Yes, we *are* all just Sims living in a simulation
On why this video game reflects real life more than we want to admit
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The Sims turned 25 in February and did a 25-hour livestream to celebrate.
The franchise has been on a roll, bringing back old games like MySims/MySims Kingdom for the Nintendo Switch as well as the original The Sims/The Sims 2 for desktop players. They made their base Sims 4 game free to play, relying on downloadable content to generate revenue instead.
In August, I wrote about their “Lovestruck” expansion pack, and since, Electronic Arts has released their “Life & Death” expansion pack. With this update, Sims can now make bucket lists, join the Grim Reaper career path, become an undertaker, attend funerals, grieve the death of other Sims, linger as a ghost, leave behind things in their will, and be reincarnated.
The new playable city, Ravenwood, was inspired by “the natural beauty of the Balkan region” as well as “Romanian medieval towns for its eerie ambiance,” with quaint cobblestone and red shingle homes, according to EA.
“Peel back the veil to uncover the secret to richer Sim lives and beyond,” Electronic Arts writes in their description about the game. “There are no real endings — only transitions — as you move between life, afterlife, and even rebirth.”
My first thought about the announcement of this pack was, “Is this in poor taste?”
For hardcore Sims players who go through generation after generation of Sims family trees, memorializing the family line has been a hugely important yet untouched aspect of game play.
“This is going to sound ridiculous, but a proper graveyard lot type has been so high on my wishlist for The Sims 4 for so long. I'm a big legacy player so I play a lot of saves for many, many generations, and I end up with a lot of graves. I have made many fake graveyards over the years so I'm really excited to finally make real ones,” Sims YouTuber LilSimsie said in an October video reviewing the pack.
The ability to assign family heirlooms, therefore formally keeping objects in Sims’ family or friend circle, was also a game changer.
“You'll get the will in the mail and then you can read it aloud, and people will react accordingly. Sometimes they get mad, sometimes they get upset, and then it distributes all of the stuff that you've set,” she said.
I’ve never played The Sims 4 with aging on. It’s simply not something I want to do – I don’t want my Sims to get older, and I don’t want my Sims to die. Maybe that makes me a denialist, but I mean, come on. You’re telling me people are sitting down to a play a game that makes them directly come to grip with morality and finitism?
But wait….as much as I want to be a hater, is that such a bad thing?
Hear me out. As silly as it sounds, I think the Sims can genuinely help us understand ourselves better. For example, when you’re creating a character, you get to select your character’s aspirations. Say you’re aiming for “popularity.” You can become a Joke Star, rising to comedy fame, or a Party Animal, throwing the best ragers1 in town. You can become a Friend of the World, Neighborhood Confidante, Leader of the Pack, World-Famous Celebrity, or Discerning Dweller.
You can select traits for your sims like, Gloomy or Neat, which will respectively influence their moods or habitual behaviors. You can pick preferences – likes and dislikes – and build skills like Cooking or Fitness, up to level 10. Relationships can progress to different levels as well. For example, you need a certain level of repertoire with another Sim to initiate certain conversations. At their job, Sims have daily tasks, so you know exactly what they need to get a promotion.
Your Sims’ needs are laid out plain and simple: if their energy gets low, they rest. If their social bar dwindles, they interact with another Sim. If their fun is depleted, they do something enjoyable. If they’re hungry, they eat. If they’re sleepy, they sleep.
Is the human experience really that…simple? Predictable, even?
As much as we want to laugh about Sims randomly setting dishes on the floor, you can’t tell me you haven’t also put a cup in a weird place before. Sometimes our moods change at the drop of a hat (warm food with a cold center can definitely ruin a day) or our relationships with other people take an overnight turn.
Sims’ turns the realistic into entertainment, allowing for just the right amount of escapism. One minute in the Sims is approximately one second in real life. Yes, of course my Sim kicked over the garbage can. I, too, would love to kick over the garbage can.
The parody of real life is undeniable. EA even takes real-life songs and dubs them over in Simlish, the made-up language for the game. (This fan-made cover is genius). Personally, I wouldn’t want to spend time in an imaginary world doing chores like laundry and vacuuming, but somebody out there does if EA created a pack for it.
The game’s cult following is no surprise. According to a 2021 article by Game Rant, “60% of Sims 4 players are women aged 18-24.” I wouldn’t say this demographic is heavily targeted in the gaming world, but Sims has always felt heavily inclusive and ahead-of-its-time.
And say you’re not a fan of your Sim’s current aspiration or their house. You can enter “Build” mode and change it. Anything you want in the Sims, you can get. (Albeit, with a little hacking). The game’s predictably brings a sense of control and comfort you can’t always find in real life.
Facing mortality, then, seems like a logical next step for a game that’s trying to emulate reality. If the Sims can help us understand our own wants and needs better, can’t it help us understand death, too?
The new pack breaks grief down into four categories, “Denial, Holding It Together, Anger, and Blues.” Just read their description here:
“Not just death causes Grief. Tough situations, such as the loss of a family member or close friend, divorce, getting fired from a career or the loss of a pet...can trigger Grief. Sims experiencing Grief can Reach out for Help from other Sims for comfort. They can also Attend Grief Counseling. Sims can Console About Death to other Sims, or cope positively with Grief by doing creative or productive activities while in the Grieving process. When at a Funeral, Sims can Offer Awkward Sympathies or Offer a Sympathetic Joke.” - “Journey into the great unknown with The Sims 4 Life & Death Expansion Pack,” Entertainment Arts
The Sims uses humor to make life feel a little easier. The game creators describe dying not as an end, but as a new journey. They reframe life as something you have control of, even if that’s just switching out the color of your cabinets.
So, yes, it’s true. We really are just living in a simulation.
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Ragers: entertaining parties