The Sims
The Sims is a popular video game franchise developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts (EA), centering around simulated life where players control virtual characters known as Sims. Since its debut in 2000, the series has allowed players to create and customize their Sims, manage their daily needs, and shape their lives through various goals such as careers, relationships, and hobbies. The franchise has been notable for introducing same-sex relationships, a fictional currency called Simoleons, and a unique fictional language known as Simlish.
Throughout its history, The Sims has expanded significantly through numerous sequels and expansion packs, each adding new gameplay elements, traits, and experiences, including genetics in The Sims 2 and story progression in The Sims 3. Players often enhance their gameplay with modifications, or mods, and use cheats to manipulate their Sims' lives, adding a layer of creativity and freedom. The Sims games are primarily available on personal computers, with some titles also accessible on consoles and mobile devices. The franchise has resonated with diverse audiences, offering an open-ended experience that caters to a wide range of play styles, from structured goal-setting to chaotic, unstructured gameplay.
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The Sims
The Sims is a video game franchise published by Electronic Arts (EA). The series was developed by the studio Maxis and features simulated life games in which the player makes decisions for the virtual characters, known as Sims. Various versions provide different levels of control over the characters. The Sims franchise has been credited with a number of firsts, including introducing same-sex relationships, a fictional currency, and a fictional language. Players have the option of further enhancing play through the use of hundreds of modifications, or mods, that can be created and shared. Many players make regular use of cheats, which allow them to avoid everyday life concerns, such as household bills and even death. Cheats can add money to a character’s coffers, give a pregnant Sim triplets, and turn Sims into ghosts. While Sims games are commonly played on personal computers, some titles have been released on consoles and mobile devices.
Brief History
During the 1980s, American video game designer Will Wright was designing the landscape for a game called Raid on Bungeling Bay when he realized he much preferred building to blowing things up. He took this idea, played around with it, and finally created SimCity, an open-ended video game series. However, with no winning conclusion and no clear goal, video game publishers did not see a market for such. Wright got it published in 1989 after he cofounded the game studio Maxis with entrepreneur Jeff Braun. The SimCity games involve building cities from undeveloped lots. Characters within the game live in the city, but the primary focus is on construction, not character interaction. The award-winning SimCity broke one million sales in 1992, but it was followed up with several less-successful titles. In 1997, Maxis was acquired by EA.
In 1991, Wright was facing a difficult period in his life. He lost his home in the Oakland-Berkeley firestorm, a massive fire that killed twenty-five people and destroyed thousands of homes. While contemplating his losses, Wright began to develop a new idea for a video game. In this series, players could build homes from the ground up. They would then populate them with characters that go about their daily lives. The ease with which the characters lived in the homes would essentially provide a score for how successful the player was.
The Sims debuted on February 4, 2000. The open-ended game allowed players to set goals and determine the course of their Sims’ lives. Players were able to build both structures and characters, giving their Sims personalities and skills, choosing their appearance, and guiding them through relationships and careers. Players were expected to take care of Sims’ eight basic needs—hunger, energy, comfort, fun, hygiene, social, bladder, and environment—to prevent the characters from sinking into depression or dying. The Sims was also one of the first video games to feature same-sex couples, a feature that has continued throughout the series.
Within six months, Maxis released an expansion pack to meet the players’ demands for more content. The Sims: Livin’ Large had Sims facing off against aliens and roaches. It also introduced characters such as the Grim Reaper and Sunny the Tragic Clown and offered additional career options, including talk show host and unidentified flying object (UFO) investigator.
Overview
The games included a fictional language, Simlish, and a fictional currency, Simoleons. Players began with a budget of 20,000 Simoleons in build mode. They could purchase a lot and build a house or buy a house and move in. Players furnished their homes by shopping from more than 150 items in the first game. Expansion packs significantly extended this option.
Players also chose to set life goals, such as career, family, social, and hobbies or skills. They could devote time or cheats to furthering a Sim’s career, developing a wide social circle, becoming a gourmet chef, or having children—even multiple babies at a time. Players also had the option of letting Sims live lives of directionless chaos.
Much of the fun of The Sims series comes from building characters. Players can choose from a number of personality traits, such as mean/nice and shy/outgoing. With the 2004 release of The Sims 2, players also gained five aspirations: fortune, popularity, knowledge, romance, and creativity. The Sims 2 also introduced new buildings, design options, and hundreds of new objects. Subsequent expansion packs offered fashion and lifestyle upgrades. The game also added genetics to the family-making mix. While in the first version of the game, a Sim could give birth to a baby that looked nothing like either parent, Sims 2 babies inherited some of their parents’ traits, including elements of personality.
The Sims 3, introduced in June 2009, added greater variety to gameplay. Sims could experience more unexpected events and encounters. Players had more options to develop character traits by using the new wishes system to work toward goals and rewards. The new entry in the franchise further broke the rules of real life with the expansion pack, The Sims 3: Into the Future, which allowed Sims to jump through a time portal. Players could use the Dragon Valley add-on to send elven Sims to a fantasy world where they could raise baby dragons as pets.
The Sims 3 also introduced an optional feature called story progression. Using this feature, any Sims in a player’s neighborhood will carry on with their lives while the player is focusing elsewhere. They can meet new people, have children, and die.
For the development of The Sims 4, designers took fan requests into consideration. Players wanted Sims that had large personalities with new emotions, traits, behaviors, and interactions. Build mode also added a new flexibility to home construction, allowing players to adjust wall height and add smart windows, among other features. While the 2014 version brought improvements, many players missed what was left out. Houses no longer had pools or basements, and neighborhood locations such as schools, work, and grocery stores were wiped off the map. With the introduction of new game packs, the missing features were patched in.
Though The Sims franchise is designed to allow players to set their own goals, or none at all, a 2003 console version provided players with a mission mode. Get a Life required a Sim to work to complete tasks that would allow them to move out of their mother’s house. Another console game, The Urbz: Sims in the City, was the first Sims game with a weather system.
To celebrate The Sims twenty-fifth anniversary, Electronic Arts re-released The Sims and The Sims 2, along with their respective expansion packs. In January 2025, three kits were released to celebrate the anniversary: Secret Sanctuary, Casanova Cave, and Comfy Gamer. Additionally, in October 2024, the Life & Death expansion pack for The Sims 4 was released. This version explored themes of legacy, grief, and the supernatural.
Bibliography
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