I think this simulator thing came in because of its effectiveness in attracting players. Since there is a multitude of popular games that are simulators, new creators will want to follow the trend to hopefully become popular by using simulator in their title.
As any of you know, those simulator games are not that inspiring. A large portion of them follow the same formula. Honestly, I'm kind of tired of seeing this. Can't wait for what the future holds as the younger players grow up and starts looking for more quality games.