Lost & found: chevron's secret oil refinery game surfaces after 30 years
Thirty years. That's how long a fascinating piece of gaming history lay dormant, buried within the digital archives of a major oil corporation. Now, thanks to a chance discovery and a curious internet user, Sim Refinery, a simulator commissioned by Chevron to train its employees, has resurfaced, offering a glimpse into a forgotten corner of game development and a uniquely pragmatic application of simulation Technology.
The unexpected genesis of a corporate game
The story begins in 1992, at the height of Maxis’s success with SimCity. The company, already pioneering accessible urban planning simulations, found itself fielding requests from outside the gaming world – companies intrigued by the potential of its detailed modeling software. John Hils, a software specialist focused on serious simulations, approached Maxis with a proposal: to leverage their expertise for more specialized training tools, including a simulator for healthcare and even military exercises. This led to the creation of Maxis Business Simulation, a division dedicated to these non-entertainment projects.
Chevron, recognizing the potential, approached Maxis with an even more unusual proposition: a video game to teach its employees the intricacies of refinery management. The oil giant provided a substantial $75,000 budget for a prototype. The goal wasn't entertainment, but operational proficiency - a digitized training ground for those tasked with the complex machinery and logistics of petroleum refining.
The project nearly vanished. As Chevron underwent internal restructuring in late 1992, the development of Sim Refinery was abruptly halted, deemed expendable amidst broader cost-cutting measures. Had it not been for a remarkable stroke of luck, the game would have remained a footnote in Maxis’s history.
From obscurity to internet archive
In May 2020, Ars Technica stumbled upon Sim Refinery listed on the Obscuritory, a repository of unreleased games from the 80s and 90s. The initial report sparked excitement, but the assumption was that it remained just that – a digital artifact, inaccessible. Then, a commenter revealed a surprising connection: a friend who once worked at Chevron's Richmond facility had a copy of the game on floppy disk. The contents of that disk were subsequently uploaded to the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine, offering the world a rare glimpse into this corporate simulation.
While the prototype is incomplete, with some functions still non-operational, the core mechanics are remarkably intact. The tutorial and gameplay sections demonstrate a surprisingly sophisticated attempt to model the pressures and challenges of managing a petroleum refinery. It's a testament to the ambition of the project and a fascinating example of how simulation Technology can be applied beyond the realm of entertainment.
The discovery quickly garnered attention, even prompting the rediscovery of Chevron’s original user manual for the game, intended for employee training. However, the upload was swiftly removed, likely due to Chevron’s ongoing legal ownership of the game and a desire to avoid potential copyright disputes. Fortunately, another user had already re-uploaded the files, ensuring that Sim Refinery remains accessible to anyone interested in digital history and the curious intersection of gaming and industry.
Today, as geopolitical tensions surrounding energy resources once again dominate headlines, Sim Refinery serves as a stark reminder of the complexities of resource management and the enduring power of simulation to illuminate real-world challenges. It’s a relic of a bygone era, but its lessons remain remarkably pertinent.