Hard to believe its been 14 years! I came to the party late...during the Sims 2. Our spring break vacation got cancelled due to an unavoidable business trip so I was looking for something to entertain my daughters. I picked up a 2 pack: The Sims 2 and The Sims 2 Nightlife. Together we made our first family, a husband and wife team of Hunter and Janine Ruthless. We would all sit around the computer together and watch their lives unfold. Oh the schemes we came up with when we caught Hunter flirting with Andrea Hogan! "Try having Don Lothario flirt with Andrea when Hunter is there and he will get mad and go back to Janine!" one daughter suggested. The other was all for getting rid of Hunter and finding Janine someone new. It became a springboard for a much deeper conversation.
Once they got into the game, we played together less. They would still want me to sit with them while they played every now and then and when it came to making houses for the Sims, they had no patience at all. "make me a good house for this guy!" they would say....and I would. Pretty soon, I was constantly making lots....sets for the little dramas of the game. I had no idea what a creative tool The Sims franchise actually could be. Building and creating was something I loved to do as a child...and The Sims offered a much richer and detailed tool for creating than Legos ever could. (Sorry Legos...I still love you but let's be honest here) So I was hooked....beyond hooked...and I have been ever since. For me personally, The Sims is an opportunity for me to be artistic and imaginative. I cant draw to save my life..but with The Sims, I can virtually "draw" all sorts of things. I can create.
Over the years, my daughters have drifted away from The Sims a little. One still plays but she builds for herself and the other has no interest in gaming ( gasp! how did that child come out of my body?) at all. I cherish those days of the three of us huddled around the computer together plotting and scheming. I still build lots...not for my daughters, but to share with hundreds of thousands of people in The Sims community. It is a constant source of satisfaction that by doing something I enjoy, I can also help others enjoy this game I love so much. So Happy Birthday to The Sims! And many, many more!
