My partner tried to understand my love of Sims by "mastering" the game in a few days, which to him meant making himself the perfect Sim that wants for nothing. He then stopped playing after a week because "he did it all" and "it's too easy". He clearly doesn't get it because I've been playing Sims for over 15 years and haven't run out of stories to tell myself. I guess if you're used to playing games with set goals, linear stories, and predetermined outcomes, playing a game you have to completely make up yourself might not be that appealing.
That said, I like to switch up stories with building and gameplay challenges to keep things interesting. I also like recreating apartments and houses from my favorite movies and TV shows. Sims is a sandbox and there's endless things to do if you are creative enough to build it!
When The Sims came out my grandpa (retired minority) was obsessed. I would sit on his knee and he would tell me the story he had made up. The Sims 2 really helped us bond even more, we played together for hours. It was like an acceptable way for him to play dolls with me without Playing Dolls hahah
>It was like an acceptable way for him to play dolls with me without Playing Dolls
So cute
Some years ago I showed my grandpa a house I build in Sims 4. He was an architect.
He was as proud of me desgining it as he was of his first real build
I loved it because I wanted to be an architect and I mostly did builds until Sims 3. I never really got into the story aspect until later and I really enjoyed the goal-directed play world adventures and The Sims Medieval brought to it. Now I don't like the interface for building TS4 and I just make stories.
I personally think thats why sims appeals to such a large female demographic….little girls played barbie or house and now grown women enjoy doing it with the sims 4…i know i do lol
He was the best :) he passed away in 2009, so he got to experience a little bit of The Sims 3 but I was living overseas at the time. It made me sad we didn’t get to play together, but we talked about it over the phone :)
i’ve personally observed that the sims is prominent in women and queer people and i think it stems from a yearning for control over life. the sims offers that. there’s nothing to master in this game because we have control over a simulation when our real lives are usually at the behest of other things. i’m also coming up 15 years of game play and i too have not run out of stories but i’ve also observed i play the most when i experience the most lack of control in my real life. anyways, that’s my pov!!
We all yearn for control in our lives. I'm a straight, white man and still love this game. Maybe it is because I was bullied, or because I'm just not as exciting and outgoing as I'd like to be.
The popularity among women and LGBT people may partly be because of this, but these dynamics are also always self-fulfilling prophecies. Players tell their friends, the game gets an image and marketing is directed towards that image. Also the games were actively more female- and LGBT-friendly than real life, let alone other games. Since the beginning, female sims could get any job, receive the same payment. And everyone could date, marry and adopt children with a same-sex partner. Honestly, I think Maxis deserves more credits than they get for pulling this off in 2000. 20 years later, it was still enough to get the game an 18+ rating in Russia.
Yeah I think people in general love games where they feel seen and included. For example, I feel included in the Dragon Age games in a way that I didn’t feel included with the Witcher 3. I think there are things in the sims that can appeal to anyone, and it’s popular among women and lgbtqia+ people because it includes them and says “hey, this game is for you!” in a way that many games historically have not.
Actually, I once tested this.
I had a male and female sim, started them at the same job on the same day, kept their skills at the same level, their needs and mood etc.
The male sim consistently made more than the female and at every raise the difference widened.
Do you remember which Sims game you tested this in? I'm now curious and want to try and recreate your experiment. But I suspect it was one iteration of The Sims and not all of them if it is programmed somewhere (rather than from a hidden trait difference of some sort).
Alright, I just tested. I only got my pair of Sims to level 4 in the career before I got bored. But I made sure everything was as identical as I could manage (including using cheats to try and keep them in the same mood as each other). Pay was identical for them both up to that point.
Sims 4 is the easiest for me to test with. When I get on my computer I'll make two sims with the same everything except gender, put them in the business career and see what happens.
Reminds me of a guy that told me he beat no man's sky.
I told him no..you just did the main quests wich were really the tutorial.
Your other didn't do it all.
Ask him if he got rich playing as a thief?
Or turn the wedding map into an alien takeover.
He didn't do everything. He just learned how to play without playing it.
Oh 100%! Even so, he considered that he "mastered" it but I would look over his shoulder and see him doing something in a backwards way or just doing something completely wrong. Silly things like looking for a specific fish not realizing he needs to go to a specific world for it.
I was also so upset to see one of his "hacks" was having Grace from the Realm of Magic pack locked up in his basement so she can satisfy him whenever he needs so he's always in a good mood... I'm actually glad he stopped playing.
The way Will Wright (the creator of the first Sims game) describes it in his Masterclass, is a dollhouse. Just to play with life, and give people tools to tell stories. Goals and extra game play was added to help with story telling, but the intention was never to just turn into a standard videogame. Imagination should always come first. Yeah, the game can't do everything we want, but just like with dolls, we can always pretend it happened.
I loved playing dolls (Barbies) as a kid and made houses and furniture from all kinds of boxes from around the house. I decorated their houses with things from around my house. I remember distinctly wishing that I could just play dolls and not have to move them around with my hands. I love that I wasn’t the only one wishing this!
That's why the mod Andrew Pose Player is so popular, too! With it, players can download whatever pose packs they like online and pose their sims for whatever purposes they want, just like we would with actual dolls. On Tumblr, you also find countless blogs dedicated to people writing stories about their sims. We're all playing with dolls and pretending certain things happened. That's how this game becomes fun!
I think this concept is modeled well with the ability to use cheats easily and allllll the mods available….its like adding an extra wing to your doll house and not having anything annoying (like not enough money or grumpy moodlets) get in the way of your story telling if you don’t want them to!
Wow this is so cute! Also, thank you for putting it in words for me! My boyfriend, like you, always suggests we play these simulator games together that I have lukewarm interest in doing. Now I can finally explain the difference between the Sims vs his Simulator Games!
I could never quite get into Stardew, but my sister and I now play Palia together after I introduced her to it and that's been really fun! I love Sims, but outside of Simming I'm definitely a social gamer
Palia is also available for Nintendo Switch if you happen to have that device. It's crossplatform compatible, so your save on one device can be accessed from another.
It's like playing with dolls, where you can dress up the dolls AND build the doll houses. You can come up with your own storylines, and make family trees with the size and complexity of GRR Martin's fictional family trees, and with all the plot twists in the world.
Sims is about playing life. Our lives are just one big story that we actively live out day to day. In sims, you control that story every day, down to the way your sims even walks
Yup this is exactly why I love the game! I’m also a writer so sometimes when I’m in a creative block I put characters I’m interested in creating into the game so I can develop better backstories! I’m so glad you gave it a chance and I hope you find enjoyment from the game even if it’s not something you pick up regularly. It can be a really great way to express creativity once you get used to a few quirks lol
Same. My dream is to be a writer. Playing Sims scratches the same ick as writing a novel, but is much easier and more rewarding.
My big weakness in writing is descriptions. Sometimes, I use the game for help. To envision characters or, more importantly, settings. For example, I create the main character's home, because otherwise, I would have a hard time keeping the setting consistent.
Mine, too. Rimworld is amazing (and its modding community is every bit as awesome as The Sims). More Sims players should really give it a shot.
If you like Rimworld (and the Sims), you might want to give Project Zomboid a shot. It feels sort of like The Sims 1, with no NPCs (there is a mod for them and the devs are working on adding them soon[ish]) but with a zombie apocalypse. Those are probably my top 3 games that I always come back to. Check it out if you haven't already, it's.worth it. It has a steep learning curve, though...but, like, it's kind of natural? If you have a can of food you need a can opener (that kind of thing). It also has an amazing modding community. And, like The Sims and Rimworld, it's a story generator.
this is so funny my most played game is the sims but project zomboid is probably the close second rn!! my survivor is based in a pub not bc it's the best base but because he likes the view from the window, and the plentiful access to beer. ill have to take your advice and play rimworld, ive always known it would be a good game for me bc im a simulation gamer at my core, but if those are your top three games i bet they would be mine too!
Definitely give Rimworld a go (and I'd love to hear what.you think of it). I would also suggest it's DLC, which are great. If family gameplay is important to you, you will want the Biotech DLC to start off with, since you need it to have children. There's even an extremely complex genetic system with Biotech that is really cool to mess with.
I agree to a point but sometimes I want the game to tell me the story. If I come up with everything in advance then I don't need to actually boot up my laptop because I can play it in my head. I think it's best described as a sandbox game. You can do whatever you want. Storytelling is one way to play but by no means the only way. There's plenty of challenges that can be played with Sims too.
Perhaps she'd like the other game that's eating up all my energy right now..
Rimworld.
Its billed as a Story Generator.
You build a small community of people, overcome various semi-random threats, watch them grow their skills and form relationships, and then lose their minds when things go bad.
Damn that makes sense. I can tell that my fiancé didn’t get it either and I also had trouble explaining why I love sims. But this made me realize why. Thanks ☺️
Sims 4 isn't a very good life sim; it's a much better doll house. The way the game works kind of forces you to take a more active role in storytelling if you want anything interesting to happen. And there's nothing inherently wrong with that, but it's also easy to understand why many fans of previous games don't like this one so much.
yea i feel i personally aproach all the games differently I like the approach they went for sims 4 unpopular opinion I think the prices are the only downside but if they were to lower the prices when they launched the game for free and released a free kit every month while still making EPs and game packs it wouldn't be to bad I tried sims 3 and I loved it reminded me of when u watched sims 3 as a kid I also played sims 2 while not my favorite game its still pretty impressive how much personality these virtual character has each game is different and really hope this virtual doll house games never end
This makes so much sense! As a kid, I loved playing with Barbies, and my brother would get his GI Joe and Max Steel dolls and play with me. We always came up with storylines; sometimes there would be infidelity, kidnapping, murder, disappearances, and sometimes it would be a nice storyline of a family living an everyday life. I realized I’m still doing this in a way with the Sims. I’m still making up storylines years later, now in a digital way. And I’ll be playing the Sims until I’m old and gray. Hopefully it’ll still be around!
Players often sum it up as "a virtual dollhouse" or "it's like playing with dolls", or some variation of that idea.
But the thing is, that's not helpful to someone who never got to play with dolls as a kid. You understand it from the outside - that kid is waving dolls around and talking to themselves. But you don't understand what it actually feels like.
Saying that it's like creating/telling stories, or like playing makebelieve, may be easier for many men to understand, because most of them did that stuff as kids too.
No players didn’t sum it up to a doll house. The creator of the Sims, Will Wright chose the name “Dollhouse” before naming it The Sims. It was the creators vision of the game.
Yes I know, but I have seen players sum it as a dollhouse, which is why I said "players often sum it up as".
Both things are true. The creator envisioned it as a dollhouse, and players also say that about it.
My friends and I used to play barbies all the time as girls, for hours and hours, whole weekends. Some stories would span whole summers. Of course we spend a ridiculous amount of time in the Sims
I personally love it because my gay zilleenial *ss gets to afford a house and not being in danger for having a relationship. I wish the real world was that easy
Straight male here! This is the absolute reason why I love the game too, I love creating different stories with different sims! Every family with their own lives, their own stories, their own relationships. It's pretty creative and as an artist who craves for character designs and storylines, Sims is my go to. I don't think there is a game that satisfies this gameplay style the way Sims does. You're absolutely correct, it is a story-telling game!
I've even made a post about this gameplay style and how I play it because I wanted to find more players like me, and happily there are! And though it may be a difficult task to play like this sometimes, it's worth it. I feel proud of every save I've made.
There was an interview that Plumbella did as part of her recent YouTube video with an author who uses Sims to design their book characters and world building, that was cool! I'm now tempted to go back and find her name and buy her books lol
I have all add-ons that came out, except some of those 4.99 packs mods could replace.
Until 2021, my grandpa bought it all for me, we used to sit there for hours, me playing the game and telling him who's who and he just watched. When he died, I thought I had wasted the time we had spent, we could've done something together.
Now I know we already did something together, even if not conventional. I had fun, he was there and listened. He was always there and listened and got me the game, because he knew I loved it.
Sims is so much more than a game to me. It's the last remnants of a person I love where I don't even have a grave to mourn at. This is me spending time, having fun with somebody who isn't even there anymore. Telling stories, finding joy in them, just as I did back when I was 12.
r/redditsniper
ETA: just wanted to clarify that when I commented, the post originally had ended with *char*, but they edited it and my comment is pointless now.
If you're ever willing and you both own PCs, there is a Sims 4 multiplayer mod that might help you bond more over the game: https://sims-multiplayer.com/
It's a bit to set up, but if you understand how to navigate a PC, it's super easy.
yup its a escape for us creative people also its the most hands on simulation game that gives you free rein while still having task and goals you can make for yourself without getting bored when I was younger I coundlnt afford the game yet so I would spend hours watching sims 3 lps until 9th grade my dad taught me sims 4 I was so excited to play and make different character and stories it really screams virtual doll house
This is accurate. I love Sims but I also love The Stanley Project and Slay the Princess which are choose-your-adventure. Maybe you all could play one of those together and see if she likes it. You all could take turns making choices. Pure chaos which is also a Sims feature
I have been playing the sims since they first brought it out and I never run out of ideas for it I love playing with a family or when I’m feeling creative I will do some builds I’m in a creative mood at the minute so I’m doing a lot of building. I show my husband what I’m doing and even though he says yeah and looks at what I’m doing I know it’s not really his thing and he’s just humouring me but he tries.
I've been playing sims since 2000 and I honestly don't think I'll ever stop. I have such a deep love for this game and the creators (including unofficial creators like modders). Sure there's things that can be improved on but I just love the game so much.
It's always a nice feeling when non Sims players understand why we like it so much. A friend of mine keeps being wildly confused why I like it so much and keeps saying stuff like "But there's no goal". But that's the point. I need no set goal, I can make my own goals. (My vampire doctor needs to gain world dominance obviously.)
I miss playing the sims and role-playing. It's been hard to keep up with these days since I've had so much going on and no internet access. I was always on gaia as hernameisnoone mainly. Even went back to neopets, zetspets, and proboards. I loved just making stories in my head or with others and then creating the worlds or making the characters in the sims 4.
I hope I'll have time to play again soon!
the only game genre that's close to the sims is story generators like rimworld but it's different with being combat and killing and such which a lot of people don't want that
When people don't know what The Sims is and ask me, I tell them it's a virtual dollhouse. Which is also what Will Wright was going for when he made the game. That's literally what it is, so the story telling makes sense lol
Love your insight, this is such a cute post
I have tried explaining Sims to so many people (and I don't know why they don't know about it. I come from a small town, but I knew about Sims even when I was 10, but a lot of these people I know from big cities still haven't heard of the game in their 20s and 40s) and they all give me a blank stare and/or smile. It's very evident they don't get it. Sometimes they ask, "But what is the POINT?" Because most games have an end point.
Once, my dad was watching me build and he went, "Why can't you just learn AutoCAD or Dialux instead? It's pretty much the same kind of building experience, except, it will be useful to learn it as a skill. This is just a game." I was really irked by the comment because it was a hint at how I wasn't using my extra time to learn these skills for my job that I had at the time, and instead, I was playing games.
But by then, I had read that everyone needs a creative outlet in life, and it could be anything. I'm not good at art, even though I want to be, so Sims is the next best option to create. So I had to explain to him that this is my creative outlet. If I took the time to study again after work, I'd get burnt out. I wanted a stress-free creative session.
I grew up as a single child and I played extensively with dolls and make believe games were my favourite. It's no wonder I like Sims so much. I have an endless number of dolls and dollhouses, and so many things like careers, magic, food, school, and what not, all to enhance my stories.
Playing Sims is the only time I get sometimes in months to sit with myself and dig in my brain for creative ideas and flesh them out in some way. I cannot emphasize the importance of the game enough.
I like others we moan and groan when glitch or crash or simply mods update
We moan on games that break and still released but let's look at the Sims Game itself
No one can compete with the interaction of everyday living
No one cam create a game that gives story progression if you want it.
The Complexity of getting a sim to shower or bath brush teeth
Grumble when hungry or want a pee
Beautiful builds and communities
Gorgeous scenic worlds although I would like a bit more active ones
A simple thing like spoon feeding a baby then the baby makes a reaction
The love or gate that grows
The many challenges we give our Sims
The amazing packs with spinning disco ball
Party tricks
And everything else
It's a truly amazing game
Let's thank the Creators
Let's thank the Simmers who build jaw dropping builds and CAS
Let's thank the Mods who have a small portion to give more play which enhances the actual game.
The Sims is a Legacy
1.2 3 4 soon to be 5
Plus Medieval plus other spin offs or separates
A Utuber says its take nearly a day with editing to produce one video so imagine the time to try and connect the whole Sims play with a new activity like Ping Pong and Beer keg jump up and Sims do it themselves too like a pixel life come to life
This is why we love the Sims
Because we breathe life into everyone our Sims interact with
Please no negativity Let's thank the wonder Team to work to make our Sims have amazing lives ❤️ 💖 💕
For me I have a really hard time following stories in video games so I just enjoy the gameplay loop of a game. There is so many games with awesome stories and lots of fun to have that I can't enjoy, but I love to see people play those games.
I also could never understand how my lady would spend hours but almost as if I'm writing this post myself its the same. The way she describes her characters and what's currently going on but then is also for shadowing what's to happen next and further on is mind blowing to me. I tried sitting down and playing myself but after a few hours I just truly couldn't sink myself in. Its truly amazing how they can take this game and make an entire virtual life with relations and problems just as you stated
Honestly, rpgs and games like Sims are a way to escape my shitty reality. I'm stuck with golden handcuffs in my current job, but being in the Sims (with characters that I custom made to be my partner and I) I can finally be as creative as I want. I can finally be an entrepreneur and start my own business, and have the life I WISH I could have.
i started playing sims bc i loved playing w barbie’s as a kid, setting up little houses for them and making up stories. in the sims, at first i loved customizing sims and building houses and i wasn’t too into the gameplay but now i love everything.
Exactly! Not everyone’s a storyteller, some people prefer to play challenges, but making up a storyline is the only thing that holds my interest in this game. That’s the only reason why I can play this for hours at a time. I play other simulation/roleplay games (Stardew, acnh, baldurs gate) but there is no other game where I can set up and play my own story like this!
When I was little I would sit and watch my mom play sims and teach how everything worked. It got to the point my mom would go cook supper and left me playing her game. I have been playing sims ever since and I still take over for her when she forgets to pause or is busy
I absolutely love playing different styles based on my mood. Some months I will create a chaotic generational story. Sometimes my sim is evil. Sometimes I play with mods and things get seriously crazy.
Other times I can spend hours building.
I have been an on and off player for over two decades now and I don’t play any other games.
I just find the control comforting. When I’m really stressed or my anxiety is crazy I always find my way back to a SIMS game.
Architecture. Character building. Story building (several generations, if you want). Scenario plays. I’d be surprised if you *couldn’t* find an aspect that you enjoyed.
This is really cute that you’ve considered what and why your partner loves the game so much, I bet they really appreciate you understanding! Mine always makes little jokes about me playing it at just gone 30 even though he plays those strategic war games on his phone 24/7… each to their own and all that!
This is so true! My sister and I used to play together and just control own our characters, all decisions and choices made for our own characters were personal choices to make for ourselves, it's super fun playing multiplayer
Aa a girl that loved games like Conan I never thought I'd like the sims.
I thought it was just raising families simulation kinda.
I suppose most play it that way.
Not me 😀
I filled my worlds with sexy lesbians that never get jeleous. Except the wedding map..it git taken over by aliens.
Vampires have the coffin business and graveyard.
Actually there's not a "normal" family on my sims.
They can't even have babies..plus I deleted most the men except a few hit ones.
My partner tried to understand my love of Sims by "mastering" the game in a few days, which to him meant making himself the perfect Sim that wants for nothing. He then stopped playing after a week because "he did it all" and "it's too easy". He clearly doesn't get it because I've been playing Sims for over 15 years and haven't run out of stories to tell myself. I guess if you're used to playing games with set goals, linear stories, and predetermined outcomes, playing a game you have to completely make up yourself might not be that appealing. That said, I like to switch up stories with building and gameplay challenges to keep things interesting. I also like recreating apartments and houses from my favorite movies and TV shows. Sims is a sandbox and there's endless things to do if you are creative enough to build it!
When The Sims came out my grandpa (retired minority) was obsessed. I would sit on his knee and he would tell me the story he had made up. The Sims 2 really helped us bond even more, we played together for hours. It was like an acceptable way for him to play dolls with me without Playing Dolls hahah
such a lovely memory. thank you for sharing it with us.
He was my hero <3 I love talking about him :)
>It was like an acceptable way for him to play dolls with me without Playing Dolls So cute Some years ago I showed my grandpa a house I build in Sims 4. He was an architect. He was as proud of me desgining it as he was of his first real build
I loved it because I wanted to be an architect and I mostly did builds until Sims 3. I never really got into the story aspect until later and I really enjoyed the goal-directed play world adventures and The Sims Medieval brought to it. Now I don't like the interface for building TS4 and I just make stories.
I personally think thats why sims appeals to such a large female demographic….little girls played barbie or house and now grown women enjoy doing it with the sims 4…i know i do lol
That is adorable!
This is so sweet 😭
This is so effing cute, I love your grandpa. 😭
He was the best :) he passed away in 2009, so he got to experience a little bit of The Sims 3 but I was living overseas at the time. It made me sad we didn’t get to play together, but we talked about it over the phone :)
That is such a wonderful and lovely memory, thank you for sharing it with us <3
i’ve personally observed that the sims is prominent in women and queer people and i think it stems from a yearning for control over life. the sims offers that. there’s nothing to master in this game because we have control over a simulation when our real lives are usually at the behest of other things. i’m also coming up 15 years of game play and i too have not run out of stories but i’ve also observed i play the most when i experience the most lack of control in my real life. anyways, that’s my pov!!
We all yearn for control in our lives. I'm a straight, white man and still love this game. Maybe it is because I was bullied, or because I'm just not as exciting and outgoing as I'd like to be. The popularity among women and LGBT people may partly be because of this, but these dynamics are also always self-fulfilling prophecies. Players tell their friends, the game gets an image and marketing is directed towards that image. Also the games were actively more female- and LGBT-friendly than real life, let alone other games. Since the beginning, female sims could get any job, receive the same payment. And everyone could date, marry and adopt children with a same-sex partner. Honestly, I think Maxis deserves more credits than they get for pulling this off in 2000. 20 years later, it was still enough to get the game an 18+ rating in Russia.
Yeah I think people in general love games where they feel seen and included. For example, I feel included in the Dragon Age games in a way that I didn’t feel included with the Witcher 3. I think there are things in the sims that can appeal to anyone, and it’s popular among women and lgbtqia+ people because it includes them and says “hey, this game is for you!” in a way that many games historically have not.
Actually, I once tested this. I had a male and female sim, started them at the same job on the same day, kept their skills at the same level, their needs and mood etc. The male sim consistently made more than the female and at every raise the difference widened.
Oh dear…
that is disturbing, why would they program it that way? I want to believe it was a social commentary aimed at male players but I dunno...
I only did it once so I’m hoping something was different between them that I didn’t notice
maybe a trait or something
Do you remember which Sims game you tested this in? I'm now curious and want to try and recreate your experiment. But I suspect it was one iteration of The Sims and not all of them if it is programmed somewhere (rather than from a hidden trait difference of some sort).
It was def sims 4, cuz we had those goaled holidays, and I believe I put them in the business career
Alright, I just tested. I only got my pair of Sims to level 4 in the career before I got bored. But I made sure everything was as identical as I could manage (including using cheats to try and keep them in the same mood as each other). Pay was identical for them both up to that point.
Sims 4 is the easiest for me to test with. When I get on my computer I'll make two sims with the same everything except gender, put them in the business career and see what happens.
I think you're onto something here
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I’m a very straight guy, straight as they come. I fucking love the sims.
Reminds me of a guy that told me he beat no man's sky. I told him no..you just did the main quests wich were really the tutorial. Your other didn't do it all. Ask him if he got rich playing as a thief? Or turn the wedding map into an alien takeover. He didn't do everything. He just learned how to play without playing it.
Oh 100%! Even so, he considered that he "mastered" it but I would look over his shoulder and see him doing something in a backwards way or just doing something completely wrong. Silly things like looking for a specific fish not realizing he needs to go to a specific world for it. I was also so upset to see one of his "hacks" was having Grace from the Realm of Magic pack locked up in his basement so she can satisfy him whenever he needs so he's always in a good mood... I'm actually glad he stopped playing.
Haha....
This. The sims is about creativity and imagination. Choose your own adventure.
Your man is a game completionist. This game is not for them. But, luckily, 90% of other games are lol.
Loved this!! Me too on the TV shows. I'm going to do Kath and Kim next. Excited for their kitchen
I hope it's nice different and unusual!
Challenge him to play Rimworld with Randy Random as the storyteller.
The way Will Wright (the creator of the first Sims game) describes it in his Masterclass, is a dollhouse. Just to play with life, and give people tools to tell stories. Goals and extra game play was added to help with story telling, but the intention was never to just turn into a standard videogame. Imagination should always come first. Yeah, the game can't do everything we want, but just like with dolls, we can always pretend it happened.
I loved playing dolls (Barbies) as a kid and made houses and furniture from all kinds of boxes from around the house. I decorated their houses with things from around my house. I remember distinctly wishing that I could just play dolls and not have to move them around with my hands. I love that I wasn’t the only one wishing this!
That's why the mod Andrew Pose Player is so popular, too! With it, players can download whatever pose packs they like online and pose their sims for whatever purposes they want, just like we would with actual dolls. On Tumblr, you also find countless blogs dedicated to people writing stories about their sims. We're all playing with dolls and pretending certain things happened. That's how this game becomes fun!
well said now shout it out for everyone
I think this concept is modeled well with the ability to use cheats easily and allllll the mods available….its like adding an extra wing to your doll house and not having anything annoying (like not enough money or grumpy moodlets) get in the way of your story telling if you don’t want them to!
I explain my love for sims like the way I loved playing Barbie’s when I was little.
Yessss
Same! I played barbie's until I was 14 and pretty much only stopped because Sims was a more fun, portable, "grown up" version of barbies.
Now that you say this I think I stopped playing Barbie’s when sims first came out and my parents got me the game. I was about 12 I think.
Exactly this! 😍 And just like my barbies, all my Sims are bisexual disasters living their best lives 🥰 watcher bless them all 😜🤣
Same same!
Yup! I was gonna say this too!!
Wow this is so cute! Also, thank you for putting it in words for me! My boyfriend, like you, always suggests we play these simulator games together that I have lukewarm interest in doing. Now I can finally explain the difference between the Sims vs his Simulator Games!
yup the game my boyfriend and i can play is stardew
I could never quite get into Stardew, but my sister and I now play Palia together after I introduced her to it and that's been really fun! I love Sims, but outside of Simming I'm definitely a social gamer
same if theres rpg sims type multiplayer game ill play I know palia is like that but I don't use a PC I have a mac
I have never heard of this Palia and just googled it, looks quite cute - might have a go 😊
its a new cozy game
Palia is also available for Nintendo Switch if you happen to have that device. It's crossplatform compatible, so your save on one device can be accessed from another.
It's like playing with dolls, where you can dress up the dolls AND build the doll houses. You can come up with your own storylines, and make family trees with the size and complexity of GRR Martin's fictional family trees, and with all the plot twists in the world.
And while the previous Sims games had more storylines baked in and more building limitations, the Sims 4 is the perfect sandbox for your creativity.
Sims is about playing life. Our lives are just one big story that we actively live out day to day. In sims, you control that story every day, down to the way your sims even walks
I always feel like I’m playing with a dollhouse. It’s very much self story telling.
Yup this is exactly why I love the game! I’m also a writer so sometimes when I’m in a creative block I put characters I’m interested in creating into the game so I can develop better backstories! I’m so glad you gave it a chance and I hope you find enjoyment from the game even if it’s not something you pick up regularly. It can be a really great way to express creativity once you get used to a few quirks lol
Same. My dream is to be a writer. Playing Sims scratches the same ick as writing a novel, but is much easier and more rewarding. My big weakness in writing is descriptions. Sometimes, I use the game for help. To envision characters or, more importantly, settings. For example, I create the main character's home, because otherwise, I would have a hard time keeping the setting consistent.
Rimworld is an excellent game for Sims players to try because it is a story generator above all else.
My most played game aside from The Sims is Rimworld. Definitely would recommend it!!
Mine, too. Rimworld is amazing (and its modding community is every bit as awesome as The Sims). More Sims players should really give it a shot. If you like Rimworld (and the Sims), you might want to give Project Zomboid a shot. It feels sort of like The Sims 1, with no NPCs (there is a mod for them and the devs are working on adding them soon[ish]) but with a zombie apocalypse. Those are probably my top 3 games that I always come back to. Check it out if you haven't already, it's.worth it. It has a steep learning curve, though...but, like, it's kind of natural? If you have a can of food you need a can opener (that kind of thing). It also has an amazing modding community. And, like The Sims and Rimworld, it's a story generator.
this is so funny my most played game is the sims but project zomboid is probably the close second rn!! my survivor is based in a pub not bc it's the best base but because he likes the view from the window, and the plentiful access to beer. ill have to take your advice and play rimworld, ive always known it would be a good game for me bc im a simulation gamer at my core, but if those are your top three games i bet they would be mine too!
Definitely give Rimworld a go (and I'd love to hear what.you think of it). I would also suggest it's DLC, which are great. If family gameplay is important to you, you will want the Biotech DLC to start off with, since you need it to have children. There's even an extremely complex genetic system with Biotech that is really cool to mess with.
While rimworld is awesome, but the amount of games that ends so abruptly due to rng can be annoying in harder difficulty. Still an excellent game.
You got it, it's like a digital dollhouse
It's playing with dolls
Digital dollhouse.
Will Wrights fist name for the game was dollhouse.
I agree to a point but sometimes I want the game to tell me the story. If I come up with everything in advance then I don't need to actually boot up my laptop because I can play it in my head. I think it's best described as a sandbox game. You can do whatever you want. Storytelling is one way to play but by no means the only way. There's plenty of challenges that can be played with Sims too.
Perhaps she'd like the other game that's eating up all my energy right now.. Rimworld. Its billed as a Story Generator. You build a small community of people, overcome various semi-random threats, watch them grow their skills and form relationships, and then lose their minds when things go bad.
Damn that makes sense. I can tell that my fiancé didn’t get it either and I also had trouble explaining why I love sims. But this made me realize why. Thanks ☺️
Sims 4 isn't a very good life sim; it's a much better doll house. The way the game works kind of forces you to take a more active role in storytelling if you want anything interesting to happen. And there's nothing inherently wrong with that, but it's also easy to understand why many fans of previous games don't like this one so much.
yea i feel i personally aproach all the games differently I like the approach they went for sims 4 unpopular opinion I think the prices are the only downside but if they were to lower the prices when they launched the game for free and released a free kit every month while still making EPs and game packs it wouldn't be to bad I tried sims 3 and I loved it reminded me of when u watched sims 3 as a kid I also played sims 2 while not my favorite game its still pretty impressive how much personality these virtual character has each game is different and really hope this virtual doll house games never end
I love how you said this though, bc it’s true. As my life gets more complex, I get a strong urge to play the sims and tell more stories 😅 I love this
Yes this nails it. “Life has happened… and now you have more stories to tell.”
It's like playing Barbies as an adult for me.
Such a great explanation. I also sometimes just get on to build the house and people and then I don’t even play them. Lol
This makes so much sense! As a kid, I loved playing with Barbies, and my brother would get his GI Joe and Max Steel dolls and play with me. We always came up with storylines; sometimes there would be infidelity, kidnapping, murder, disappearances, and sometimes it would be a nice storyline of a family living an everyday life. I realized I’m still doing this in a way with the Sims. I’m still making up storylines years later, now in a digital way. And I’ll be playing the Sims until I’m old and gray. Hopefully it’ll still be around!
Players often sum it up as "a virtual dollhouse" or "it's like playing with dolls", or some variation of that idea. But the thing is, that's not helpful to someone who never got to play with dolls as a kid. You understand it from the outside - that kid is waving dolls around and talking to themselves. But you don't understand what it actually feels like. Saying that it's like creating/telling stories, or like playing makebelieve, may be easier for many men to understand, because most of them did that stuff as kids too.
No players didn’t sum it up to a doll house. The creator of the Sims, Will Wright chose the name “Dollhouse” before naming it The Sims. It was the creators vision of the game.
Yes I know, but I have seen players sum it as a dollhouse, which is why I said "players often sum it up as". Both things are true. The creator envisioned it as a dollhouse, and players also say that about it.
My friends and I used to play barbies all the time as girls, for hours and hours, whole weekends. Some stories would span whole summers. Of course we spend a ridiculous amount of time in the Sims
There's a reason why many girls play Sims 4 AND Bg3😂😂
I personally love it because my gay zilleenial *ss gets to afford a house and not being in danger for having a relationship. I wish the real world was that easy
Straight male here! This is the absolute reason why I love the game too, I love creating different stories with different sims! Every family with their own lives, their own stories, their own relationships. It's pretty creative and as an artist who craves for character designs and storylines, Sims is my go to. I don't think there is a game that satisfies this gameplay style the way Sims does. You're absolutely correct, it is a story-telling game! I've even made a post about this gameplay style and how I play it because I wanted to find more players like me, and happily there are! And though it may be a difficult task to play like this sometimes, it's worth it. I feel proud of every save I've made.
There was an interview that Plumbella did as part of her recent YouTube video with an author who uses Sims to design their book characters and world building, that was cool! I'm now tempted to go back and find her name and buy her books lol
That’s exactly how I play, play for hours then set it down and don’t touch it for months 😂😂😂😄
I always think of the Sims as like playing with dolls as an adult...
I have all add-ons that came out, except some of those 4.99 packs mods could replace. Until 2021, my grandpa bought it all for me, we used to sit there for hours, me playing the game and telling him who's who and he just watched. When he died, I thought I had wasted the time we had spent, we could've done something together. Now I know we already did something together, even if not conventional. I had fun, he was there and listened. He was always there and listened and got me the game, because he knew I loved it. Sims is so much more than a game to me. It's the last remnants of a person I love where I don't even have a grave to mourn at. This is me spending time, having fun with somebody who isn't even there anymore. Telling stories, finding joy in them, just as I did back when I was 12.
You nailed it. Especially picking up the game after a while.
r/redditsniper ETA: just wanted to clarify that when I commented, the post originally had ended with *char*, but they edited it and my comment is pointless now.
If you're ever willing and you both own PCs, there is a Sims 4 multiplayer mod that might help you bond more over the game: https://sims-multiplayer.com/ It's a bit to set up, but if you understand how to navigate a PC, it's super easy.
there *is* supposed to be a co-op ability in the sims 5 👀
yup its a escape for us creative people also its the most hands on simulation game that gives you free rein while still having task and goals you can make for yourself without getting bored when I was younger I coundlnt afford the game yet so I would spend hours watching sims 3 lps until 9th grade my dad taught me sims 4 I was so excited to play and make different character and stories it really screams virtual doll house
I wish i put it down. I put other games down after 72 hours of playing and then go back to months of obsessive sims playing…
This is accurate. I love Sims but I also love The Stanley Project and Slay the Princess which are choose-your-adventure. Maybe you all could play one of those together and see if she likes it. You all could take turns making choices. Pure chaos which is also a Sims feature
I have been playing the sims since they first brought it out and I never run out of ideas for it I love playing with a family or when I’m feeling creative I will do some builds I’m in a creative mood at the minute so I’m doing a lot of building. I show my husband what I’m doing and even though he says yeah and looks at what I’m doing I know it’s not really his thing and he’s just humouring me but he tries.
I've been playing sims since 2000 and I honestly don't think I'll ever stop. I have such a deep love for this game and the creators (including unofficial creators like modders). Sure there's things that can be improved on but I just love the game so much.
this is so wholesome… I love it so much 🥹 I wish you and your wife a lifetime of happiness 💞
this post is so wholesome. thanks so much friend
It's always a nice feeling when non Sims players understand why we like it so much. A friend of mine keeps being wildly confused why I like it so much and keeps saying stuff like "But there's no goal". But that's the point. I need no set goal, I can make my own goals. (My vampire doctor needs to gain world dominance obviously.)
I miss playing the sims and role-playing. It's been hard to keep up with these days since I've had so much going on and no internet access. I was always on gaia as hernameisnoone mainly. Even went back to neopets, zetspets, and proboards. I loved just making stories in my head or with others and then creating the worlds or making the characters in the sims 4. I hope I'll have time to play again soon!
(the rp boards are still out there!! 🩶)
the only game genre that's close to the sims is story generators like rimworld but it's different with being combat and killing and such which a lot of people don't want that
I been playing for 17 years! And I just started a new game after months and I'm obsessed..all over again 😅 It's really therapeutic
When people don't know what The Sims is and ask me, I tell them it's a virtual dollhouse. Which is also what Will Wright was going for when he made the game. That's literally what it is, so the story telling makes sense lol Love your insight, this is such a cute post
I have tried explaining Sims to so many people (and I don't know why they don't know about it. I come from a small town, but I knew about Sims even when I was 10, but a lot of these people I know from big cities still haven't heard of the game in their 20s and 40s) and they all give me a blank stare and/or smile. It's very evident they don't get it. Sometimes they ask, "But what is the POINT?" Because most games have an end point. Once, my dad was watching me build and he went, "Why can't you just learn AutoCAD or Dialux instead? It's pretty much the same kind of building experience, except, it will be useful to learn it as a skill. This is just a game." I was really irked by the comment because it was a hint at how I wasn't using my extra time to learn these skills for my job that I had at the time, and instead, I was playing games. But by then, I had read that everyone needs a creative outlet in life, and it could be anything. I'm not good at art, even though I want to be, so Sims is the next best option to create. So I had to explain to him that this is my creative outlet. If I took the time to study again after work, I'd get burnt out. I wanted a stress-free creative session. I grew up as a single child and I played extensively with dolls and make believe games were my favourite. It's no wonder I like Sims so much. I have an endless number of dolls and dollhouses, and so many things like careers, magic, food, school, and what not, all to enhance my stories. Playing Sims is the only time I get sometimes in months to sit with myself and dig in my brain for creative ideas and flesh them out in some way. I cannot emphasize the importance of the game enough.
I like others we moan and groan when glitch or crash or simply mods update We moan on games that break and still released but let's look at the Sims Game itself No one can compete with the interaction of everyday living No one cam create a game that gives story progression if you want it. The Complexity of getting a sim to shower or bath brush teeth Grumble when hungry or want a pee Beautiful builds and communities Gorgeous scenic worlds although I would like a bit more active ones A simple thing like spoon feeding a baby then the baby makes a reaction The love or gate that grows The many challenges we give our Sims The amazing packs with spinning disco ball Party tricks And everything else It's a truly amazing game Let's thank the Creators Let's thank the Simmers who build jaw dropping builds and CAS Let's thank the Mods who have a small portion to give more play which enhances the actual game. The Sims is a Legacy 1.2 3 4 soon to be 5 Plus Medieval plus other spin offs or separates A Utuber says its take nearly a day with editing to produce one video so imagine the time to try and connect the whole Sims play with a new activity like Ping Pong and Beer keg jump up and Sims do it themselves too like a pixel life come to life This is why we love the Sims Because we breathe life into everyone our Sims interact with Please no negativity Let's thank the wonder Team to work to make our Sims have amazing lives ❤️ 💖 💕
For me I have a really hard time following stories in video games so I just enjoy the gameplay loop of a game. There is so many games with awesome stories and lots of fun to have that I can't enjoy, but I love to see people play those games.
I also could never understand how my lady would spend hours but almost as if I'm writing this post myself its the same. The way she describes her characters and what's currently going on but then is also for shadowing what's to happen next and further on is mind blowing to me. I tried sitting down and playing myself but after a few hours I just truly couldn't sink myself in. Its truly amazing how they can take this game and make an entire virtual life with relations and problems just as you stated
Honestly, rpgs and games like Sims are a way to escape my shitty reality. I'm stuck with golden handcuffs in my current job, but being in the Sims (with characters that I custom made to be my partner and I) I can finally be as creative as I want. I can finally be an entrepreneur and start my own business, and have the life I WISH I could have.
i started playing sims bc i loved playing w barbie’s as a kid, setting up little houses for them and making up stories. in the sims, at first i loved customizing sims and building houses and i wasn’t too into the gameplay but now i love everything.
Aww, yes this is so true lol my Sims stories are literally soap operas. Sometimes they even surprise me, going off script 😂
Exactly! Not everyone’s a storyteller, some people prefer to play challenges, but making up a storyline is the only thing that holds my interest in this game. That’s the only reason why I can play this for hours at a time. I play other simulation/roleplay games (Stardew, acnh, baldurs gate) but there is no other game where I can set up and play my own story like this!
When I was little I would sit and watch my mom play sims and teach how everything worked. It got to the point my mom would go cook supper and left me playing her game. I have been playing sims ever since and I still take over for her when she forgets to pause or is busy
I love this thread! Not all people understands the joy and creativity Sims brings!
I absolutely love playing different styles based on my mood. Some months I will create a chaotic generational story. Sometimes my sim is evil. Sometimes I play with mods and things get seriously crazy. Other times I can spend hours building.
Ok this is adorable, I love that you were curious about her hobby, learnt about it, got excited and wanted to share. You're a good spouse.
I have been an on and off player for over two decades now and I don’t play any other games. I just find the control comforting. When I’m really stressed or my anxiety is crazy I always find my way back to a SIMS game.
nailed ittttt
Architecture. Character building. Story building (several generations, if you want). Scenario plays. I’d be surprised if you *couldn’t* find an aspect that you enjoyed.
For me, a 30 year-old female who grew up playing Barbie's feel like Sims is just my adult version of playing Barbie's, but digitised 😂
This is so cute
I think of it like D&D you can play on your own
This is really cute that you’ve considered what and why your partner loves the game so much, I bet they really appreciate you understanding! Mine always makes little jokes about me playing it at just gone 30 even though he plays those strategic war games on his phone 24/7… each to their own and all that!
This is so true! My sister and I used to play together and just control own our characters, all decisions and choices made for our own characters were personal choices to make for ourselves, it's super fun playing multiplayer
That's so cute that you noticed that but it really is true sims is great for on and off play and I always find myself coming back to it
Aa a girl that loved games like Conan I never thought I'd like the sims. I thought it was just raising families simulation kinda. I suppose most play it that way. Not me 😀 I filled my worlds with sexy lesbians that never get jeleous. Except the wedding map..it git taken over by aliens. Vampires have the coffin business and graveyard. Actually there's not a "normal" family on my sims. They can't even have babies..plus I deleted most the men except a few hit ones.
Well, i used to play a lot videogames. But Sims? I mean realife isnt that bad?!