My Sims Addiction

I have loved the Sims since it first came out 13 years ago back in 2000. I remember sitting in front of a giant CRT monitor for HOURS designing sims, houses, and living vicariously through my little digital friends. By today’s standards it was pretty crude, in terms of graphics and gameplay. But at the time, it was quite revolutionary.

I can hear the die-hard MMORPG geeks guffawing. The dude-bro COD’ers rolling their eyes. The FPS naysayers naysaying. But the Sims is something that every gamer can enjoy. Hear me out.

True, the games aren’t terribly violent or risque. The closest thing to scandalous is when your sims “woo hoo” aka make sweet sweet love to one another. But the game is truly engrossing and I for one have spent hundreds (and hundreds) of hours over the last 13 years playing it. I’ve also been suckered into spending $100s and $100s on expansion packs. And what’s worse, with every major iteration (the Sims 2, 3, and coming soon, 4) EA essentially releases the same add-on content over again. And I pay for it – again! What a sucker!

But it’s all worth it, because it is one of my favorite games of all time (in reality, 100s of mini games). And here’s why:

– You can be anybody, literally – the Sims took player customization to the extreme, before it was popular. In early versions you could customize your avatar (or “Sim”). Male, female, young, old, you pick. Eye color, hair color, wardrobe – you were in control. Later versions added supernatural creatures from genies to ferries to vampires, even zombies. More age groups were added, more facial styles, more body types, gay and straight. I can’t think of a game with more character customization options

– It is truly open ended, winning is how you define it – The Sims is great because there is no single definition of”winning” (Sorry, Charlie Sheen!). There are no quests, no boss levels, no grand finale. The game continually evolves and changes as you play, and as you add expansion packs. Your characters progress through their teen years, college years, careers, family years, and an infinite number of activities and hobbies. Sometimes they drown or get electrocuted or just die of old age. But it’s ok, you just re-load and play again or create new characters. This is why it’s easy to play for 100s and 100s of hours – since you never “win”, the game never ends.

– Cheaters are rewarded – I won’t lie, I love cheat codes. In fact I’d rather play a PC game vs the same title on Xbox simply for the ability to use God mode and infinite money. The Sims is ok if you want to play the honest way, making a few lousy simoleons here and there as you climb the professional ladder. But its better if you cheat. The world becomes infinitely more interesting when you have unlimited dollars. Want that 10,000 simoleon painting for your swanky sim condo? Buy it! Want a fountain of youth for your tropical hacienda? Go for it! Want a transporter for your futuristic ultra-modern mansion? Get it! Really, cheating is OK and lets you explore more of the game.

– Everybody is welcome – The Sims has so many character attributes, personalities, professions, hobbies, and lifestyles that you will never feel like an outcast. Want to create an urban yuppie businessman who loves gardening? Great, do it. Want to create a burnout aspiring juggler slash karaoke bar singer who enjoys video games? OK! Ever wanted to live the life of a suave lady killer living a life of luxury while “woo-hooing” your way around town? Great! The fact is, everybody is represented in the game. And all adult sims can fall in love, be good, be evil, clumsy, brilliant, narcoleptic, kleptomaniac, tidy, or slobby.

If somehow you get bored with the 1000s of objects and character customizations in the game, no problem! There are fan sites dedicated to fan-created content (some free, some paid). Just about anything you can dream up, you can download and do in the Sims. I once built a working prison with custom content, complete with guard towers, working cell doors, cameras and the oh-so-convenient toilet/sink combos.

The latest expansion pack for the Sims 3, “Into the Future” releases in January and promises some exciting new gadgets and game play: create custom Simbots, strap on a teleportation suit, and even ride a hoverboard. It’s like Back to the Future, for Sims!

You can learn more at www.thesims3.com and if you haven’t ever tried the Sims, you are missing out!