Why do YOU play?

[LadyofShalott]

Someone on the Sims 2 website asked this question once upon a time ago, and I thought it was interesting reading what people put. That and it was time to bring up another discussion here...

So why do you play the sims?

I think I've always looked for a sim like game since I was, oh, I don't know, seven or so, but I never really knew what sims was, so I didn't buy it. I was always the kid who made up weird stories for my dolls/barbies/toys to play out ever since I can remember, so I guess it started from there. I remember when i first got Sims 2, my mom asked me what it was about, and I litterally said, "It's like barbies for grown-ups", which irritated my brother (another huge sims fanatic), but whatever.

So, I guess a reason I play is to keep on a piece of my childhood. (How's that for psychology for ya?) And because it's just an amazing time-passer.

[Samantha]

The Sims 1, which I started with, and The Sims 2 brought together all my favorite past times from my childhood:

1.) For fun (yes, for fun), I used draw the floor plans of houses out on graph paper. At one point, I think I actually wanted to be an architect, but this was back in elementary school (yes, I was a weird kid). There's an obvious relation there to The Sims.

2.) I, too, was big into the Barbies and, later on when they were popular, the Bratz, all of which I loved to dress up and act out stories for.

3.) Back when we had dial-up, pay-by-the-minute Internet, I remember my mother used to let me play for one half-hour this game online in which I could apply make-up and hairstyles to models. Coincidentally, I was also able to do that later when I discovered The Sims.

4.) I used to sketch models wearing clothing of my own designs. Now I create clothing in Body Shop.

5.) And, going along with my favorite aspect of the game, I used to sit around when I was young and write, in the good old days of paper and pencil, fictional stories. And I first began sharing my work publicly on The Sims 2 Exchange.

[coocoosim]

What a great question!
Wow Samantha- you certainly had strange aspirations when you were younger
I too started with the sims 1 and there is a few reasons why I started and continued playing.
1) A friend of mine had The Sims: makin' Magic on his desk when I was young and I asked what it was, his reply was 'You make a person, go into magic town and turn everyone into frogs!'. Now as a child I was fascinated with the idea of magic, and wanted to be a wizard- so I instantly thought it was awesome.
I also, in almost every game- Like to customize my own character. I like to create little people and control what they do with their lives. Even before sims I remember as a little kid having a toy farm set, which I set up in my lounge room like a neighbourhood and would control each person, set them up a house made out of lego etc.
Then Sims 2 came along, and although it didn't have magic (to begin with) I had grown addicted to it (naturally). I actually got the game for free because we had bought 4 pizza's at pizza hut- we got to choose a game, it was either a racing game or the sims. My brother wanted the racing game, but my Mum was on my side and we got Sims 2. I just loved it and got to control my own little peoples' lives.
So, I guess that's why I play the sims.

[katemurph24]

LadyofShalott I'm the same as you, but I was never that into barbies, mine was PollyPockets!! oh yeah lol those were the days.

But like you I used to arrange all my PollyPocket houses into streets and make a 'neighbourhood' and used to play for hours arranging all the little peoples lives and making them be friends and doing basically what the sims does.

Then I grew out of my PollyPockets and the holy grail which at the time was The Sims 1 came about and it just went from there, been obsessed ever since ^.^ (only gone as far as Sims2 though) lol

[xXTotallySimsXx]

I used to do the same thing! I would always give my Bratz weird names and ideas and everyone was different like the Sims. But that's' not why I started playing.

I started playing because I had accidently clicked on a wrong video on YouTube. It was titled, 'Family Portrait - Sims 2'. I saw this and I was in awe. I thought it was the coolest thing ever. So I begged and I got it. I stilll think it's the coolest thing.

Well, that was one of the reasons.

EDIT: Wait, you're the one who started the 'It's like Barbie's for Grownups'?

[LadyofShalott]

Oct 4, 2011 10:03:53 GMT katemurph24 said:

But like you I used to arrange all my PollyPocket houses into streets and make a 'neighbourhood' and used to play for hours arranging all the little peoples lives and making them be friends and doing basically what the sims does.

Haha I used to do the exact same thing only with Little People. I have this huge collection of ancient Little People stuff (you know, the choking hazard ones, before they got fat) and me and my brother set up a whole town with them. Ah, man. Things seemed so much simpler back then lol.

xxtotallysimsxx: I'm not quite sure what you're talking about. I just used that to explain what the sims were about to my mother. I thought it was clever. Is there a site named that? Cause that would be cool.

[legrande]

I'm like so many others!!
I was biiiiiig into sitting alone in my little bedroom with Barbies (and my Action Man...) acting out my own little storylines (silently, in my head) with them. Usually these were odd stories about my favourite Barbie, who I bought for 10p at a car boot sale, being some sort of a princess who ultimately married the 'cool' version of Ken (I had two, one with hair with dried up gel in his hair and one with nice shiny soft hair... gelled hair Ken was the cool one) when she was meant to marry other Ken... Action Man played a cameo as the displeased father... *cough* Sorry for the odd nostalgia there.

I suppose you could say I play Sims for much the same reason, yunno, Barbies for Grown-ups... I also just like being able to let my control-freakish side out; everything in my Sims is the way I want it... and sometimes I inadvertently find myself making up these little stories as I go along, just not writing them down.
I enjoy making sims and building houses, and of course, the story side of things too. I liked posting on the Exchange.
I suppose as well, I find it fun... That's always a good reason!

[bgh13]

I guess I play Sims to relax really, It gives me something to do when I have a spare hour or something before going to bed or school. I'm 14 now, so I don't play as much as when I used to when I was younger, but it's fun doing different challenges. I play for AGES when I get a new stuff or expansion pack, but I keep getting red and black flashing walls and purple flashing grass, but hey ho..

[kingjojo]

When I'm not playing sims, I'm constantly making stories up about things. Sims gives me a structure for making up stories in my head.
I also play because I like the idea that I can make my sims life really good, as opposed to real life which can be really stressful.

[Samantha]

Hm. I definitely agree with you on that last point. I always want my Sims to have great and happy lives, and they do--with marriages and lots and lots of children.

[Caitlin]

Oh, not me. I was playing Don Lothario in Pleasantview the other day and I decided I wanted to ruin his life for hurting poor Cassandra... Much slapping insued (:

[legrande]

I always think "Yes, I will help you to achieve happiness!" then later when things like endless skilling for high level jobs starts to get dull I think "Actually, it would be hilarious if you cheated on your wife and you went into constant aspiration fail when she kicked you out, also you can get a job with an embarassing uniform, and people will kick over your trash can, ha ha ha ha ha."

Yes, I sound more psychotic than I'd like there. OH WELL.

[Lonniecat]

I started playing because I always wanted to play the sims. I had (still have) a sims game for playstation, and a friend of mine had sims 1.
I'd never really been into computer games (aside from World of Warcraft and Rollercoaster Tycoon) until the sims 2 came along. Now I see things on tv or in real life or talk about things with my friends and a random thought will occur to me "...that would look cool in my sims..." or whatever.
So one day I went out and bought every sims 2 expansion pack there was and started installing them on my laptop and ever since then (I believe that was 2008 or 2009) I've been addicted.
I always like building stuff (like houses and community lots etc), and I kinda like making and raising families, especially families with lots of children.

[chimerafifteen]

LOVE LOVE LOVE the endless possibilities in sims2..... such a great 'sandbox' style game !!!
What sims2 lacks in exp./stuff packs I fill in with my imagination ; and maybe that's a good thing as well !

[hersheybar22]

Boredom, and I love playing the variety of families in my rotation (which is probably why I'll get bored if I ever play TS3).