Game Design: Theory and Practice (2nd Edition) (Wordware Game Developers Library)

On first inspection, one might not think that what The Sims simulates is actually all that interesting. Indeed, for the suburbanites who are likely to own a computer to play the game and have the disposable income to purchase it, how different is the game-world of The Sims from real life? It would seem that the escapist and wish-fulfillment qualities many games possess are totally lacking in The Sims . Furthermore, The Sims does not even present life with all the dull bits cut out. The players sims still have to engage in the more mundane aspects of modern life, such as going to the bathroom, going to work, paying bills, and taking out the trash. Is this fun? Strangely, it is, since these more tedious chores lend an air of realism to the proceedings , which makes the players successes or failures all the more meaningful.

What The Sims really provides to players is an environment for safe experimentation. While prudence may prevent players from pursuing a career as a criminal or professional athlete in real life, the game will allow players to take their sims in that direction with little risk to the players. While building a house is a major undertaking involving great financial risk for the purchaser, in The Sims, players can build lavish houses , spend money on frivolous trinkets for their sims, throw wild hot tub parties, or pursue homosexual relationships just to get a sense of what life might be like if they lived it differently. If these experimental lifestyles turn out to not work as well as the players had hoped, the only loss is for their sims, an effect considerably less serious than real-world bankruptcy or social ostracism. Indeed, if players avoid saving their game after a catastrophic event or decision, the loss is easily undone entirely. The life players control in The Sims may be one quite close to their own, but the ability to try new things without fear of serious repercussions makes the experience compelling and exciting.