How did you get started playing The Sims?

I wasn't much of a gamer at all -- beyond board games and cards, that is.  Oh, I did play a round or two of Mario Cart with my kids, on occasion, just to participate with them in something they enjoyed. And hubby and I did have an Atari unit. Pong, etc. We didn't even have a computer for years.  

My grown daughter is the one who told me I had to play this game. She started out with The Sims; her sisters-in-law gifted her with when she and her husband lived in Kansas. It came in handy for her, too, after he was deployed to Kuwait. She spent her lonely hours playing the Sims. Sims 2 arrived, and she was reluctant to even get started with it having just gotten Makin' Magic. She wanted to explore that add-on. Her husband came home from Kuwait and gifted her The Sims2 for Christmas. Finally, so curious she gave it a try. She was so blown away by the advancement of gameplay, she was quickly addicted to it.

Then once they came back to our home state, she brought over their gaming laptop and insisted I give it a try. She stood over me as I created my very first Sim in CAS. Then proceeded to instruct me to play without autonomy on. Eventually, I learned my own style of play and had a hankering to own my own copy so I wasn't dependent on when she could bring their gaming laptop over for me to use. My own laptop wasn't designed for gaming in mind at all. I did that on purpose because I still had a kid at home who would likely ask if he could play a game on my laptop, and that would be problematic. I'm a writer and was suffering from Writer's Block. I just knew once I had that breakthrough, I'd find my laptop unavailable.

I told hubby this when he insisted, I purchase The Sims 2 while we were at Staples one day. I told him it wouldn't play and all he said was "how do you know until you try?" Face/palm. (Because I read the requirements, that's why.) This from an Engineer, too. LOL I tried to install the game. Of course, it was a no-go. If I've learned anything, it's that the requirements on the game box is there for a reason.

One day in early August of 2005, he called me from work to tell me to be on the lookout for a delivery from Dell. He had ordered me a brand-new computer!  I played and was quickly hooked to the surprise of myself and my entire family. The one thing my daughter taught me about this game was something I utilize to this day and often repeat to others. The Pause Button is your friend. Use it. I have been playing Sims ever since with nary a break. Made the choice to give Sims3 a try. Not entirely happy with it, but. I loved Showtime, and that's really when I began playing it more and more. To this day I have a love/hate relationship with that iteration of the game.

After Sims4 was determined to be a single-player game, after all, I started taking a good hard look at it. I determined to pre-order the base game, but with the caveat if the Sims, themselves, weren't fun and quirky more on the order of Sims2 Sims, I wouldn't spend another dime on the game. I am quite happy to say, with the use of a few mods, I'm loving this one best of all!