My Dirty Gaming Secret

I have been feeling a bit ashamed of my gaming choices of late.  Not because they are dirty--perverts!  But because one of my recent mainstays is a game that most serious "gamers" would scoff at and decry.  Doesn't everyone have that one game that they feel just a little embarrassed to be playing?  World of Warcraft makes you feel like a huge nerd or you secretly enjoy those weird Japanese games (you know the ones I'm talking about....).  For me the big skeleton in my gaming closet is The Sims 4.  The shame!

As much as I am loathe to admit, I have played every single Sims game since the original came out.  Some people might be thinking..."why?"  There is something about shaping the lives of my little electronic minions that is enjoyable.  I can think up a fictional scenario and then watch it come to fruition through my guiding actions (which occasionally make a Sim pee their pants--yes, I have that power).  It's a bit like playing house or playing God or some weird combination of the two.

One of the gorgeous homes created in The Sims 4.
The homes I build look like the drawing of a kindergartner.

I grabbed The Sims 4 when it first came out in 2014 but didn't spend very much time playing it and actually ended up uninstalling.  Two weeks ago I decided that I should revisit it and see if/why my earlier actions were warranted.  It's true that the game hasn't changed much over it's four new reiterations, but I was immediately sucked back in.  The building tools have evolved to allow players the ability to create gorgeously detailed homes with curves, angles, swimming pools (with ladders!), balconies, fountains...and a plethora of other options.  The houses I create are generally boxy and ugly but are mostly functional.

But who cares about the building tools!  Everyone knows that the best part of The Sims is actually creating a new Sim.  The Sims 4 has given players the ability to shape and mold their Sim into virtually any vision they want.  Want to create a family of green skinned alien people?  Totally possible.  Want a family to only dress up in clown costumes?  That's weird, but it's your world.  As you pick outfits, design makeup, and create your ideal Sim you then get to the best part--playing with genetics.  At the click of a few buttons you can combine the looks of two Sims to create the offspring of your creations.  It's fun to punch that little random button and see all the possibilities.

Even though I only possess the base game, I have found that the number of possibilities--career and aspiration wise--create a wide enough range of skills and outcomes to keep me entertained.  My Sims are dishwashers, secret agents, astronauts, athletes,...they like to paint, fish, collect, make friends, or just be alone.

So, I've been having fun populating my little electronic world.  Don't judge.  I do have a few gripes though.  In The Sims 4 your Sims are fully autonomous--they make their own decisions and live their own lives when you aren't controlling them.  They make new friends, take new lovers (Vivian, you slut!), and age up all on their own.  I didn't realize this until I found that the Sims in one of my first new households were all ghosts after I hadn't played them in awhile.  If you're like me and don't like this feature you can turn off the full autonomy and the aging up of unplayed households in the options menu.

My biggest gripe is with the blatant amount of moneymaking DLC that is popped out for The Sims games.  There is DLC for new careers, for outdoor adventures, for the perfect patio, for parties, for new outfits, for fancy household items, and the list goes on and on.  You could easily spend hundreds on all the myriad add-ons!  It's a little ridiculous.

One of the bright spots that I haven't really utilized is the community gallery feature.  Players can download Sims, rooms, homes, community buildings and any of the other in-game features from a huge library created by others.  It's very cool and humbling to see what others have created.

I'm going to keep playing The Sims 4 even if I am a little embarrassed to admit it.  There are careers to master and genetics to manipulate in my little virtual world.