Interesting thread Crin I hope someone from EA does comment. The launcher is a shepherd for the devil... :evil:
Where you find the executable to bypass the launcher depends on the type of rig you have and how you install your game.
I can only give the paths for PC as I don't use a Mac.
For CD\DVD installs.
32-bit
C:\Program Files\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\Game\Bin\TS3W.exe
64-bit
C:\Program Files (x86)\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\Game\Bin\TS3W.exe
For Origin Digital Download installs.
32-bit
C:\Program Files\Origin Games\The Sims 3\Game\Bin\TS3W.exe
64-bit
C:\Program Files (x86)\Origin Games\The Sims 3\Game\Bin\TS3W.exe