Tel Aviv life simulator

Tel Aviv sits on Israel's central Mediterranean coast at the center of the Gush Dan metropolitan area. It is known for its White City Bauhaus buildings, the Silicon Wadi tech sector, and sandy beaches. Daily life is informal and happens outdoors at sidewalk cafes, on bike lanes, and along the beachfront promenade.

Maya, 27, starts a new job at a tech company near Rothschild Boulevard. She sets two life goals: make friends outside of work and visit every beach in the city.

In week one, Maya finds a kiosk near Dizengoff Square and gets a kafe hafuch before work. The barista remembers her name and her order by Wednesday. On Thursday night, a coworker invites Maya by text to a bar in Florentin.

In week two, Maya plans an outing to the Jaffa Flea Market with two neighbors. They walk there together on the map and talk as a group. Each person keeps a journal of the night and remembers what Maya says.

Tel Aviv is the most expensive city in Israel and one of the costliest cities in the world. Housing costs the most in Neve Tzedek, the Old North, and along HaYarkon Street. Mid-range flats are in Florentin and Kerem HaTeimanim, while cheaper homes are in Shapira and Hatikva.

In the real city, tenants pay high rent, a building fee called Va'ad Bayit, and the Arnona municipal tax. LifeSim does not charge rent or pay a salary. Your cash changes with your daily activities and your chats with people.

Say you start as a 25-year-old chef living in Jaffa. In the morning, you check your daily to-do list and search the map for Levinsky Market to buy spices. You talk to a vendor in your own words, with no dialogue menus.

In the afternoon, you walk along the Tayelet promenade to Gordon Beach. A pickup volleyball game appears as a happening on the map, and you join in. At the end of the day, you get a recap of your moments.

The real Tel Aviv is flat and compact. Many residents commute by electric scooter, bike, or the Metrofun (formerly Tel-O-Fun) bike-share network to avoid traffic on the Ayalon Highway. People also use a Rav-Kav card to ride Dan buses, Israel Railways, and the Dankal Light Rail Red Line.

When regular buses stop on Friday afternoon for Shabbat, the city runs the free Naim BaSofash weekend bus network. In LifeSim, you do not ride transit or drive cars. You search for a real station, beach, or park on the 3D map and go there.

Summer runs from June to September and is hot, humid, and completely rainless. People spend their days in air-conditioned offices and gather at the beach at sunset for the sea breeze.

Winter brings bursts of heavy rain between crisp, sunny days, with no snow. Spring and autumn are warm and pleasant, though spring sometimes brings a dry, dusty heatwave called a Sharav. The 3D map in LifeSim shows the weather as you walk around the city.