Join me on a trip down memory lane for The Sims’ 25th anniversary
Life simulation game The Sims has now been around for a quarter of a century. The first game, released by EA on 4 February 2000, went on to develop a huge fanbase. In honour of its 25th birthday, I’m taking a stroll down memory lane.
From simple family life to world domination as a vampire, anything’s possible in The Sims. Personally, I preferred using my own in-game time to focus on art, architecture and interior design – things that would later become my real-life goals.
I’m still pining for my unforgettable career as a rockstar in The Sims 3. Then there was that Sims 2 Mafia game on the Game Boy Advance that nobody could wrap their heads around. But let’s start at the very beginning.
Source: Michelle Brändle
The Sims: how it all began
Being the tender age of five when The Sims was released in 2000, I missed the early days of the game. In launching it, Electronic Arts laid the foundation for a franchise.
The Sims is a life simulation game. Players control all the actions and decisions of the game’s characters (Sims). You start off by choosing a ready-made family or creating your own characters. In the first game, these are limited to children and adults.
You then set up your family with a house, give the Sims stuff to do and take care of their well-being. The aim of the game is to build and furnish more houses, make friends with Sims from the neighbourhood and earn money. Friendships can blossom into love affairs or even marriage.
Source: EA
When two Sims fall in love, it results in a baby. This can grow into a child, but never an adult. Adult Sims never age either. Besides that, there are tons of ways to keep your Sim busy in the first version of the game, including leisurely gardening, raging parties and spontaneously bursting into flames. Sims’ penchant for setting themselves on fire later became a running joke about the series.
The Sims 2 was my ticket to SimNation
By the time The Sims 2 came out in 2004, I was finally old enough to use a mouse and install the game on my computer via CD-ROM. It was initially only available on Windows and Macintosh. In a bid to rekindle those old memories, I’ve reinstalled the game.
Source: Michelle Brändle
My PC-based Sims career was in no way restricted to the base game. I was constantly asking for newly released expansion packs for birthdays and Christmases. The first one (The Sims 2 University) added a new life stage to the previous line-up of baby, infant, child, teen, adult and elder: young adult.
Source: Michelle Brändle
For the right price, you could even bribe the Grim Reaper to bring you back from the grave. But what if you didn’t have the cash? Was your Sim doomed to become a rotting zombie? Not if you knew the magic word «motherlode». With this valuable cheat, you could bank 50,000 Simoleons (the currency used in The Sims).
Career-wise, I was finally able to embark on an illustrious life as a penniless artist. The more charisma points I gained, the more beautiful my pictures became. Thankfully, my trusty cheat code meant I could afford plenty of canvasses. Still too young at that point to afford the real thing, the game gave me the chance to finally treat myself to a mobile phone and an MP3 player.
Source: EA
The Sims Exchange sees the creation of online stores
Alongside expansion packs boasting new features, neighbourhoods and career opportunities, EA released accessory packs for the game. Depending on the version, these included clothes (H&M fashion accessories) or furniture (Ikea home accessories). The H&M one also gave you the chance to run your own boutique and make your Sims strut their stuff on the catwalk.
Source: Michelle Brändle
The exciting thing about these furniture- and fashion- packs was that they opened up new opportunities for players. They allowed you to get creative and design your own accessories using various 3D programs. You could then offer up your in-game creations to other players on the official Sims Exchange site. Still in existence today, the site’s regularly updated with new files created by the community.
Source: Michelle Brändle
Aside from the official site, private sellers specialising in these creations founded their own companies on the back of high demand for their designs. The Sims Resource, the largest Sims-related online store, made enough revenue back in the day to finance itself. Today, much of its income is generated from advertising and subscriptions.
Simlish: a unique language complete with famous song covers
The Sims developers created a whole new language for the game: Simlish. It’s super expressive and consists of made-up words, the meaning of which you can usually figure out from the context and tone. Emojis displayed in the game help with that too. However, there are also a few Simlish dictionaries online. My favourite expression is «wabadebadoo», meaning «I’m on fire».
As well as a unique language, The Sims also has some musical gems to offer. In addition to newly set acoustic songs, it also features tunes by well-known artists that have been re-recorded in Simlish. Some even include music videos recreated using Sims, such as this little Lily Allen number:
If you can’t get enough of that, there’s a brilliant Simlish playlist. Alternatively, you can give my own personal favourites a listen (listed with the expansion pack they’re featured in).
- My Chemical Romance – Na Na Na (Late Night)
- Mike Posner – Cooler Than Me (Ambitions)
- The Pussycat Dolls – Don’t Cha (Pets)
- Natasha Bedingfield – Pocketful of Sunshine (FreeTime)
- Katy Perry – Hot n Cold (Apartment Life)
Sims spin-offs on consoles: more story, less creativity
In addition to the main Sims 1–4 games and expansions, there were also spin-offs for mobile phones, the iPod Touch and consoles such as the Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS and PlayStation.
Source: Michelle Brändle
One memory of The Sims that has stuck with me to this day has very little connection to the actual life simulator. Yep, I’m talking about The Sims 2 for the Game Boy Advance. Back in the day, I even used to play the intro song on repeat. When you hear it, you’ll understand:
The gameplay in this version was linear, so it didn’t have the same options as the main games. You could just about customise your Sim and your apartment. From that point on, you played as an actor in a reality show. Over the course of the main story, you collected performance points and found little Easter eggs. The game still confuses me to this day, but it’s won a well-deserved place in my gaming heart.
Is The Sims 4 where it all ends?
The latest instalment, The Sims 4, has been available to download for free on Steam since 2022. However, you still have to pay for bundles and expansions. Still, if you do, Electronic Arts regularly provides you with new events and seasonal content. EA’s even running a 25-hour livestream dedicated to The Sims for the big anniversary.
It’s unclear what the future holds for the franchise with the release of The Sims 5. EA unveiled a sneak preview of the game back in October 2022 under the name Project Rene. Rumours are now circulating on various gaming platforms that the project has been scrapped. Maybe the livestream will reveal some more information on that.
What are your funniest memories of The Sims? Got any random Sims facts or cool sites with expansions for the latest games you’d like to share?
Header image: Michelle Brändle
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In my world, Super Mario chases Stormtroopers with a unicorn and Harley Quinn mixes cocktails for Eddie and Peter at the beach bar. Wherever I can live out my creativity, my fingers tingle. Or maybe it's because nothing flows through my veins but chocolate, glitter and coffee.
