Lately, I’ve been playing a LOT of Sims. But not as much as I would like. My poor, old, desktop computer, Lucy, aptly named for being loud, slow, and good-hearted, is the only computer on which I can play my glorious games. We have had her for almost seven years and in three countries, and before we all got laptops she was our only PC. But she must live in some weird version of dog years, where she ages ten times as fast as a human, because if she were a human, she’d be ancient. Not that she’s out of date. But dust from three different continents and multiple crashes can be rough on a…girl. Computer. Whatever.
Anyway, if you’re a long-time reader or a close friend, you know of my Sims obsession. I would play it all day, every day if I could, and I’d do it well. I do it well. I consider myself a damn fine Sims player, if you don’t mind my conceit. I put lots and lots of time and effort into my Sims and where they live.
But lately, my poor old Lucy has not been having the easiest time managing Sims. I get about 45 minutes before she crashes. I’m told by the very reliable peoples of the internet that it does this to stop from overheating. Like as a defensive mechanism. Like a gecko’s tail falling off if you try to pick it up.
So I’ve become paranoid, saving every five minutes and every time something big happens. It’s nerve-racking, really, but I’m too the point now where once it crashes, I kind of sit there, going, “Well. There that is.”
I don’t know why I love Sims so much. Tony used to argue with me that the game serves no purpose. You send someone to the bathroom, then to read a book. YAY, HOW FUN. But he never understood that it was, is more than that. You completely and totally bond with these simulated characters you’ve created. You cry when they get married, have a baby, and die. You plan their lives out from birth – a baby girl with high Outgoing levels is destined to be a spunky teenager and a revolutionary politician. Two roommates will fall in love, get married, make lots of babies, who will grow up, go to college, fall in love, get married, and make lots of babies.
It’s about fantasy. It’s about making beautiful people in gorgeous homes who don’t worry about money or school and can live nocturnally if they want to. It’s not weird for a grown man to wake up at 2 a.m. and play chess because he maybe someday will need more logic points, you’re not sure just yet.
So, yeah, it’s a bit of a cult gaming community, we Simsers. A great level of design and control skill goes into it, but you also have to be compassionate. These aren’t just overly animated people on a screen. They become real and you want to be around them all the time. And so the obsession is born.
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