I agree with the idea that it is whatever you want it to be. For me, it's basically a creative exercise. I like creating my own plots and playing as different sims in different situations. Sure, that means that some of my own values and impulses influence things but not always.
My sims are characters like participants in a novel or film. What I do like about The Sims is that I can develop them as much as I want and I don't have to worry about whether I am entertaining or pleasing anyone else. I can give them those moments like quietly brushing their teeth and casually watching TV. I can know what they eat every day in the process. What they then do is up to me.
I like mixing the daily monotony of life with a more involved plot now that I have played in various ways and perhaps developed more myself.
Most of my sims do have children, as others said, I don't mind a specific sim dying because the story then carries on. Now, the story is an involved rotation and I'd rather not have a "Game Over" screen when a childless sim dies alone. Lol, I've actually never had a childless sim die alone in any version of the game ever from TS1 to today.
Editing this to add that it isn't necessary for all of my sims in my rotation to have children now, just most of them.
I did really like when TS2 brought in aging and family play. It's true that I switched over to family play in TS2. I can only really remember having one family with a child in TS1, because they didn't age, it was probably something that I tried for the experience and then got bored of. Now I've moved beyond pure family play into a hybrid rotation.
Having children does not have to be the point of the game but for many it is or it is at least a constant game element. (The latter is true for me).
I think when it was TS2 people played almost all the same type of game, but with TS4, all play a different type of game. It's too for that it's hard to make happy everbody.
I think when it was TS2 people played almost all the same type of game, but with TS4, all play a different type of game. It's too for that it's hard to make happy everbody.
It's not so much that play styles didn't vary back then, it had more to do with everyone (literally) being on the same page.
We shared the same game, same forum and (for the most part) the same content.
(A few Simmers did stay behind on the TS1 forums but not many)
We just had more of a common experience then, as opposed to now where a lot of people are playing different versions of the game, with different content due to the exchange and the store.
Since the first pack out of the gate was University it kinda set a family oreinted tone for all of us right out of the gate back then.
I mean, we had the party, single YA lifestyle embraced for the first part of Sims 4, I think it's about time to embrace the family aspect of sims. But, no, you don't have to have a family in sims. I'm sure some people go their whole sims lives without having children.
Personally, I'm mostly a family player. That's where I get my most fun from. Growing legacies, expanding houses. Mainly taking my sims from nothing to be the kings and queens of the town. But, sometimes I just want to have a single YA sim that woohoo's the whole town and never settles down. Who is all about fun and good times. Sometimes kids are in the future, generally not planned (thanks risky!), sometimes not. Sometimes they end up being good parents, regardless of how they didn't want kids, sometimes they aren't.
Another reason I'm super excited about Parenthood. Now those sims will have more depth, even when I'm not playing the traditional family.
> @DivieOwl said: > I mean, we had the party, single YA lifestyle embraced for the first part of Sims 4, I think it's about time to embrace the family aspect of sims. But, no, you don't have to have a family in sims. I'm sure some people go their whole sims lives without having children. > > Personally, I'm mostly a family player. That's where I get my most fun from. Growing legacies, expanding houses. Mainly taking my sims from nothing to be the kings and queens of the town. But, sometimes I just want to have a single YA sim that woohoo's the whole town and never settles down. Who is all about fun and good times. Sometimes kids are in the future, generally not planned (thanks risky!), sometimes not. Sometimes they end up being good parents, regardless of how they didn't want kids, sometimes they aren't. > > Another reason I'm super excited about Parenthood. Now those sims will have more depth, even when I'm not playing the traditional family.
That is the way i tend to play. I find it to be more interesting when you have more people.
Once on Sims 3 for a couple months I said screw it, I'm not playing as a family! And I didn't, it was a lot of fun to. I had the Pets expansion pack and so for a couple months I trained to become a champion horseback rider. And I achieved just that, I also had 2 dogs. And so I spent an entire sim lifetime focused on one sim.
~Find Me On YouTube: My Channel~IG: katiesadie00~Twitter: katiesadie00~
I play with all sorts of sims, though most are families. I do like to play with sims (both males and females) who hook up and have random offspring. If I play with a male sim I just use a mod for risky woohoo to take a gamble on it producing a child, which isn't far from reality for some. I just play different sims and try out different things to make the game fun. Families are fun, but I think its the most fun to do the legacies, its just you need a break sometimes from playing the same household all the time.
It's considered a Life simulation game - so it's a game about living life - and whatever that means to you - that is how you play it.
People play some based on careers, some on reliving their own lives - some play out their dream life or some just experiment playing lots of households with each household a different story in their neighborhood.
The sims is very versatile.
"Games Are Not The Place To Tell Stories, Games Are Meant To Let People Tell Their Own Stories"...Will Wright.
In dreams - I LIVE!
In REALITY, I simply exist.....
The Sims is about life. If you choose not to start a family, that is fine! But when you're dead the game is over. Just like in real life. Unless you're a vampire, of course.
I don't think so I thought it was to simulate and play with life, the good the bad and ugly.
And it's up to you to decide what your sim's lives are going to be about, sim should get married, have kids and start a family.
Certain sims I have it written not everyone is cut out for, or desires, the married life and same with kids, not everyone wants a child or is cut out to be a parent.
So no at least not in my game, the sims is not a family oriented game, or at least in the traditional sense of "family" (I mean friends lending support to one another.)
I just watched the Parenthood trailer and a thought occurred to me....
Is the main purpose of Sims to make a family?
I know you can live your whole sims life without making a family but I was just wondering.
I end up making a family and watching the generations grow up, but I think the answer is no, not really. Its about simulating life, even if you choose to simulate it unrealistically or super realistically. Some use it to build and nothing more, some use it to tell stories that have little to do with families, some use it for legacy style families... I think as a simulation style game, its one of the few truly standbox style games where its just a canvas for you to create what you like. Family or not.
That being said, I think the new GP upcoming is intended to create families and enhance family style play. There's been a lot of content that didn't center around families, so I think EA just decided to give some family focused content to the family style players too.
Loving yourself is the most simple and complicated thing you can do for you.
I have all age groups, singles and families in my worlds. That seems to give each world a nice balance. If I want a break from playing a family with twin toddlers, I pop over to a single Sim in my save, and play a carefree, partying scenario for a while. I rotate through my playable Sims often. And my played Sims have friendships with all of the others so there is always the opportunity to find an activity for skills building when there are no townies worth calling. They meet at the gym a lot so they get in a workout while building friendships. So, no, The Sims is not only abut playing families. It's about whatever you want it to be.
It looks like they have tried to give each type player something for this game. Family, Deviant, Those who like lists to do, etc. the ones not getting any new tools and content have been builders. ETA: Let it be known, no, clutter and decorative do not count toward building materials and tools.
"Games Are Not The Place To Tell Stories, Games Are Meant To Let People Tell Their Own Stories"...Will Wright.
It differs for each simmer. To some it is about building a family, to others it is creating a story or living through their sims as fantasy fulfillment.
It looks like they have tried to give each type player something for this game. Family, Deviant, Those who like lists to do, etc. the ones not getting any new tools and content have been builders. ETA: Let it be known, no, clutter and decorative do not count toward building materials and tools.
Agreed, builders need some love. I myself am more of a decorator than a builder, so it's cool for me, but I'd love some proper stairs and terrain tools at some point ...
you can live your whole life without making a family
Remember the TS3 tagline?
The sims, as it has always been, is about playing with your dollies, and giving them whatever life you want to. You're as limited as the confines of the game, and your own imagination.
Sims is about doing your own thing....that is what is so great about it, that and the fact it isn't war or fighting game, you can go at your own pace and just enjoy creating.....
That is indeed what Will Wright called it - a God game and why he had the little Sims look directly at the player and complain. So yes by actual design we are the Sims creators/God and supposedly determine their fate - but to some we give Free Will and sort of let them tell their story - to others we are God perfectionists and basically give them free will but at the same time control everything they do... within the stories we envision of course - much like some big Godlike writers.
Makes me sometimes seriously wonder perhaps Will knew more than we realize - and we are but human Sims being played out in God's game. That would answer a whole ton of questions in my real life - and like the Sims (used to do a lot) I stare up and say _WHYYYYYYYY???????
But yes players called it a doll house, Will actually saw it as a God game and in many circles it is still referred to as a God game.
"Games Are Not The Place To Tell Stories, Games Are Meant To Let People Tell Their Own Stories"...Will Wright.
In dreams - I LIVE!
In REALITY, I simply exist.....
Comments
My sims are characters like participants in a novel or film. What I do like about The Sims is that I can develop them as much as I want and I don't have to worry about whether I am entertaining or pleasing anyone else. I can give them those moments like quietly brushing their teeth and casually watching TV. I can know what they eat every day in the process. What they then do is up to me.
I like mixing the daily monotony of life with a more involved plot now that I have played in various ways and perhaps developed more myself.
Most of my sims do have children, as others said, I don't mind a specific sim dying because the story then carries on. Now, the story is an involved rotation and I'd rather not have a "Game Over" screen when a childless sim dies alone. Lol, I've actually never had a childless sim die alone in any version of the game ever from TS1 to today.
Editing this to add that it isn't necessary for all of my sims in my rotation to have children now, just most of them.
I did really like when TS2 brought in aging and family play. It's true that I switched over to family play in TS2. I can only really remember having one family with a child in TS1, because they didn't age, it was probably something that I tried for the experience and then got bored of. Now I've moved beyond pure family play into a hybrid rotation.
Having children does not have to be the point of the game but for many it is or it is at least a constant game element. (The latter is true for me).
It's not so much that play styles didn't vary back then, it had more to do with everyone (literally) being on the same page.
We shared the same game, same forum and (for the most part) the same content.
(A few Simmers did stay behind on the TS1 forums but not many)
We just had more of a common experience then, as opposed to now where a lot of people are playing different versions of the game, with different content due to the exchange and the store.
Since the first pack out of the gate was University it kinda set a family oreinted tone for all of us right out of the gate back then.
Personally, I'm mostly a family player. That's where I get my most fun from. Growing legacies, expanding houses. Mainly taking my sims from nothing to be the kings and queens of the town. But, sometimes I just want to have a single YA sim that woohoo's the whole town and never settles down. Who is all about fun and good times. Sometimes kids are in the future, generally not planned (thanks risky!), sometimes not. Sometimes they end up being good parents, regardless of how they didn't want kids, sometimes they aren't.
Another reason I'm super excited about Parenthood. Now those sims will have more depth, even when I'm not playing the traditional family.
> I mean, we had the party, single YA lifestyle embraced for the first part of Sims 4, I think it's about time to embrace the family aspect of sims. But, no, you don't have to have a family in sims. I'm sure some people go their whole sims lives without having children.
>
> Personally, I'm mostly a family player. That's where I get my most fun from. Growing legacies, expanding houses. Mainly taking my sims from nothing to be the kings and queens of the town. But, sometimes I just want to have a single YA sim that woohoo's the whole town and never settles down. Who is all about fun and good times. Sometimes kids are in the future, generally not planned (thanks risky!), sometimes not. Sometimes they end up being good parents, regardless of how they didn't want kids, sometimes they aren't.
>
> Another reason I'm super excited about Parenthood. Now those sims will have more depth, even when I'm not playing the traditional family.
That is the way i tend to play. I find it to be more interesting when you have more people.
* I want to continue playing after my sim(s) die without having to start again
* I get bored if I don't play with families
⌠ Team Holy Hêll ⌡ [Currently playing TS4]
I'm the same.
People play some based on careers, some on reliving their own lives - some play out their dream life or some just experiment playing lots of households with each household a different story in their neighborhood.
The sims is very versatile.
"Games Are Not The Place To Tell Stories, Games Are Meant To Let People Tell Their Own Stories"...Will Wright.
In dreams - I LIVE!
In REALITY, I simply exist.....
And it's up to you to decide what your sim's lives are going to be about, sim should get married, have kids and start a family.
Certain sims I have it written not everyone is cut out for, or desires, the married life and same with kids, not everyone wants a child or is cut out to be a parent.
So no at least not in my game, the sims is not a family oriented game, or at least in the traditional sense of "family" (I mean friends lending support to one another.)
My Mood:
I end up making a family and watching the generations grow up, but I think the answer is no, not really. Its about simulating life, even if you choose to simulate it unrealistically or super realistically. Some use it to build and nothing more, some use it to tell stories that have little to do with families, some use it for legacy style families... I think as a simulation style game, its one of the few truly standbox style games where its just a canvas for you to create what you like. Family or not.
That being said, I think the new GP upcoming is intended to create families and enhance family style play. There's been a lot of content that didn't center around families, so I think EA just decided to give some family focused content to the family style players too.
There is no wrong or right way to play the sims. You just need imagination and creativity whether you enjoy building or playing with sims.
Agreed, builders need some love. I myself am more of a decorator than a builder, so it's cool for me, but I'd love some proper stairs and terrain tools at some point ...
Is the main purpose of life to make a family?
you can live your whole life without making a family
Remember the TS3 tagline?
The sims, as it has always been, is about playing with your dollies, and giving them whatever life you want to. You're as limited as the confines of the game, and your own imagination.
That is indeed what Will Wright called it - a God game and why he had the little Sims look directly at the player and complain. So yes by actual design we are the Sims creators/God and supposedly determine their fate - but to some we give Free Will and sort of let them tell their story - to others we are God perfectionists and basically give them free will but at the same time control everything they do... within the stories we envision of course - much like some big Godlike writers.
Makes me sometimes seriously wonder perhaps Will knew more than we realize - and we are but human Sims being played out in God's game. That would answer a whole ton of questions in my real life - and like the Sims (used to do a lot) I stare up and say _WHYYYYYYYY???????
But yes players called it a doll house, Will actually saw it as a God game and in many circles it is still referred to as a God game.
"Games Are Not The Place To Tell Stories, Games Are Meant To Let People Tell Their Own Stories"...Will Wright.
In dreams - I LIVE!
In REALITY, I simply exist.....