The Sims 2

My interest in the Sims was reignited once I caught wind that a Sims 3 was on its way. However, after taking this class, a little bit of the magic this game once held is gone. Instead of loving my various Sim characters for their laziness or ‘niceness’ I wonder how much effort it was to program. And after a small taste of working with an animation program, I no longer blame the good people at Maxis for duplicating the same motions for both male and female interactions. If anything, I’m now completely amazed with just how much effort went into the game, technically. I’ve always been in awe of the concept- a game about experimentation rather than winning or losing.

What I like about any game, but specifically with the Sims is the little glimpses into the minds of the makers- their sense of humor and ideas of what is right. Like, how Sims act no different when they’re married, or how a wall paper is called ‘prints charming’. I love all the room left to the player as to how he/she wants to play. One could make people at random, creating soap opera-like stories all ending in a tragic death. But there are also incentives to have them succeed in the job environment- giving a sense of achievement. Most importantly, the game allows an escape from real life into one where you can play as anyone you choose, know the emotions/fears of everyone else, and have a good estimation of what they’ll do next based on little meters at the bottom of the screen.

The way I play, is with other people. We all sit around and create Sims of each other then watch them interact in a (frighteningly) similar way to ourselves. The cheat codes crack me up. Only adding to the surrealism, the codes allow you to play God to an even greater extent: omg fun!