The revelation of the Sims computer games has sparked interest in men, women, kids and teens of all ages.
By Tiffany Gilbert
Editor-in-Chief
The revelation of the Sims computer games has sparked interest in men, women, kids and teens of all ages.
It is one of the few games on the market that, in my opinion, is not gender specific. The Sims 3 is one of those games that is flexible, so people with varied interests still enjoy the same game while someone else without common interest factors does as well.
The Sims 3 is currently available for PC and plays on both Windows and Macintosh. One of the major differences of Sims 3 from the original Sims and Sims 2 is the ability to play the entire neighborhood. Sim characters are able to interact with people in the town, in shops, parks and even at other’s homes. The original Sims only allowed the player to stay within the household and interaction between other characters in the neighborhood wasn’t available until later Expansion Packs arrived. The Sims 2 featured neighborhoods, but traveling to and from places involved loading new screens, proving to be a long, drawn out process that bored many people. The Sims 3 features allow the player to travel around the neighborhood, adapt to new environments and interact with new people, minus the hassle of constant screen loadings. When a Sim leaves their house to explore the neighborhood, the other family members roam and do what they wish as a continuation. Their lives are not paused just because another character leaves the house, which is also a new feature differing from the first two Sims games.
Another new feature of the Sims 3 is the thought bubbles in the corner of the screen. When a Sim is interacting with a new friend or acquaintance; thought bubbles with messages appear to let the player know what the new acquaintance is thinking. While two Sims are interacting, a player may read a message that says, “Jane thinks Bob is okay.” That lets the player know Bob is getting along well with Jane and the initiative to form a new friendship has begun.
A difference I noticed while playing the game was my character’s hunger, energy, hygiene and bladder levels remained steady and hardly dropped significantly as I was interacting with other characters in the town. I remember from the previous games, the loading process of screens often decreased the characters’ hunger and hygiene levels and the player would have to spend their time replenishing their character’s needs while achieving no other progress. Sims 3 seems to be more interactive-oriented instead of personally goal-oriented.
As for creating new characters, the graphics and options have increased in quality. If you thought the Sims 2 had extreme details in character creation with the ability to choose earrings and jewelry, you will be amazed. Sims 3 allows the player to choose the amount of freckles and even beauty marks on a Sim. If the physical description isn’t detailed enough, the personality traits have also expanded. I made my Sim a kleptomaniac and paranoid. She goes around stealing random items from other people and constantly looks over her shoulder as she’s permanently borrowing someone else’s property. The newly developed mannerisms and personality traits of the characters are much more intricate in Sims 3. I think this is why the game brings humor to the game-play and why Sims 3 seems so non-gender specific.
Once you have played the ever-so-addicting Sims 3, you will never want to step back to the original two games. Maxis has created this third game to be unique and different, one where the player can create any fantasy life they wish. From physical appearance, to family and friends, to a career, and personal interest, even your life could collide with the virtual world of Sims.