Been gaming with Maxis since SimCity came out on SNES in 1991. (Oddly enough, SimCity, the non-Nintendo version, also came out on Feb 2nd, but in 1989, on the DOS-based IBM PCs, and also Atari and Amiga.) My son was 8, and we loved building cities together. I loved it, since you played the game at your own pace instead of having to react instantly to everything the game threw at you every second. It was so relaxing, except for when Bowser came! There were even seasons in it, when the ground turned white with snow, and the trees turned in Autumn. I remember when you exited the game, there was an end screen that showed a little moon, asleep, and every time he snored, the little star above him would rise and fall, while a little lullaby played. So cute, and since we were usually getting ready for bed after that, it helped set the mood, lol.
Edit: Here's a vid of the end screen:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXTbp5dy9os
Fast forward to now, and my granddaughter and I play TS4. She's 6, so we play a mild version without the Teen rated elements, and I control the game with her input. But she loves animals, so she has a family now where the mom is a Vet. She's been saying for the past couple years that she wants to be a Vet when she grows up, so it is quite fun for her to see how it goes in the game.
Anyhow, Happy Anniversary, Maxis, for SimCity, and The Sims!!
