The Sims (software)
The Sims is a life-simulation video game series that revolutionized the genre when it was first released in 2000. Developed by Will Wright and initially published by Maxis and later by Electronic Arts (EA), the game allows players to create and control virtual people, known as Sims, in an open-ended environment without predefined objectives. The Sims quickly gained popularity, breaking sales records and becoming the best-selling game for several years. The franchise includes multiple sequels and expansion packs, offering players a variety of customization options and gameplay enhancements.
Notably, The Sims has appealed to a diverse audience, particularly attracting a significant number of female gamers, and has expanded the traditional gaming demographic. The series has sold over 125 million units worldwide and has been translated into 60 languages, establishing itself as one of the best-selling video game franchises in history. Subsequent installments, like The Sims 2, 3, and 4, introduced new features and graphics, although they have also faced scrutiny and mixed reactions from fans regarding changes and omissions. Overall, The Sims remains a significant cultural phenomenon within the gaming industry, celebrated for its unique approach to storytelling and gameplay.
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The Sims (software)
Date: First game released in 2000
The Sims pioneered and popularized the life-simulation genre of video games. The game broke sales records in 2002, surpassing Myst as the highest-selling game of all time. As one of the first video games to develop an open-ended and nonlinear model of gameplay, The Sims attracted audiences outside of the standard gaming populace, becoming especially popular with female gamers.
The Sims franchise includes The Sims (2000), The Sims 2 (2004), The Sims 3 (2009), and The Sims 4 (2014), as well as a number of associated expansion packs and ports (a recreated version of the game for other platforms). Several spin-off titles were also released, such as The Sims Online, a massively multiplayer online game, and The Sims Stories, a version of the game developed specifically for lower-end systems such as laptops.
Game designer Will Wright built a prototype of the game in 1993, working with programmer Jamie Doornbos to develop a behavioral engine that would drive the Sims’ actions and determine how Sims would interact with their environment based on eight “needs,” such as hunger and hygiene. Wright’s coworkers at Maxis were initially skeptical of releasing a game with no clear objectives and no scripted plotline, but when Electronic Arts bought out Maxis in 1997, they cited The Sims concept as one of the primary reasons for the acquisition.
When The Sims was released in February 2000, it exceeded all sales expectations, becoming the best-selling game for four out of five years following its release. Electronic Arts then began producing expansion packs for the game, adding new items and elements based on fan feedback. By 2004, The Sims and its seven expansion packs had sold more than 41 million copies, and The Sims was one of the most expanded games on the market. With The Sims 2 and The Sims 3, the game’s developers introduced 3D graphics, an aspiration system with reward points, increased options to customize content, and other improvements. The Sims 3 broke sales records in 2009, selling more than 1.4 million units in its first week. The Sims 4 generated controversy among fans when the developers revealed that this installment would lack some of the features that had appeared in previous games, such as the "toddler" life stage and implementation of schools and workplaces for Sims. However, upon its release in September 2014, the game sold 408,150 copies in the first four hours, becoming the first PC game to top video game sales charts since 2012.
Impact
In the twelve years following its release, The Sims games sold more than 125 million units worldwide and have been translated into sixty different languages, making the series one of the best-selling video games of all time. In addition to record-breaking sales, the open-ended gameplay of The Sims has attracted fans outside of the traditional gaming community. With nearly 60 percent of Sims users being women, the game’s user-generated narrative structure expanded the typical demographic for video games.
Bibliography
Daily News Staff. “Women Really Click with The Sims.” Daily News. NYDailyNews.com, 16 Apr. 2008. Web. 29 July 2012.
Kosak, Dave. “Will Wright Speaks Simlish.” GameSpy. GameSpy.com, 27 Feb. 2005. Web. 11 July 2012.
Martin, Liam. "The Sims 4 Becomes First PC Game to Top All-Format Chart in Two Years." Digital Spy. Digital Spy, 8 Sept. 2014. Web. 11 Feb. 2015.
Reid-Walsh, Jacqueline. “The Sims.” Girl Culture: An Encyclopedia. Ed. Claudia Mitchell and Jacqueline Reid-Walsh. Westport: Greenwood, 2008. Print.