I started doing this with my legacy in Sims 3. At nine generations in, I'm almost done, but in between birthdays, it gets boring I'm not having a sim work on something (like a skill or career). I let the sims manage themselves until it's time for one to age up or another sim to be born.
I started doing this in Sims 4. In fact, this is essentially what the Asylum Challenge is. Though, I once did it for so long, I fell asleep and the game ran all night.
They all died of starvation because the fridge broke. Oops!