Genre: Social Simulation
Year: 2000
Developed by: Maxis
Published by: Electronic Arts
Platforms: PC, Mac, PS2, Gamecube, Xbox
#191
Feeling Like: Living Large
I am neither prepared, nor worthy enough to discuss the Sims as a franchise. It is a behemoth, selling 200 million copies across 4 games and countless expansion packs. Those that play the Sims REALLY play it and the quality of the games justify that fervor. Even scouring the internet for reminders got my heart racing and the temptation to dive into the most recent iteration was sky high.
While the fundamental concept isn’t anything new, the execution was unlike anything I’d ever seen. It’s a simulation game where you play… a person! Well, a Sim. Sort of the same thing. To say I was addicted in the summer of 2000 is an understatement. It’s one of the few games that hooked nearly everybody I knew, gamers and non-gamers alike. The mechanics are so easy to understand that almost anybody can dive in immediately and start their ideal, fake life.
Within moderate reason, you could make your house and your Sim do almost anything. There are basic needs to be met which does take a chunk of time, but isn’t that like real life anyway? Which furniture goes where and being able to afford a new shower was exciting as an adolescent, I can’t even imagine how much fun I’d have with this as I nudge closer to 40. Yes, lame things like interior decorating or a new bathroom excite me but this series is proof I’m not alone.
The social interactions led to some very funny scenarios. My buddy Dave spent hours on the computer when I wasn’t and eventually charmed my digital partner over to his side of the street! I hollered across the GNS cafeteria, “YOU STOLE MY WIFE!” which resulted in a lot of puzzled looks and a few nervous laughs. “SHE LIKES ME BETTER!” When you’re a teenager in high school, these types of random, consequence free conflicts are a welcome respite against the backdrop of stress and tests.
There was a week in July where my entire family was out of town. At sixteen I wasn’t quite trusted to take care of myself, so I stayed with Dobbo on Laren Road. I lugged my PC out there and we proceeded to play an unhealthy amount of The Sims right next to each other. Pizza and sodas were most of our nutrition and we capped off the evenings by watching late night trash. The amount of damage we inflicted on our bodies was mitigated by the fact that we didn’t care and wouldn’t have to worry about things like calories or general health for quite some time.
It’s all sort of a blur. I know I was instantly, insatiably addicted. I wanted to have multiple saves at the same time, roleplaying several potential lives on the go. I got attached to various rooms and frequently fantasized about adding additional rooms to the house, how big they’d be, how I’d decorate them. Stuff I would have never even given a second thought if it wasn’t in video game form. Trying to build relationships, make it to bed before passing out in the street and making as much money as possible all offered their own unique challenges. Time management was key, but it’s also very easy to bend that challenge when you can speed or slow down the clock.
If only.
I never touched another Sims game after this one and I don’t really know why. This may be the most 2000’s looking game ever, but the simplicity of the concept, the depth of the choices you made and the personal connection I made to my Sims and their cool houses eclipses most other life simulations I’d played before or since.
The 500 