As you probably know, I play a computer game called "The Sims 3." I've never been able to come up with a satisfactory answer as to why, even to myself. I stopped playing with toys as a child because my imagination expanded beyond the point where I could reproduce it with toys. Sims 3 tends to be just as limiting, if not more.
It is a simulation game, like many of EA/Maxis's other games. I remember playing Sim Farm and Sim Ant and Sim City growing up. The Sims is a game that to some extent simulates normal day to day life. The expansion packs add more dynamics to that life, most of them being somewhat real, like the ability to have pets or adding seasons.
I guess the best way I can explain the attraction for me is the combination of having pets and a soap opera. Soap opera of pet people. Hey, some people have pets and like to bug them, I have virtual people. I make up stories to explain their actions as I guide them from day to day. I can't really use them as character from real stories because of the limited nature of them game.
And now, recently, Sims 3 University Life came out. I bought it because I loved playing the Sims 2 University when I had it, and because they finally have a dreadlocks hairstyle... tons of hairstyles in different versions of long and short and up and down and no dreads! Indecent, I tell you. Really, they don't have much in the way of curly hair either, now that I think about it.
So, I played Sims 3 University Life quite a bit over this last week. And it got kind of weird. I made Sims of me and David and sent them off to college. There are social groups, so I made David a Nerd and me a Rebel... I have dreadlocks and libertarian leanings, so it's possible! And then my Sim got a cool hacky sack. And was good at it. I want a hacky sack! So I got one. But I'm no good at it. I made my Sim major in Communications, like I did. But she needed a skill called Charisma for that, so I made her lots of friends. She knew people all over campus. Can't say I was much like that.
And then my Sim got out and got a job in Politics, like I sometimes dream of. The ability to change things, not the meetings. But in the Sims, you don't have to get elected, don't have to have a platform, and if your Charisma is high enough, you can convince most people to donate to your campaign fund. And it's not hard to get promoted. Like I said, no elections. You just go to work in a good enough mood and with good enough Charisma, and you'll get promoted eventually. My Sim is just shy of becoming Leader of the Free World. I've never aimed that high. Partially because I never want to be the president or leader of any world. But that wasn't my Sim's life ambition. She wanted to be a published author with 4,000 simolians a week in published income. She wrote books in her free time and achieved that.
And now me, sitting home playing the computer, feels rather bad. I want some of this life! I want politics and books and visiting cute little coffee shops and drink herbal tea and snowboard and hackysacking and whatever else. Convicting much. Yes, Sims is different than real life. I dismiss it often as "learning skills isn't like that!" but if I did repeat some skills, over and over, and ground things out in real life instead of dismissed them... maybe I could actually learn them.
It's downright embarrassing when your computer game character makes you feel bad about not doing anything.
Oh, and I want to make myself like tea. Cause it can be good for you. And warm. And it's still not coffee.
It is a simulation game, like many of EA/Maxis's other games. I remember playing Sim Farm and Sim Ant and Sim City growing up. The Sims is a game that to some extent simulates normal day to day life. The expansion packs add more dynamics to that life, most of them being somewhat real, like the ability to have pets or adding seasons.
I guess the best way I can explain the attraction for me is the combination of having pets and a soap opera. Soap opera of pet people. Hey, some people have pets and like to bug them, I have virtual people. I make up stories to explain their actions as I guide them from day to day. I can't really use them as character from real stories because of the limited nature of them game.
And now, recently, Sims 3 University Life came out. I bought it because I loved playing the Sims 2 University when I had it, and because they finally have a dreadlocks hairstyle... tons of hairstyles in different versions of long and short and up and down and no dreads! Indecent, I tell you. Really, they don't have much in the way of curly hair either, now that I think about it.
So, I played Sims 3 University Life quite a bit over this last week. And it got kind of weird. I made Sims of me and David and sent them off to college. There are social groups, so I made David a Nerd and me a Rebel... I have dreadlocks and libertarian leanings, so it's possible! And then my Sim got a cool hacky sack. And was good at it. I want a hacky sack! So I got one. But I'm no good at it. I made my Sim major in Communications, like I did. But she needed a skill called Charisma for that, so I made her lots of friends. She knew people all over campus. Can't say I was much like that.
And then my Sim got out and got a job in Politics, like I sometimes dream of. The ability to change things, not the meetings. But in the Sims, you don't have to get elected, don't have to have a platform, and if your Charisma is high enough, you can convince most people to donate to your campaign fund. And it's not hard to get promoted. Like I said, no elections. You just go to work in a good enough mood and with good enough Charisma, and you'll get promoted eventually. My Sim is just shy of becoming Leader of the Free World. I've never aimed that high. Partially because I never want to be the president or leader of any world. But that wasn't my Sim's life ambition. She wanted to be a published author with 4,000 simolians a week in published income. She wrote books in her free time and achieved that.
And now me, sitting home playing the computer, feels rather bad. I want some of this life! I want politics and books and visiting cute little coffee shops and drink herbal tea and snowboard and hackysacking and whatever else. Convicting much. Yes, Sims is different than real life. I dismiss it often as "learning skills isn't like that!" but if I did repeat some skills, over and over, and ground things out in real life instead of dismissed them... maybe I could actually learn them.
It's downright embarrassing when your computer game character makes you feel bad about not doing anything.
Oh, and I want to make myself like tea. Cause it can be good for you. And warm. And it's still not coffee.
No comments:
Post a Comment