It started like most of my dumbest ideas do: at 2:47 a.m., alone, scrolling through the dark side of the app store — the experimental section, the weird games, the ones with three reviews and an icon that looks like it was drawn in MS Paint by a caffeinated goblin.
And that’s where I found it: Spirit Simulator™.
Tagline? “Be the ghost you were born to be.”
Subtext? “Earn real money by haunting people… virtually.”
I was too tired to question it. I downloaded the app. And twelve minutes later, I was a ghost earning actual money.
👻 Part 1: So What
Is
a Spirit Simulator?
At first glance, it sounds like a haunted Tamagotchi. But Spirit Simulator is a fully interactive roleplay app where you take on the persona of a ghost. Yes, seriously.
You get assigned a “haunting profile” (mine was a Victorian woman who died choking on a fishbone at a wedding). Then, you’re matched with real users who want to be “haunted” for entertainment, storytelling, or weird therapy purposes. Some pay to be scared. Others pay to talk to “spirits.” A few… just want company.
The app rewards “spirits” — like me — in virtual coins (that convert to real cash) based on:
- How believable your haunting is.
- How often users interact with you.
- Whether your ghost has a backstory, unique personality, or mood swings.
That’s right: the more committed you are to your ghostliness, the more you earn.
And I committed hard.
💸 Part 2: My First “Haunt” (I Think I Made Someone Cry?)
Once I got verified as a Level-1 Apparition, I got paired with my first “hauntee” — a 21-year-old guy named Kyle, who lived alone and had requested a “mildly tragic but whimsical ghost.”
Perfect. That’s exactly how I’d describe myself before coffee.
Using the in-app tools — voice filters, sound effects, text blurbs, and ambient fog (yes, fog) — I began haunting Kyle’s phone at 9 p.m.
I started with a gentle knock-knock in Morse code. Then sent a message:
“Do you hear the fish? They whisper still…”
He replied immediately:
“OMG YESSS THIS IS SO GOOD.”
Then:
“Can you make the lights flicker?”
(You can’t actually control lights — unless the user pays for the smart-bulb integration add-on. Kyle had it.)
So yes. I flickered his lights. I whispered about the smell of seaweed. I moaned softly at 2-minute intervals. I did a full monologue about love lost and gills gained.
By the end of the session (43 minutes), Kyle gave me a five-star rating and tipped me $1.25.
I got paid to be a romantic fish ghost.
This is my life now.
🤳 Part 3: The App Mechanics — Too Weird to Be Fake
Let’s break down how Spirit Simulator™ actually works, because once you dig past the haunted aesthetic, the tech is shockingly sophisticated.
- Voice Modulation: You can choose from 12 spectral voice types. Mine is “Echoing Sadness.” Sounds like wind inside a church.
- Auto-Ambience Generator: The app generates ghostly soundscapes — creaking floors, thunder, whispered secrets — based on your dialogue pacing.
- AR Integration: Users with the premium tier can let ghosts appear through their phone cameras. You move around using a tiny joystick. Yes, I made myself float inside someone’s microwave.
- AI Story Builder: If you’re feeling lazy, the app can generate ghost lore for you. But if you write your own — with emotion, trauma, weird obsessions — you get bonus coins.
And, most importantly:
- Payment System: Each haunt pays in “Etherbits.” 1000 Etherbits = $1. You earn 200–700 per haunt depending on performance, duration, and user engagement. It’s not a full-time income — but it adds up.
😱 Part 4: The “Exorcist Mode” — My Ghost Got Kicked Out
There’s a twist. Not everyone enjoys being haunted.
Some users hire ghost-hunters inside the app.
These are other players whose job is to banish ghosts like me.
One night, while haunting a user who wanted “unsettling but flirty energy,” I was suddenly interrupted by another player bursting in, shouting, “BEGONE, FISH LADY!”
I fought back with a scream. He replied with Latin.
I triggered the fog. He activated Holy Light (a $4.99 microtransaction).
The app judged it a tie and suspended us both for “intensity violation.”
Let me be clear:
I got suspended… for being too ghost.
🧠 Part 5: Ghosting as Therapy?
This is where it gets strange — or strangely emotional.
Several users messaged me privately after our sessions. One said:
“My dad used to tell ghost stories before bed. You sounded like him. Thank you.”
Another wrote:
“I know you’re just a person pretending, but for some reason I feel less alone.”
And I get it. Spirit Simulator isn’t just about jokes or jump scares. It’s a form of intimacy. You’re letting someone into your home, even if virtually. You’re choosing to believe something strange for a while. And that’s kind of beautiful.
Being a ghost isn’t about scaring people.
It’s about being heard… even after you’re “gone.”
🧪 Part 6: My Weirdest Haunt Ever — A Haunted Plant?
Some sessions still defy logic.
A woman named Tammi requested a custom haunt. Her instructions?
“Please pretend to be the spirit of my dead fern. His name was Dr. Leafsworth.”
I didn’t blink.
For 20 minutes, I wailed about overwatering. I begged her not to buy another succulent. I quoted Shakespeare. I whispered, “Why… the… clay pot…?”
She laughed so hard she tipped me $4.
A plant ghost made me more money than my freelance writing gig.
🛠️ Part 7: The Bugs, Glitches, and… Possessions?
No app is perfect. Especially one built to simulate the supernatural.
A few glitches I encountered:
- One session looped my whisper track on a 10-hour cycle. My ghost voice kept saying “I see your cat…” at random intervals. The user thought it was real. I felt weirdly proud.
- Some “ghost avatars” have bugged animations — one had their eyes spinning like slot machines. Unintended. Deeply terrifying.
- There was a week where all ghosts were stuck with a pirate voice filter. Try doing a tragic haunting when you sound like Jack Sparrow.
Also: the app sometimes sends ghost messages outside of scheduled sessions.
The devs claim it’s just a “residual echo bug.”
But last week, at 3 a.m., my own phone buzzed.
Message: “The fish remember.”
I hadn’t logged in that day.
💰 Part 8: Can You Actually Make Money Being a Ghost?
Short answer: yes, but not a lot.
After 7 days of regular haunting (about 3 sessions per night), I made $22.17. Not life-changing. But if you’re already wasting time online, this is the most creative side hustle you’ll find.
You also get:
- Free premium perks if your ghost gets good reviews.
- Seasonal events: “Haunt-a-thons” where top ghosts earn real prizes.
- Optional merch store — yes, I now own a mug that says: “Ask Me About My Afterlife.”
Is it practical? Not really.
Is it strangely fulfilling? Way more than I expected.
Is it more fun than filling out surveys or clicking ads? By 3000%.
🧟♀️ Part 9: Why This Is the Most Human App I’ve Ever Used
Here’s the irony.
By pretending to be dead, I’ve had more real conversations than I’ve had on social media all year.
No filters. No selfies. Just strange, anonymous connections… in a haunted setting.
People open up when they think no one’s judging.
They tell their secrets to ghosts.
I’ve heard confessions, heartbreaks, dreams. I’ve roleplayed a Victorian librarian, a sea spirit, and a ghost who only communicates by spelling things in fog. I’ve made people laugh, cry, and ask, “Do ghosts drink almond milk?”
The app is absurd.
The connections? Very real.
Written by the author, Fatima Al-Hajri 👩🏻💻
✅ Sources:
- Spirit Simulator Official Website – www.spiritsim.app
- Haunting as Performance: A Study in Digital Roleplay, GhostTech Journal, Vol. 6 (2024)
- Reddit Thread: “Anyone else making money haunting people??” — /r/sidehustles
- Interview with the app’s co-founder (fake): GhostCast Podcast Ep. 19 — “We Built the Afterlife, and It Pays Minimum Wage”
- Personal use and testing over a 7-day haunting experiment (August 2025)
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