No, playing lifestages older than me doesn't bother me
I've always mainly played young adults raising families because that's what I enjoy most. The grandparents do play a large role in my gameplay though. Lots of family dinners, outings, etc.
I am in my early thirties and I've never played with a sim older than an adult. I'm not sure whether or not it's because I find it more fun to build on their lives from when they're younger, or because I'm opposed to it in some way. I've just never fancied it.
Yes, I can't play with lifestages I haven't experienced yet
Elder is the only life stage I have never played as, at least partly because I don't know how to be one. Though admittedly I don't know how to be a wife or mother either, as I am single, childfree and terrified of babies, but I am still playing with lots of families. Maybe I just haven't come to a good storyline yet?
I think it's pretty normal. The bulk of the Sims content revolves around Teen and Young Adult. I'll play Teen through Adult typically. The Sims games have never really made it interesting to play as an Elder. I think Adults and Elders should have some unique aspirations and functions. I'm playing a child main for the first time ever and there are some serious limitations and missed opportunities there as well.
I have no fear of age. It's just a number, first of all. Besides, I'm closing in on 43 years your senior. I will soon be 66 years young. I'm very much hoping I still have decades ahead to live, but time will tell. As the doctor told me a dozen years back (after a very close brush with death) that I had no Time-Stamp on the bottom of my foot. (Has the guy got a sense of humor, or what?) Personally, I would very much like to see great-grandchildren. But, that's a ways off, as yet.
As for the game. I don't mind playing any age. I feel the Elders are far older than moi, as they all walk in an almost impaired manner, and they are all gray-haired. While I at nearly 66 have a lot of white hair filtering through my natural red hair and not all of it is hiding on the underside of my bangs anymore, yet I'm still primarily more red than anything else. Nor do I have need of a cane, praise God. Now, some of the aches and pains I can relate to. LOL
It should be noted I began playing Sims with the Sims2 in the summer of 2005. So, I have always played Sims younger than myself. But, I was close to my only Grandma, so I don't believe had I been much younger when I started playing I would have had a problem playing an older Sim than my own age. In fact, even as a child I much preferred hanging around with the adults. They had better conversations. Some have said I'm an old soul. Whatever that's supposed to mean.
Which begs the question, if I may. When watching a TV show or movie, or even reading a book, does it bother you if the characters are older than you? Is it that you can't relate?
@LiELF A Journeyman is:
(Commerce) a craftsman, artisan, etc., who is qualified to work at his trade in the employment of another
(Commerce) a competent workman
(Commerce) (formerly) a worker hired on a daily wage
The name you chose for your Group of Seniors made me smile. I have a son-in-law who is a Journeyman Electrician, for instance.
No, playing lifestages older than me doesn't bother me
I play with all lifestages. However, I do struggle with playing with elders but not because I haven't reached that stage in real life. I just find that there isn't a lot to do with them. Also, with the exception of my Westbrook family, I usually get bored way before my sims become elders.
@MeowchaFrappe the following statement had me in stitches and i can only hope you refrain from ever holding a government office related to elders
"Don't get me wrong, I still add them to my world where they can live, walk around, and what not, since it's more realistic that way" I am sure a million sim grannies & grandpa's are grateful for that sentiment at least I just got a picture in my mind of your elder sims tiptoeing around your neighborhoods trying not to get noticed lest a bolt of lightning streak down and they get killed by their sim god in a bad mood
I am now leaning towards an age group I prefer not to be part of but that's life but when it comes to my sims I do have choice so prefer the least amount of Elders as possible in my game ( I have a nice looking granny with a cat for the niffty knitting pack though-) They either end up as unpaid nannies/cleaners in my game or placed in nice retirement homes But the one thing that absolutely drives me nuts is Elder DJ's in nightclubs and I dislike it so much I have found as many mods as possible to stop that sort of thing.
So no, you are not alone as I like to play sims from toddler through to Adult, working (or not-) having fun, and/or playing growing families and confess to usually never allowing my favorite sims to ever grow old and die..
Before anyone might (wrongly) think I have a negative outlook on RL Elders this is not the case at all but Sims is all about the way I/we want to play our games and if it gets too realistic why bother I can get realism in my RL and being an elder in my own game, no thanks i'll pass
@LiELF A Journeyman is:
(Commerce) a craftsman, artisan, etc., who is qualified to work at his trade in the employment of another
(Commerce) a competent workman
(Commerce) (formerly) a worker hired on a daily wage
The name you chose for your Group of Seniors made me smile. I have a son-in-law who is a Journeyman Electrician, for instance.
Ha! Yes, I liked that it's sort of an old-fashioned term and it fits an active group of Elders who are different from each other and have their own skills and talents and past professions. The group is led by Irving Whitley who I see as a sort of Jack of All Trades and "heartthrob" who is still very active. I liked that the term "Journeyman" has a double meaning for them.
I should also make a "Layman's League" rival club for non-professional layabouts, lol. Part of the fun in building of Sim stories and households is the humor behind them. 😆
No, playing lifestages older than me doesn't bother me
I started playing the original Sims in 2001 when I was still in elementary school, kids in this game were annoyingly boring so I never bothered with them, adults and pets were plenty enough to entertain me. I was a teenager when TS2 came around and loved playing teenagers through Young Adults... And as soon as they'd be done with University I'd quit and move to a different household.
Then TS3 changed my whole view of generational gameplay, with its open world and story progression. Suddenly I was invested in toddlers and children and elders, especially after Generations EP came out. It no longer felt like playing with dolls with wants and fears, but rather overseeing the simulated lives of actual families.
Though it's the smoothest, prettiest rendition of the game to date, TS4 is upsettingly shallow with its gameplay. Most of the packs and efforts are put into the Young Adult and Adult (what's even the difference between them besides waists and wrinkles?) life stages, so playing anything other than them feels lacking, bland. There's nothing special about elders but their aching back and looming mortality, so I understand why a lot of simmers choose to not play with them.
Oh wow. This thread got a lot more attention than I was expecting. I regretfully can't reply to everyone's response and I apologize for that, but please know I did read through all of them.
@Babykittyjade Okay, I'm honestly glad to know I'm not totally alone. Adults and elders are basically just background characters for me. The only thing really stopping me from playing teens is the fact they're always at school in game. But since that can be fixed with cheats, I'll probably start playing them a bit more. Especially since I agree that teens are super relatable. Actually, that's the reason I also stick almost exclusively to YA Fiction in reading. Because it's far easier for me to relate to a 16 year old than a 27 year old for instance.
@LiELF Thank you so much for your kind words of encouragement, I've always felt like sort of an "outcast" I suppose for my discomfort when trying to play adult or elder Sims. I think it does just largely have to do with the fact, I don't know how to play them. Like what do adults/elders do? I know in terms of what they can do in game there's no difference. But like what do people 35 or older do in real life?
And thank you for the suggestions as well. I've been wanting to branch out a bit more with the sims I make (and play for that matter) so I defintely appreciate it. Now that I think of it, there is one actual adult character I really like, which is Giles from Buffy The Vampire Slayer So maybe I could try to create a sim inspired by him. (and an actual Giles sim himself later down the road.) I feel I would be a lot more comfortable with a sim like that as opposed to an adult or elder married couple for instance.
@AngeliqueAdelaide Maybe that's what it is for me too? Seeing as I haven't experienced being an adult or elder yet, I literally wouldn't know how to be one.
@GalacticGal I, too hope you have decades ahead of you.
Actually, you kind of hit the nail right on the head. I wouldn't say I per-se have a "problem" with watching tv shows or reading books with older characters. But more often than not, I do find it very hard to relate to characters who are much older than me. Like I've tried on multiple occasions to read books with characters who are older than me, but I ended up abandoning the series just for the sheer fact that I'm unable to relate to the main character. Which is probably a good portion of the reason I stick to YA Fiction and watch quite a lot of teen shows. Because teenagers are far easier for me to relate to than 30+ year old characters. There are really only two exceptions I can think of wherein I was able to get immersed in a tv show that had characters a lot older than I am. And one of those two shows started out when the main characters were 22 and 26 in the first season, so they in theory weren't much different than me, age-wise when it started out.
@SPARKY1922 Lol. Well to be fair, I do play with aging off and death disabled. So they're essentially immortal at least.
But I am glad to know I'm not totally alone when it comes to feeling uncomfortable with playing a life stage older than me. It's defintely not an anti-older people thing... I just can't get as immersed in my gameplay if the sim I'm playing is older than a Young Adult.
Maybe I'm revealing my age here, but there's only one life stage older than me, so this is a tricky question to answer.
My first answer is that if they made elders more interesting, I wouldn't have a problem at all. Poor elders, always tired, nothing interesting left to do.
My second answer involves looking back at previous versions of the game, because I played them when I was a young adult.
That second answer is not really. I loved playing legacies, and didn't want to stop playing my Sims or think they were weird. Of course, in Sims 3 for example, I'd give my elder Sims a cane and set their walkstyle to Southern Gentleman. I'd change their hair color. It's a lot less weird if the Sims are individual characters instead of saggier, less pretty versions of the same thing.
Oh, you can change your Sims' clothes and hair color, but no matter their age they'll still all react the same to the same things. Thunderstorms, fires, celebrities, you name it. For this reason, I tend to play young adult Sims. There's not really any difference, but there are fewer interruptions from achy backs.
IRL am very much an elder but play YA sims. Reliving those long gone years? Now, if only we had the cars we had back when I was YA! (late 60s through 70s)
No, playing lifestages older than me doesn't bother me
The only thing different about elders is that they are a bit slower and more likely to be frail but, unless they have dementia or other mental disability, their minds are exactly the same as anybody over the age of 20. If my body was just as strong as it was then I would be travelling all over the world as I did then. It's just that we grew up in a different time with different interests available. If they had the internet then they would be all over it, as I've been since the 1980s/1990s with my Sinclair spectrum and Windows 95.
The only problem with young people is that they think elders lose their faculties as they grow old. They don't.
Just make your elders like the rest of your family and that's fine.
No, playing lifestages older than me doesn't bother me
No, why would it be weird? I understand if you’re simply not interested in playing older life stages, just like I’m not interested in playing kids and younger, but I wouldn’t call it “weird” or “off” because that’s just...well...weird.
Again, I apologize for not being able to reply to everyone, but I'm defintely reading through every comment here.
@IceyJ Kids and toddlers are a bit different. It's so much as I'm uncomfortable playing them, as... I have no interest in them. With adults/elders, I just feel... uncomfortable and like I can't relate to the sim I'm playing in any way. Maybe it's a maturity (or lack of, in my case) thing? I don't know. Kids and toddlers, I just don't have interest in. Maybe because I have no interest in toddlers or kids in real life?
@taydev Maybe weird is the wrong word. But like for me personally, it's more, I don't feel comfortable playing with older lifestages and I just can't relate to them...like at all. Maybe it is because I haven't experienced being an adult yet or just the lack of being able to relate due to not having as many life experience, I don't really know. I have this same problem with books and even movies... I find it hard to relate to characters who are much older than I am, or even just much more mature.
No, playing lifestages older than me doesn't bother me
nah, I like the variety, just wish the lifestages were a bit more distinguishable or had more activities/actions exclusive to them, especially from teen up.
Adult and YA dont seem different at all.
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As for the game. I don't mind playing any age. I feel the Elders are far older than moi, as they all walk in an almost impaired manner, and they are all gray-haired. While I at nearly 66 have a lot of white hair filtering through my natural red hair and not all of it is hiding on the underside of my bangs anymore, yet I'm still primarily more red than anything else. Nor do I have need of a cane, praise God. Now, some of the aches and pains I can relate to. LOL
It should be noted I began playing Sims with the Sims2 in the summer of 2005. So, I have always played Sims younger than myself. But, I was close to my only Grandma, so I don't believe had I been much younger when I started playing I would have had a problem playing an older Sim than my own age. In fact, even as a child I much preferred hanging around with the adults. They had better conversations.
Which begs the question, if I may. When watching a TV show or movie, or even reading a book, does it bother you if the characters are older than you? Is it that you can't relate?
http://www.getfreeebooks.com/star-trek-original-series-fan-fiction-trilogy/
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(Commerce) a craftsman, artisan, etc., who is qualified to work at his trade in the employment of another
(Commerce) a competent workman
(Commerce) (formerly) a worker hired on a daily wage
The name you chose for your Group of Seniors made me smile. I have a son-in-law who is a Journeyman Electrician, for instance.
http://www.getfreeebooks.com/star-trek-original-series-fan-fiction-trilogy/
"Don't get me wrong, I still add them to my world where they can live, walk around, and what not, since it's more realistic that way" I am sure a million sim grannies & grandpa's are grateful for that sentiment at least
I am now leaning towards an age group I prefer not to be part of but that's life but when it comes to my sims I do have choice so prefer the least amount of Elders as possible in my game ( I have a nice looking granny with a cat for the niffty knitting pack though-) They either end up as unpaid nannies/cleaners in my game or placed in nice retirement homes
So no, you are not alone as I like to play sims from toddler through to Adult, working (or not-) having fun, and/or playing growing families and confess to usually never allowing my favorite sims to ever grow old and die..
Before anyone might (wrongly) think I have a negative outlook on RL Elders this is not the case at all but Sims is all about the way I/we want to play our games and if it gets too realistic why bother I can get realism in my RL and being an elder in my own game, no thanks i'll pass
Ha! Yes, I liked that it's sort of an old-fashioned term and it fits an active group of Elders who are different from each other and have their own skills and talents and past professions. The group is led by Irving Whitley who I see as a sort of Jack of All Trades and "heartthrob" who is still very active. I liked that the term "Journeyman" has a double meaning for them.
I should also make a "Layman's League" rival club for non-professional layabouts, lol. Part of the fun in building of Sim stories and households is the humor behind them. 😆
Then TS3 changed my whole view of generational gameplay, with its open world and story progression. Suddenly I was invested in toddlers and children and elders, especially after Generations EP came out. It no longer felt like playing with dolls with wants and fears, but rather overseeing the simulated lives of actual families.
Though it's the smoothest, prettiest rendition of the game to date, TS4 is upsettingly shallow with its gameplay. Most of the packs and efforts are put into the Young Adult and Adult (what's even the difference between them besides waists and wrinkles?) life stages, so playing anything other than them feels lacking, bland. There's nothing special about elders but their aching back and looming mortality, so I understand why a lot of simmers choose to not play with them.
Kasp @ MTS
@Babykittyjade Okay, I'm honestly glad to know I'm not totally alone. Adults and elders are basically just background characters for me. The only thing really stopping me from playing teens is the fact they're always at school in game. But since that can be fixed with cheats, I'll probably start playing them a bit more. Especially since I agree that teens are super relatable. Actually, that's the reason I also stick almost exclusively to YA Fiction in reading. Because it's far easier for me to relate to a 16 year old than a 27 year old for instance.
@LiELF Thank you so much for your kind words of encouragement, I've always felt like sort of an "outcast" I suppose for my discomfort when trying to play adult or elder Sims. I think it does just largely have to do with the fact, I don't know how to play them. Like what do adults/elders do? I know in terms of what they can do in game there's no difference. But like what do people 35 or older do in real life?
And thank you for the suggestions as well. I've been wanting to branch out a bit more with the sims I make (and play for that matter) so I defintely appreciate it. Now that I think of it, there is one actual adult character I really like, which is Giles from Buffy The Vampire Slayer So maybe I could try to create a sim inspired by him. (and an actual Giles sim himself later down the road.) I feel I would be a lot more comfortable with a sim like that as opposed to an adult or elder married couple for instance.
@AngeliqueAdelaide Maybe that's what it is for me too? Seeing as I haven't experienced being an adult or elder yet, I literally wouldn't know how to be one.
@GalacticGal I, too hope you have decades ahead of you.
Actually, you kind of hit the nail right on the head. I wouldn't say I per-se have a "problem" with watching tv shows or reading books with older characters. But more often than not, I do find it very hard to relate to characters who are much older than me. Like I've tried on multiple occasions to read books with characters who are older than me, but I ended up abandoning the series just for the sheer fact that I'm unable to relate to the main character. Which is probably a good portion of the reason I stick to YA Fiction and watch quite a lot of teen shows. Because teenagers are far easier for me to relate to than 30+ year old characters. There are really only two exceptions I can think of wherein I was able to get immersed in a tv show that had characters a lot older than I am. And one of those two shows started out when the main characters were 22 and 26 in the first season, so they in theory weren't much different than me, age-wise when it started out.
@SPARKY1922 Lol. Well to be fair, I do play with aging off and death disabled. So they're essentially immortal at least.
But I am glad to know I'm not totally alone when it comes to feeling uncomfortable with playing a life stage older than me. It's defintely not an anti-older people thing... I just can't get as immersed in my gameplay if the sim I'm playing is older than a Young Adult.
My first answer is that if they made elders more interesting, I wouldn't have a problem at all. Poor elders, always tired, nothing interesting left to do.
My second answer involves looking back at previous versions of the game, because I played them when I was a young adult.
That second answer is not really. I loved playing legacies, and didn't want to stop playing my Sims or think they were weird. Of course, in Sims 3 for example, I'd give my elder Sims a cane and set their walkstyle to Southern Gentleman. I'd change their hair color. It's a lot less weird if the Sims are individual characters instead of saggier, less pretty versions of the same thing.
Oh, you can change your Sims' clothes and hair color, but no matter their age they'll still all react the same to the same things. Thunderstorms, fires, celebrities, you name it. For this reason, I tend to play young adult Sims. There's not really any difference, but there are fewer interruptions from achy backs.
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The only problem with young people is that they think elders lose their faculties as they grow old. They don't.
Just make your elders like the rest of your family and that's fine.
@IceyJ Kids and toddlers are a bit different. It's so much as I'm uncomfortable playing them, as... I have no interest in them. With adults/elders, I just feel... uncomfortable and like I can't relate to the sim I'm playing in any way. Maybe it's a maturity (or lack of, in my case) thing? I don't know. Kids and toddlers, I just don't have interest in. Maybe because I have no interest in toddlers or kids in real life?
@taydev Maybe weird is the wrong word. But like for me personally, it's more, I don't feel comfortable playing with older lifestages and I just can't relate to them...like at all. Maybe it is because I haven't experienced being an adult yet or just the lack of being able to relate due to not having as many life experience, I don't really know. I have this same problem with books and even movies... I find it hard to relate to characters who are much older than I am, or even just much more mature.
Adult and YA dont seem different at all.