A rather unique simulation game has surfaced, where players start as a newly appointed part-time lecturer whose promotion hinges on the academic output of their Master's and PhD students.

Dubbed 'Professor Simulator', it's an idle game that casts you as a humble lecturer in a modest research lab. Your initial task involves recruiting Master's students. From there, it's a whirlwind of setting up research projects, approving dissertations, purchasing equipment, and establishing lab protocols to climb the academic ladder. Naturally, as the lecturer, your direct involvement amounts to little more than a single click to approve a paper, fix a broken piece of equipment, or impatiently await a student's thesis. It's a hands-off approach, to say the least.

First, you'll be interviewing and selecting Master's and PhD candidates. The lab starts as a barren wasteland, with only a single research project underway. The Master's students, bless their fragile hearts, are a bit pathetic. They'll often be found sleeping on the floor, unable to last three days and nights without sustenance, or weeping from depression mid-research. But fear not, should you choose to ignore their plight, they'll somehow soldier on and return to their projects. No need to lose sleep over it, really.

Master's and PhD students come with their own distinct quirks. PhD candidates have a longer tenure and are the backbone of your research efforts, but they're emotionally and physically quite fragile. Master's students, on the other hand, have shorter stints and are more robust physically, though their research capabilities are rather lacking. Occasionally, you'll even encounter students who slack off, as indicated by the 'slacking off' notification. This means you'll need to periodically click on them to keep their enthusiasm levels in check. And, of course, you wield the ultimate power of a part-time lecturer: the ability to deny graduation to underperforming students.

To get promoted, you'll need dissertations and projects diligently crafted by your students. These students conduct research based on originality, workload, and writing quality before submitting their papers to academic journals. The success of these papers earns you in-game currency, which can then be spent on promotions or upgrading equipment to boost research efficiency. You can even splurge on amenities for your delicate students, such as luxurious 'toilets' or 'food distribution centres'.

Based on performance, you'll ascend through nine distinct professorial ranks, from Lecturer to Associate Professor and full Professor, expanding your research lab along the way. Completing projects unlocks a collaborative nurturing system, allowing you to exchange supervisors and students with other professors. The full version even plans to let you recall graduated students back to your lab. Depending on your playstyle, you might even earn prestigious titles like 'Graduation Delay Manufacturer'.

'Professor Simulator' is set to launch on Steam on June 8th, with full Korean language support. A free demo is also available to play on Steam.