trap on an island following a bird rips through their hot air balloon.

Luckily the population of this island seem friendly than vicious and are very happy to help you get home in return for finishing quests for them. With more than 150 on the island that varies from easy fetch quests to complex duties to correct a part of your balloon, the challenges are very different.

5. The Sims FreePlay

The Sims FreePlay is an Amazing, MMORPG, Virtual World and Strategic Simulation created by EA Mobile and published by Electronic Arts. Like the other Sims games, The Sims FreePlay enables you to choose and customize your online avatar and go in a beautiful and quite engaging virtual world.

You can build your own house and decorate it as you want. You can meet new people and interact with other online players, make new friends, chat and engage yourself into a lot of fun activities. You can select the best personalities (Rocker, Villain, Sporty, Party Animal, Creative, Bookworm, etc.) and live your life according to your levels.

Once you did, you will able to go through the fun-filled activities like managing your own needs, decorating your own home, and interacting with other online players.

With excellent visuals, addictive and engaging mechanics, and the best mechanics, The Sims FreePlay is a beautiful game to play and enjoy. Try it out, and it’ll entertain you.

6. Disney Superbia

Disney Superbia is an addictive, MMO, Virtual World, and Fantasy-based Social Simulation. The game takes place in the virtual world and allows you to create and customize your character using different accessories to look unique among thousands of people.

Interact with other peoples, make new friends, and hang out with them. Complete different tasks to earn coins and use them to unlock further content in the game. The game lets you decorate your home using different items, furniture, and decorations and invite your friends to visit.

Play mini-games against your fellows and show off your skills. Organize your party and invite friends to dance. You can find your love and go to date to have fun. As you gain experience, the game unlocks further features to make it a bit more challenging to play.

Purchase lots of stuff for your character and engage yourself in the social interaction gameplay experience. With superb gameplay, incredible mechanics and smooth controls, Disney Superbia is the best game to play and enjoy.

7. The Sims 3: Island Paradise

Alter Ego Game Wiki

Electronic Arts introduce another great installment in the series of The Sims named as The Sims 3: Island Paradise is a Single-player Life-Simulation. The gameplay offers similar gameplay to The Sims Vacation.

It introduces a houseboat feature that can be docked at any unoccupied port anywhere in the ocean. It also provides Scuba diving skills that allow the player to dive underwater to explore the beauty of marines, catch fishes, and find sunken treasure.

Be careful shark will appear on during the exploration and may attack the player. It allows the player to play as a lifeguard, who has to survive the ocean and rescue the other Sims. It is an excellent game that offers real-time gameplay that engages the player deep into the brilliant game world.

The Sims 3: Island Paradise offers vital features such as character customization option, upgrades, different modes, social-networking and lots of other things, etc. The game offers enhanced game mechanics, fantastic gameplay, and improved visual details.

8. Virtual Villagers 5: New Believers

Alter Ego Game Mac Pc

Virtual Villagers 5: New Believers is a Fantasy-based, City-Building, Strategy, and Puzzle video game. Virtual Villagers offers another excellent game that takes place in the Isola where the player can solve numbers of the puzzle and care for his villagers.

The game offers real-time gameplay with lots of new surprises that make the game more inserting and enjoyable. At the start of the game, it allows the player to listen to the whole storyline that will teach the player about the gameplay.

Virtual Villagers 5: New Believers includes core features such as various God Powers, new tasks, dozens of achievements, new events, NPCs, and much more. The game offers enhanced game mechanics, quite addictive gameplay, well-written storyline, and brilliant graphics details.

9. Artist Colony

Artist Colony is a Time-Management, City-Building, Strategy and Single-player video game in which the main task of the player creates his restore his city with numbers of buildings.

At the start, it allows the player to explore the massive game world, collect useful resources, and start his journey. It offers a brilliant combination of Strategy and Time-Management. It allows the player to interact with the citizen to assign different jobs and complete the numbers of the task to progress.

The gameplay consists of several levels, and each level of the game offers more complex challenges than the last one. Artist Colony offers the most prominent features such as different resources, upgrades, unlockable achievements, easy controls, and much more.

With immersive and quite addictive gameplay, well-written storyline and beautiful visual details, Artist Colony is an excellent game to play enjoy.

10. Rebuild

Rebuildis a Puzzle, Strategy and Single-player video game developed and published by Northway Games. The game takes place in the stunning world that is full of powerful zombies, and the main task of the player rescues all the survivor from the zombies and defend his fort against the attack. The player can Reclaim one building at one time and put his survivors work scavenging houses, technologies, and foods. The gameplay of the game consists of the series of levels, and each level of the game offers more complex gameplay of the last one. Rebuild includes core features such as more than seven different endings, character customization option, randomly generated a game world and unique turn-based strategy, etc. With quite addictive gameplay, well-written storyline, simple controls, and beautiful graphics details. Rebuild is an excellent game to play and enjoy.

11. Rebuild 3: Gangs of Deadsville

Rebuild 3: Gangs of Deadsville is Turn-based Strategy, Role-playing, Sandbox, Survival and Single-player Simulation by North Games. According to the story of the game unknown virus attack on the human world that converts the human into the bloodthirsty zombies. In this competition, the player can take on the role of a one of few survivor, and the ultimate task of the player starts his journey to rescue the other survivor and restore the civilization in order to progress. It is an exciting game that will make the player fond of his survivors and send them to his deaths for the greater good. As the player can complete numbers of levels, the player can fort to the new buildings. The game offers a brilliant combination of city-building and 4X strategy with endless replayability. Rebuild 3: Gangs of Deadsville includes prominent features such as various levels, new modes, five different skills, NPCs, up to 35 node research tree, a huge range of equipment and various buildings, etc. The game offers enhanced game mechanics, improved visuals, and quite addictive gameplay.

More About Alter Ego

Alter Ego is a Fantastic, (Text-Based), Role-playing and Multiple-choice Questions video game created and published by Activision. The game lets the player craft their own identity by text-based gameplay.

Alter Ego Game App

The game offers a Question and Answer interface and tree-based community to put players on trial to their best Intellect, Creativity, and crafting skills. The game represents the player’s personality and covers the events and happening from his/her infancy to the old age.

Alter Ego Game Caramel Column Ending

Alter Ego enables players to write their fate by merely questions and answers interface. Alter Ego offers unique and addictive gameplay, the best mechanics. Alter Ego is one of the best Virtual World and Role-playing Simulation. Try it out. You’ll enjoy it.