Why I returned to The Sims after a long break

Imagine that. You’re 14 years old and your body is in the difficult phase between child and adult, lanky limbs, pimples and one breast bigger than the other (the latter may not be a universal experience). You never had a video game console as a kid – you were a book and board game family – but recently got a PC program called ” The Sims. After much pleading, your mother graciously buys it for you. You put the disc in your very big, very hot and very noisy family computer and enter another world.

With the ability to create and customize custom Sim people and houses, the possibilities are endless. You create unique Sim characters for your town, some with unruly red hair and a penchant for rummaging through trash cans, others completely bald with an exclusive wardrobe of Hawaiian shirts. Pour yourself a bowl of cereal at your leisure and let your pair of Sims go to bed and woo-hoo (that’s Simlish for getting to know each other in the bare/biblical sense) over and over again. You have few friends in real life – you’re a teenager with books and board games – but when you’re in this simulated world, it doesn’t matter.

Understood? Great. Now imagine that. It’s 20 years later and you’re playing again The Sims. Is this an indication of an intrinsically cool personality or goals in life? The answer is both and that person is me. So while I casually get my Sim to neglect their child who I find annoying in the hopes that childcare will take them away, I’m wondering why this game isn’t talked about more. With the release of countless movies and movies based on games including the critically acclaimed one The last of us, why not my lover sims get the same recognition?

As I understand it, most video games have clear goals: a mission that you must take on, be it winning a race or a long journey full of challenges. The Sims is fun, precisely because there are not real goals especially when you have the easily accessible cheat codes so your sims have unlimited funds and don’t have to do gross stuff like work. It’s like playing with dolls as an adult, only probably less pathetic! And with no goals or mission, you have full autonomy to play how you want. You can’t be a loser if there’s nothing to gain (I’m saying this out loud to a mirror.)

After a long hiatus I’ve rediscovered the joys of this game and I think more people should get involved too. You can waste hours designing a dream home with teal bathrooms and a 70’s themed talk pit, or create a Sim that looks just like Julianne Moore. Could those hours be spent doing other tasks and responsibilities? Sure, but look! Juliannes Dance.

During the global mental breakdown known as “the year 2020”, I purchased several expansion packs that allow my Sims to transform into mermaids, vampires or werewolves. Modern psychology emphasizes the importance of tapping into our inner child and sense of play for greater creativity and relaxation. This is a surefire way, even letting your Sims drown in swimming pools when you’re bored. It’s only playtime!

A fun element of The Sims is the number of musicians who have re-recorded their songs on Simlish that can be played on in-game radios and speakers: Kimbra, Depeche Mode, Jessica Mauboy, My Chemical Romance, and my personal favourite, Nelly. According to online sources like the probably very credible Daily Rap Facts dot com, Nelly dubbed his 2002 hit Hot in Lord with an added R to emphasize the fact that it’s really, really hot. We assume it was this creative open-mindedness that encouraged the Sims developers to reach out to him to record his song in gibberish.