Well...where to begin? When I first heard of The Sims, about 10 years ago, it really didn't sound like a game that would appeal to me. And this is coming from someone who plays a LOT of PC games. I knew a few people who were playing it, and apparently the game was very addictive... but seriously? A game that just lets you lead a bunch of ordinary people through their ordinary lives? Come on.
Being an amateur game developer, I recently read a book on game design theory, which included an analysis of The Sims, as well as an interview with designer Wil Wright. I had been trying to ignore The Sims for nearly a decade, but after reading Wright's insights into how and why the game was designed, I was definitely intrigued. Of course, I knew The Sims was already in its third incarnation, and the franchise was practically a household name.
I started with The Sims 2 and played it tentatively. I found it a bit depressing at first: I made the mistake of creating a Sim just like myself - a self-employed man in his 30s, living alone. It didn't seem too interesting. Then I restarted the game and included my girlfriend, and I was much happier.
I wanted to see what my life would be like if my girlfriend and I got married, so I used The Sims 2 to simulate that. I didn't get any of the expansion packs, and after our first child was born, I eventually lost interest.
Reviews of The Sims 3 piqued my interest though, and eventually I picked it up too. The changes were a bit jarring at first, but I quickly began playing it almost non-stop. When my first Sim died and I found myself in tears, I seriously began to wonder if I had a problem!
Eventually, I grabbed Ambitions and World Adventures. I think it was Ambitions that got me truly hooked on The Sims 3. I loved the idea of having a free-form job that eliminated the monotony of the usual careers.
I've played out many different scenarios: single characters, a single father and his teenage daughter, a reclusive artist, a hippy gardener
and her surgeon girlfriend, a pair of green-skinned "aliens"... the possibilities seem endless. I hope to do some blogging about the more interesting Sims in the future.
These days, I consider The Sims 3 to be my most embarassing addiction. I'm totally in love with the game, but I rarely speak of it with my friends. And most people I hear discussing it on the internet forums seem to be teenagers. At age 36, I feel a little out of place.
I found this website because most of my Google searches for Sims 3 help lead me here.
I hope to be an active poster here in the future! Thanks for reading my story.
