Why is The Sims so fascinating? «12...Next Go

GrumpyGlowfish

This is a question I've been asking myself a lot lately, and I'm looking forward to an interesting discussion.

I grew up playing games like Super Mario, Tomb Raider, and Resident Evil - games that require you to fight enemies, solve puzzles (well, less so in Super Mario) and uncover the story behind it all (again, Super Mario not so much, but saving the princess for the umpteenth time was enough motivation for me when I was little). Apart from a short period of playing The Settlers and Dungeon Keeper, I was never into strategy games, RPGs, or games in general that weren't like the ones I knew, yet for some reason I've been oddly fascinated with The Sims ever since I watched a friend play the first one years ago.

Now why is that? Objectively speaking, this game is and has always been extremely boring. You're basically playing in a virtual doll house, modelling, dressing and naming virtual people and then watching them complete mundane tasks like going to the toilet and communicating in a language you can't even understand. No shooting bad guys, no story except for the one in your head, no puzzles (unless figuring out how to bend the rules of build mode to get the house of your dreams counts as a puzzle). I really don't know why I like this game so much, but I do - so much that if you took The Sims out of my life, I wouldn't know what to do with half of my free time.

I guess part of the reason is that I'm a writer. Telling stories has been in my blood from day one, and I like seeing those stories and the characters I've created come to live on my computer screen, even though most of it is playing pretend. But I'm not the only one playing this game, in fact everyone here does, and not all of you are writers. So what is the thing that fascinates you about The Sims? What makes you come back to it again and again even though there are so many more useful things you could do with your life than watching pixel people eat and sleep? Why do you think it's so successful?

Rosybear

I think it's so successful for exactly why you said for a lot of people!

The story-telling aspect, mixed with the bumps and surprises the game brings along the way and the stupid events you didn't expect to happen is really addictive, probably even to people who aren't into writing stories. This game really brings to life your wildest fantasies, and the fact that literally anything can happen and the game is endless and forever evolving is maybe why so many people still play it nearly 20 years on.

I've never enjoyed games where there's a very obvious story-line you must follow, where you can't explore at least a little. This is why I love Sims, because it is the absolute opposite - the lack of story-line is so intriguing because it gives the player all the power! The lack of rules lets people make it into their own game; like how some people solely play vampires and magical stories whereas others love to create a happy, average family. EA literally made a game where they say 'here's a fantasy world of tiny humans... go and be God' and something about the infinite number of ways you can play is really addicting.

I find the Sims franchise hilarious though, because I think to people who love the game it seems so obvious why it's so fun, but to people who haven't played it or aren't super into it, it seems like the dumbest game on earth

Wintermist_SWE

I love the idea of the game, but think they could go way deeper with the aspect around the Sims themselves. Have them always have personality traits and such things, to give each Sim a... life, so to speak. I'd love to see them behave more natural too. But overall it's a very nice game, so far the best one for what I'm after, but still not the ultimate one

sunblond

I like that I don't have to shoot or kill anything. I just don't enjoy that, never have. When I was a child, we didn't have video type games, just board games and cards. I think I like Sims because it's like how I used to play, acting out tv shows and comic books with my cousin.

Lemontail

Well, with other games, I usually only play it for the storyline. If you've completed everything 100%, then what? There's nothing to do anymore other than explore. With The Sims, despite that it has same repetitive gameplay every generation, you could choose a different path every generation. Have a family made of actors, then farmers, then socialites, then witches, then poor people, and so forth and forth. The possibilities are endless and you also can easily forget older generations, making every new generation worth waiting for a change. Even if it feels repetitive, the repetitiveness is usually forgotten, and doesn't make it feel boring too much. It makes the player feel they can control the outcomes.

FlyingPotato659

Life simulation has always been my style - love gameplays where you can be born, control whatever happens in that life until death.

invisiblgirl

I never liked a lot of the Atari games because I have no hand-eye coordination. The first game I loved was Creatures II, in which you raised your Norns from babies, taught them to speak and not eat garbage, bonk into walls or try to swim (they couldn't, but Llama, they loved the ocean). They had families and generations and progressed from babyhood to old age and death (unless they tried to swim, see above).

Creatures III came out not long before The Sims, and it was a disaster, so quite a lot of people in the Creatures forums were jumping to The Sims. And nineteen years later, I'm still addicted to the game. I love the storytelling aspect and the notion of taking care of my Sims' needs. Maybe it's a bit of an arms-length mothering instinct - I never had kids and never wanted them. (I think dogs are too needy. Cats are more introverted - they need cuddling, but not if it interferes with their napping schedule.) I get to take care of my Sims and quit the game when I get tired of it (or, at least they age up, and I can send them into rabbit holes for a bit).

Stutum

It's a good question, ever since I got a Commodore 64 in 1984 it's been all about games where you solve problems with violence, and some times it feels good to drive like a maniac and cause trouble in GTA or slay cave monsters in Skyrim, but, and I just speak for myself now, I think it's because the sims is nothing like that, somehow they managed to made controlling people and get them through their everyday mundane tasks feel interesting. After a good "massacre" it's nice to kick back, grow some vegetables and write a children's book. xD

GlacierSnow

For me it's pretty much just exactly right up my alley.

These things are simply not fun for me:
-Being forced to play by an arbitrary set of rules that someone else decided
-Having to achieve an arbitrary goal that someone else set
-Killing anything, ever, for any reason
-Needing to respond quickly or pay attention to everything all the time in order to survive
-Solving puzzles that take me more than about ten seconds to figure out

Needless to say, most computer games don't appeal to me at all.

What is fun for me, is all creativity based activities:
-Writing stories
-Making things
-Exploring
-Playing with characters and relationships
-Taking pictures and doing image editing

These are all things I am able to do with the sims. Although, I actually had to use a few mods and cheats to get rid of the time management part of the game before I started liking it and realized its potential. But after that I've been totally hooked for several years. I still don't play any other computer games.

Simmerville

I find it both unwinding and inspiring. The story telling aspect is fine, but I also like how challenges might arise from nowhere based on my own game play and imagination, rather than what's programmed.

Bloosmoo

Aside from Overlord, this is the only game I play in any of it's incarnations. I like that you control this little world, when you have no control in the outer one. I like creating in cas, love making characters with little personalities of their own. I love making up silly stories that go nowhere other than my own amusement and I love building (not good at it, but I love it!) It has quirky aspects too, I mean where else can I get to be a mermaid or control vampires? And when you consider how popular the Big Brother show was is there any wonder the Sims is a hit? I used to love making miniatures but they took over the whole house, here they take up room on my pc. I dont' get angry with this game like i do with others, mainly because I forget that the programmers dont' think like me so they have to do x and y before they can get to z. Here they can just do what I want them to do with none of the frustrating fuss. You're BBF is on fire. Extinguish. End of. Not look for a cup to get water, then find water, then look for a bucket because the water in the cup isn't enough and finally an hour later when this poor character has been utterly traumatized, screamed at, sworn at and abused and the rest of your rl household fear talking to you because of the demon you've become, you put the fire out. It drives me literally insane. This doesn't, there is no direction really, you don't want to do it, don't do it. Love it.

Hermitgirl

I always come back to the Sims or it's running neck and neck with some other game.. the other game usually falls by the wayside more often and eventually gets replaced while the Sims keeps chugging along... keeping my interest. The other game needs months or years of shelf time to make it playable again while the Sims don't... my desire to play them is only limited by myself and my imagination. I can tell when I'm not in a creative space of some sort because I don't really play as much then.. I depend on other games that have a more ridged or structured story set up to be more passively entertained.

It's because of stories I can tell and want to tell. I can set them up, have the sim look how I want, have the characteristics I want within the limits of the game, job (or no job).. ect. They have relationships and all of those sims also have those things and can be what I want as the story reaches outword. Then I can hop on another sim and see it all from a different perspective if I want. Each story can be different. There are no other games like this.. This is for me why I always want more content. I want more ways to tell stories and see my sims.

I use it for entertainment and even catharsis, sometimes I live vicariously through my sims much like writing a story in my head instead of on paper. Now and then I even enjoy being passively entertained by them also... it's a nice change of pace to sit back god like and just watch with no direction except a little set up or push now and then.

Also sharing the stories .. while never a big thing with me in the past, it's become a part of the enjoyment also. With our forum or other outlets we can share what we made.. or talk about it. Taking pictures can take over and sometimes I have to share my enjoyment. It extends the entertainment.

GalacticGal

I'm a writer, too, and I get what you're saying. For me, the fascination, besides allowing me to see my characters 'come to life' on the screen, is also feeding into the whole fantasy of watching and assisting my Sim become the Rock Star, he was born to be. I played him in Sims2, but there was no singer career of any sort to even fake it. So, once ST came out in Sims3, I was very excited. He had a difficult love life, however. I decided to bring him forward into Sims4. He became my Founder when I played Pinstar's Legacy Challenge. That game is played on Normal length, which is far too short for me. Since I completed that Challenge, I wanted to play him out on LONG.

Sadly, my singer Sim's love life hasn't really improved, like I hoped. Oh, well. That's what rewrites are for, no?

Playing the game for me is also a way for me to block out the stress of everyday life. When you lose 16 people from your life to death in a short 2 1/2 year period, sometimes you need to 'get away from it all'. In this game, to a large extent, we can control what's going on. Whereas in RL, not so much. You learn to 'roll with the punches'. If I don't like my singer dying from being Hysterical, I can exit without saving and/or roll back a save to help prevent the awful moment. It's revision in real time, if you will.

Becka28

@GlacierSnow expressed what I wanted to say beautifully. I like this game because it is not linear, I define my goals, it awakens my creativity and imagination and has endless replay potential because there are multiple ways the game can change and evolve so every save is different. I can experience life I would never live and freely explore and release emotions ( or as @Hermitgirl said catharsis). I also love that there is no defined finish .. some people have 15 generations or more in their save. Other games are so focused on reaching the end and scoring the goals that you don't relax and enjoy the journey / game play.

So_Money

It’s a wonderful storytelling tool and a nice way to unwind at the end of a long day.

WildIrishBanshee

I started with games like Pong, then the Mario Brothers Series, Final Fantasy, Legend of Zelda and others on Nintendo. So I tend to lean heavily on RPGs. Because most give you room to explore and kind of do your own thing. These days I play The Sims - generally because I get to be the Goddess and make all the decisions, including who lives or dies. I also play World of Warcraft, which I've been playing since Beta - so both games I've played for roughly the same amount of time. And I love them both. But a lot of the time I'm just not in the mood to deal with the people of WoW...and it's very peopley. Could that become a single player game? lol Then I'd have the best of both worlds!

LiELF

Playing God. Not gonna lie, lol.

But in my case, this just means being able to set up my world and inhabit it with whoever (or whatever) I want. I can create a fictional fantastical realm where Vampires, Aliens, Fairies and Superheroes all exist together. I can fill my world in any way I wish, with any build styles, any clothing or costumes, and any personalities (generally speaking). I can cross genres and fictional universes and see what happens. I can be benevolent or punishing. I can choose who lives and who dies, who procreates, who hooks up... and I can also sit back and watch and let them make choices. I can make new saves and change things up or have alternate universes where things happen differently to the same Sims.

It's really just about having the flexibility to play in a world of my own choosing. No other game really offers that.

AdelineRobbins

Because, when I'm having trouble writing and really want to, I can put Sims on and indulge in my storytelling anyway. I always play legacy style. It's always felt like watching what's in my head come to life. Plus, it's also just relaxing to sit down and do something so simple as helping a family get through their daily lives.

fiercephoenix91

Wow... just about every post explains why I am into the Sims so much. Sure, I play WoW or Pokemon at times, but The Sims always become my go-to game when I am in art blocks or stressed IRL (which is a lot). While I can't share my plots openly (more or less due to shyness or not even sure how to stream games), I still have fun playing them out in my mind using The Sims whether I share what story is in my head or not.

It's also very nice to have others share their interest in playing The Sims games. I would just keep it to myself, but it's good seeing others feel the same about a game one is into. Makes socializing easier (for me, anyway). I also enjoy watching others play out plots on video or reading posts with them. Gives me more ideas to try things out for myself as well. Like, I never played out a Rags to Riches story in my head, yet when I see others do so and it looks fun, I want to give it a try. Nor have I ever been good with building, but I try more as I see how much fun others have doing builds. I end up with some of my own made I am proud of and cannot wait to use!

I also would like to say that I am very happy with a post like this! Especially when I often see more posts complaining about this and that more than anything. Unless I look in the wrong sections... lol

All in all, it's just.... FUN!

XxAirixX

Because it gives you the freedom to do whatever you want and make any kind of character you want (how they look, their traits, etc...). Most games are limited as they have scripts, quests, etc...that you have to follow still. The point so many people miss about the sims is that you are supposed to live out the game as a fantasy, choosing what you want and do what you can't. Most of use won't become become rich celebrities and it is impossible to be a vampire, mermaid, etc....but you can in the game.

The stories are as deep as you make it as that is the point, it is all up to you as it isn't designed to be an RPG; but us driving the game and how it goes. Choices you make can make your sims rich, poor, lose their jobs, fall in love, make enemies, etc....you can cheat your way to the top or start off with barely nothing and work your way up. The rules is more self imposed.

While other games are more liner and seem fun at first; but once you finish it, that's it. You know what happens and unless there is a game with a few alternative choices, you can't really change it and so that's it. With Sims, I don't always know what will happen and things don't always go as planned or expected, so each story I make ends up being different.

In my current game, I am playing a family of mermaids and one befriended a vampire (Lilith) at the gym as she was a trainer and she offered to turn him randomly one night after not really speaking to or seeing each other since.

Colton147147

The Sims 4 is one of the best games ever made and has possibly sold a couple billion copies.

Simmingal

Because there isn't set rules for it like other games
I have never been into games that are about getting points, doing quests, following set storyline...
especially because most of those games want your character to be extra important in the storyline
or be certain type of character that always reacts to things in certain way and does certain things at certain time and look certain way

I'm not fan of that as I am more of observer myself
I love to play weird characters doing mundane things
and having fun instead of fighting a war or something

I also love making my characters complex instead of being archetype
and do contradicting things in contradicting settings

lots of games circle around one theme only and it bores me so much

ThePinkBookGirl

I liked racing games when I had friends to play with, but I always gravitated towards games that had some sort of sandbox gameplay (like once the mission was complete). I would make up stories in my head and spend hours having fun playing in the game world.

Storytelling is important for me and building so I could portray my stories is my favorite gameplay. So Minecraft fits because I can build a village or a kingdom and have a mental story in mind. The Sims fits perfectly and when I discovered Sims 3, I loved it

GalacticGal

Colton147147 wrote: »

The Sims 4 is one of the best games ever made and has possibly sold a couple billion copies.

This is why I love you, Colton 147147, you're such a cheerleader for the Sims.

Smellincoffee

Your first post touches on a lot of it for me: I've been a storyteller since I was a kid. I'd tell stories using my action figures as the characters, and because my mind was richer than my parents were, I'd use catalogues to find more characters without actually owning the toys. I built sets from legos, cinder blogs, plywood -- and when I got older ,that didn't stop. The Sims was an almost open canvas, especially in the first two games when you could have a completely empty neighborhood that became your world. I had an Old West/fantasy mashup in The Sims 2, and a Roman village in The sims 1. With mods and imagination, anything goes. I also liked and still like building things in games, wheher it''s a house or a city, and The Sims has the added advantage for younger players in allowing them to explore different behaviors.