Are you a player that feels their Sims just don't experience enough trauma?
This game pack idea would introduce a fear system to the game.
Rather than adding the emotion "fear" this GP would give sims fears, meaning specific things they are afraid of. For example, after a sim experiences a fire, they will gradually adopt fire as a fear. The more fires they experience, the more their fear rises until it is incapacitating. If a sim goes to work and fail a "chance card," your sim will start to fear going to work. If a sim flirts with someone and is rejected, they will start to fear intimacy!
Potential (Base Game) Phobias:
Fire
Pyrophobia, Ghosts
Phasmophobia, Work
Ergophobia, Romance
Philophobia, Dirty Surroundings
Germophobia, Pools
Hydrophobia, Exercise
Kopophobia, etc. (If you can think of other phobias, feel free to add!)
But fear not, your sims' phobias do not have to last forever. Because, with this pack, sims will be able to learn how to cope (possibly as a skill, but maybe an ability). Sims can gain coping points *and adopt positive coping mechanisms* by watching Pop Psychology on TV (think Dr. Phil, lol), or scheduling their own therapy appointments. Which leads me to:
Therapist Career (Branches: Pop Psychology and Psychotherapy)
Level 1: Control Group Cohort
Level 2: Operant Conditioner
Level 3: Methodologist
Level 4: Couples Counselor
Pop Psychologist:
Level 5: Dream Analyst
Level 6: Life Coach
Level 7: Motivational Speaker
Level 8: Celebrity Hypnotist
Level 9: Self-Help Guru
Level 10: Dr. Popularity
Psychotherapist:
Level 5: Grilled Cheese Cessation Therapist
Level 6: Crisis Mediator
Level 7: Psychopathologist
Level 8: Neurologist
Level 9: Simsonian Psychiatric Society Chair
Level 10: Founder of Modern Psychotherapy
Logistically, the phobia system would either work like character values in Parenthood GP (they encounter a potential phobia and it grows stronger if unattended or weaker depending on the sim's ability to cope) or like the Fame Quirks from Get Famous EP (where earn little Fear Badges based on their daily encounters--then they book a Therapy session, kind of similar to Celebrity Cleanse--just an idea). It would also be a way to make gameplay feel more realistic, as these fears will sort of function as memories! Sims will learn to avoid things (and will also have to learn to face these fears).
I know therapy can be a very sensitive subject, especially when its left open-ended. This pack would have a structured phobia system and the therapy would be solely based on coping with these specific phobias. The gameplay would be relatively on the lighter side and without any nods toward serious illness.
And as long as we're already spiraling (I know it's not actually on theme), I'm going to justify adding spiral staircases into this game pack. WE WANT THOSE STAIRS, right?)
I want to hear your thoughts. Got any ideas for turning current base game experiences into phobias? Any ideas for new phobias? Let me know what you think!
Comments
Repose en paix mamie tu va me manquer :
1923-2016 mamie
I was reading one of my magazines and in it- was talking about how some of her phobias can be handed down to us by our ancestors