The Sims (video game)

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| label2 = Developer(s) | data2 = Template:Collapsible list

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| label5 = Producer(s) | data5 = Kana Ryan

| label6 = Designer(s) | data6 = Will Wright

| label7 = Programmer(s) | data7 = Jeffrey Charvat
Jim Mackraz

| label8 = Artist(s) | data8 = Charles London

| label9 = Writer(s) | data9 = Sean Baity

| label10 = Composer(s) | data10 = Jerry Martin
Marc Russo

| label11 = Series | data11 = The Sims

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| label13 = Platform(s) | data13 = Microsoft Windows, Mac OS, Mac OS X, PlayStation 2, Linux, GameCube, XboxTemplate:Efn

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Template:VgreleaseLinuxTemplate:VgreleaseGameCube, Xbox
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| label15 = Genre(s) | data15 = Social simulation

| label16 = Mode(s) | data16 = Single-player Multi-player

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The Sims is a social simulation video game developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts in 2000. The game allows players to create and control virtual people, called "Sims", and manage their daily lives in a suburban setting. The game features an open-ended gameplay, where players can choose their own goals and objectives, and customize their Sims' appearance, personality, skills, relationships, and environment. A series of expansion packs were also released that add new content and features to the game, such as new careers, items, locations, and scenarios.

The game's development was led by Will Wright, and the game was a follow-up to Wright's earlier SimCity series. Wright was inspired to create the game by Christopher Alexander's 1977 book A Pattern Language, and Scott McCloud's 1993 book Understanding Comics later played a role in the game's design. Seven expansion packs were released from 2000 to 2003, each of which added new items, characters, skins, and features.

Upon release, The Sims garnered widespread critical acclaim and was described by Wright as being successful in attracting casual male and female gamers. The game is regarded as one of the most influential and greatest games of all time. It won several awards and placed 31st on TimeTemplate:'s The 50 Best Video Games of All Time list. The game has also been commercially successful having sold more than 41 million copies worldwide across the original game and it's expansions by 2004.<ref name=":0">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Currently the Sims has sold a estimated 70 million copies worldwide <ref name=":1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> making it one of the best-selling pc games of all time. Several sequels in The Sims series have been released —The Sims 2 in 2004, The Sims 3 in 2009, and The Sims 4 in 2014.

Gameplay

The structure of the game is an artificial life program that is agent-based. The presentation of the game's artificial intelligence is advanced, and the Sims will respond to outside conditions independently, although often the player's intervention is necessary to keep the Sims on the right track. The Sims technically has unlimited replay value, in that there is no way to truly win the game, and the player can play indefinitely. It has been described as more like a toy than a game.<ref name="Boland2010-p24">Template:Cite book</ref>

Sims are influenced by the player to interact with objects or other Sims. Sims may receive guests at their home lot, invited or not, from other playable lots, or from unhoused non-player character (NPC) Sims. If enabled in the game's options, Sims have a certain amount of free will, allowing them to autonomously interact with their world; however, the player can override most of these autonomous actions by canceling them in the action queue at the top of the screen. Unlike the simulated environments in games such as SimCity, SimEarth, or SimLife, Sims are not fully autonomous.<ref name="Boland2010-p23">Template:Cite book</ref> They are unable to take certain actions without specific commands, such as paying bills, finding a job, exercising, and conceiving children. Sims communicate in a fictional language called Simlish, which is mostly composed of blowing raspberries and saying nonsense.<ref name="Boland2010" />

File:SimsSS.jpg

A lazy and sloppy Sim

The player can make decisions about time spent in skill development, such as exercise, reading, creativity, and logic by adding activities to Sims' daily agenda. Daily needs such as hygiene and eating can and must also be scheduled. Although Sims can autonomously perform these actions, they may not prioritize them effectively and can suffer consequences for neglecting their own needs. In addition, Sims must maintain balanced budgets and usually supplement an income by obtaining a job. Sims may earn promotions by fulfilling skills and maintaining friendships with others for each level, which lead to new job titles, increased wages, and different work hours. Alternatively, Sims may create and sell various artwork and items at home.<ref name="Boland2010-p24" />

File:Sims NH.JPG

The original neighborhood in The Sims consists of a single screen displaying all playable lots.

While there is no eventual objective to the game, states of failure do exist in The Sims. One is that Sims may die, either by starvation, drowning, fire, or electrocution (or from natural causes/age in certain versions). When a Sim dies, a tombstone or an urn will appear (in later expansion packs, the Grim Reaper will appear first),<ref name="Boland2010-p23" /> and the ghost of the deceased Sim may haunt the building where it died. In addition, Sims can leave the game for good and never return. If two adult Sims with a bad relationship brawl often, it may result in one of them moving out. Children will be sent away to military school if they fail their classes. Lastly, not fulfilling a baby Sim's needs will result in a social care worker permanently taking the baby away from the household.<ref name="Boland2010" />

Building tools

When the "Live" mode occurs in the game, the player may enter "Build" mode or "Buy" mode to pause time and renovate the house or lot. When the game begins, each family starts off with 20,000 simoleons (regardless of its number of members). These funds can be used to purchase a small house or vacant lot on the neighborhood screen.<ref name="Boland2010-p23" /> After purchasing a lot, a user may construct or remodel a house in Build mode or purchase or move furniture in Buy mode. All architectural and customizable features and furnishings in Build and Buy modes follow a square-tile system in which items must be placed on a tile. Walls and fences extend along the edge of a tile and can follow the edge of the tile or cross it diagonally, but furniture items cannot be placed on either side of a crossed tile. The base game contains over 150 items, including furniture and architectural elements.<ref name="Boland2010-p23" />

In addition, the game includes an architecture system. The game was originally designed solely as an architecture simulator, with the Sims there only to evaluate the houses, but during development, it was decided that the Sims were more interesting than originally anticipated, and their once-limited role in the game was developed further.<ref name="GDD">Template:Cite news</ref> Players have a broad choice of objects that their respective Sims may purchase. Objects fall into one of eight broad categories: seating, surfaces, decorations, electronics, appliances, plumbing, lighting, and miscellaneous.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Development

The original inspiration for The Sims was Christopher Alexander's 1977 book on architecture and urban design, A Pattern Language. Game designer Will Wright was inspired by the book's focus on functionality in architecture, as Alexander based his design principles on structural usability rather than aesthetic values. Wright wanted to create a simulation game about enabling human behavior and interaction through design. Scott McCloud's 1993 book Understanding Comics became a big influence on the design of The Sims later on, as it advocates a certain type of "collaboration" between designer and consumer and outlines the value of abstraction for getting readers or players involved with a story.<ref name="RouseIII">Template:Cite book</ref>

Will Wright started working on The Sims after releasing SimAnt in 1991.<ref name="RouseIII" /> It was during that same year that he lost his home during the Oakland firestorm of 1991, and he incorporated his experience of rebuilding his life into the game;<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> however, the game's concept was very poorly received by a focus group, so Wright had difficulty getting the project off the ground. He managed to convince his company to let him work on the project (codenamed "Project X" at the time) in the background while developing SimCity 2000 and SimCopter. He was lent one programmer for the project, Jamie Doornbos, who went on to become the lead programmer for The Sims. During the first few years of the project, Wright and Doornbos were primarily developing an open-ended system of character behavior. As the project continued, Wright found that the social aspect of the game turned out to be highly engaging, and the team started to focus more on the characters of the game, such as by letting Sims visit one another's houses and by implementing long-term relationships.<ref name="RouseIII" />

Wright has mentioned playing Little Computer People and receiving valuable feedback on The Sims from several people involved with the game including its designer, Rich Gold.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> A demo of the game was presented at the 1999 Electronic Entertainment Expo. During a displaying in front of the press, two female characters at an in-game wedding fell in love and kissed each other. After the event, the relationship mechanics were further modified so the character's sexual orientation was set depending on the player's actions.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The Sims uses a combination of 3D and 2D graphics techniques. The Sims themselves are rendered in 3D, whereas the house and all its objects are pre-rendered and displayed diametrically.<ref name="Boland2010">Template:Cite book</ref> For the game's Japanese release, the game was renamed to SimPeople (シムピープル) to match the naming conventions of the other Sim games from Maxis.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Music

The game music was composed by Jerry Martin,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Marc Russo, Kirk R. Casey,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and Dix Bruce, with additional participation from jazz pianist John R. Burr for the songs used in the game's Build Mode.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The game disc contains 37 tracks, of which 15 were published in 2007 as an official soundtrack album.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Most of the tracks contain no vocals, but some of them feature Simlish lyrics.

In recent years, critics have praised and noted the game's use of new age and jazz music.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Modding scene

The Sims is credited with opening up modding to a new demographic, making it easy enough for "casual modders" to modify the game.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The Sims was designed in a way that it would be easy to add user-created content (also known as custom content or "CC") to the game,<ref name="tampub.uta.fi">Template:Cite book</ref> with Will Wright stating in an interview that he wanted to put the player in the design role.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Websites for downloading CCs and mods include The Sims Resource and Mod The Sims. Maxis released modding tools for The Sims before the game itself, resulting in a suite of fan-created mods being available at launch.<ref name="tampub.uta.fi" />

Expansion packs

The Sims had a total of seven expansion packs released in its lifecycle. Each expansion generally adds new items, neighborhoods, characters, skins, and features.

Name	Release date	Description
Livin' Large (known as Livin' It Up in Europe)	Template:Vgrelease<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
House Party	Template:Vgrelease Template:Vgrelease	Gives players the ability and facilities to hold parties and gatherings in their Sims' homes. Drew Carey makes a cameo appearance in the game if the player's Sims hold a good enough party.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Hot Date	Template:Vgrelease	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Vacation (known as On Holiday in the UK, Ireland, China, Portugal, and Scandinavia)	Template:Vgrelease	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Unleashed	Template:Vgrelease	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Superstar	Template:Vgrelease	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Makin' Magic	Template:Vgrelease	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Core game editions

Name	Release date	Includes
The Sims	Windows: Template:Vgrelease Template:Vgrelease Mac OS X: July 18, 2000 Linux: March 12, 2003	The first release of the core game on a single CD.
citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Windows: Template:Vgrelease	The core game and The Sims: Livin' it Up
The Sims: Party Pack	Windows: Template:Vgrelease	The core game and The Sims: House Party
The Sims Deluxe Edition	Windows: Template:Vgrelease	Contains an updated version of the core game, The Sims: Livin' Large, The Sims Creator and exclusive items and clothing on a two-disc installation. It can also be installed as an expansion for existing game owners.
The Sims Double Deluxe	Windows: Template:Vgrelease	The Sims: Deluxe Edition, The Sims: House Party, and a disc containing African and Asian-themed items and previously-downloadable items from the game's website.
The Sims Mega Deluxe	Windows: Template:Vgrelease Mac OS X: Template:Vgrelease	The Sims Double Deluxe and The Sims: Hot Date. Known as The Sims Party Pack in Europe, and only released on Mac OS X.
The Sims Triple Deluxe	Windows: Template:Vgrelease	The Sims Double Deluxe and The Sims: On Holiday.
The Complete Collection of The Sims	Windows: Template:Vgrelease	The Sims Triple Deluxe, The Sims: Hot Date, The Sims: Unleashed, The Sims: Superstar and The Sims: Makin' Magic within a twelve-disc boxset. Australian/Asian release is called The Sims: Full House and includes an extra disc containing footage from The Sims 2
The Sims: Complete Collection	Windows: Template:Vgrelease	The core game, all seven expansions, The Sims Creator and bonus content from Deluxe Edition and Double Deluxe on a four-disc installation.
The Sims: Legacy Collection	Windows: January 31, 2025	Re-release of Complete Collection, containing the core game, all seven expansions and bonus content from Deluxe Edition and Double Deluxe.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> Also includes The Sims 4: Throwback Fit Kit.

Expansion-only compilations

Collection Name	Windows release date	Volumes
The Sims Expansion Collection	March 15, 2005	Volume One – The Sims: House Party and The Sims: Unleashed Volume Two – The Sims: Hot Date and The Sims: Makin' Magic Volume Three – The Sims: Vacation and The Sims: Superstar
The Sims Expansion Three-Pack	November 1, 2005	Volume One – The Sims: House Party, The Sims: Unleashed, and The Sims: Superstar Volume Two – The Sims: Hot Date, The Sims: Vacation, and The Sims: Makin' Magic

Reception

Critical reception

The Sims received "universal acclaim" according to review aggregator Metacritic, which assigned the game a score of 92%.<ref name="metacritic" /> The game received praise for its open-ended gameplay allowing players to choose their own goals and objectives, as well as its sound design, "crisp" graphics, and humor. Reviewers positively compared The Sims to Maxis' 1999 title SimCity 3000. GameSpot assigned a review of 9.1/10, describing it as "highly detailed".<ref name="gamespot">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> IGN gave the game a score of 9.4/10, and praised its easy-to-use user interface.<ref name="ign" /> Jeff Lundrigan reviewed the PC version of the game for Next Generation, rating it four stars out of five and saying: "Do not miss. Run do not walk. And set aside lots of time."<ref name="NG" />

Will Wright, the game's designer, said the game has been a success in many ways—attracting casual gamers and female gamers (the latter making up almost 60% of players).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2012, the game was one of 14 video games selected by the Museum of Modern Art as the basis for an intended collection of 40 games.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube ports received scores ranging from 81.05% to 85.80% on GameRankings.<ref name="gr-ps2" /><ref name="gr-xbox" /><ref name="gr-cube" />

Awards

The Sims has won numerous awards, including GameSpotTemplate:'s "Game of the Year Award" for 2000. During the 3rd Annual Interactive Achievement Awards (since 2013 known as the D.I.C.E. Awards), The Sims won "Game of the Year", "Outstanding Achievement in Game Design", and "Outstanding Achievement in Game Play Engineering" (along with nominations for "Computer Family Entertainment Title of the Year" and "Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction").<ref name="IAA_GOTY">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="IAA_Craft">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="IAA_PC">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Game Informer ranked it the 80th best game ever made in its 100th issue in 2001.<ref name="gi">Template:Cite magazine</ref> In 2005, The Sims was inducted into GameSpotTemplate:'s list of the greatest games of all time.<ref name="Gamespot">Template:Cite news</ref> In 2016, The Strong National Museum of Play inducted The Sims to its World Video Game Hall of Fame.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In August 2016, The Sims placed 31st on TimeTemplate:'s "50 Best Video Games of All Time" list.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In 2019, it was ranked 17th on The GuardianTemplate:'s "50 Best Video Games of the 21st Century" list.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Sales

The Sims was released on February 4, 2000,<ref>Template:Moby game</ref> and became a best-seller shortly after launch.<ref name="gi" /> In the United States, it was the best-selling computer game of 2000, with domestic sales of 1.77 million units and revenues of $72.9 million.<ref name="pcgsales">Template:Cite journal</ref> It remained the country's No. 1 computer title in 2001,<ref name="npd2001">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> when it sold an additional 1.48 million units and earned another $60.4 million in revenue.<ref name="2001nyu">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2002, The Sims became the top-selling PC game in history at the time, displacing Myst by selling more than 6.3 million copies worldwide.<ref name="best-selling">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

By September 2004, the game & it's expansions had sold 41 million copies worldwide. <ref name=":0" /> By July 2006, the console versions of The Sims series had sold a combined 3.5 million units in the United States.<ref name="nextgensales2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Next Generation ranked The Sims as the 45th highest-selling game launched for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, or GameCube between January 2000 and July 2006 in the United States.<ref name="nextgensales2" /> To date, the Sims had sold more than 70 million copies worldwide making it one of the best selling video games of all time. <ref name=":1" />

Sequels and legacy

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} The Sims was followed by the sequels The Sims 2 (2004), The Sims 3 (2009), and The Sims 4 (2014). The console versions of The Sims were each followed by a sequel, The Sims Bustin' Out (2003), and a spin-off game, The Urbz: Sims in the City (2004). These versions incorporate some features of later PC expansion packs, and Bustin' Out adds a multiplayer mode supporting two simultaneous players.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> When completing the game, Will Wright dedicated The Sims to the late Danielle Bunten Berry, an influential trans game designer known for her innovation and contributions to multiplayer gaming.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

See also

• Simulated reality
• Simulation

Further reading

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External links

• The Sims at MobyGames