Well, to answer my own question, I started right at the very beginning when Sims 1 premiered in 2000. I was a telemarketer and I was put in charge of the back room and part of my duties was to collect and redeem the pop bottles from the break room and take them to a grocery store that was at the other end of the mall where we were located. At this time, Pepsi was doing this bottle cap promotion where you would enter numbers that were under the bottle caps, so I would snatch the bottle caps before taking them to the redemption center, and I took them home and entered the numbers. One of the prizes that I could earn was The Sims, and I saved up enough bottle caps to get a free copy of The Sims. (I also saved up enough to get other cool prizes like mittens and koozies and the like, lol!) Well, back then, all I had was a Windows 95 computer, so that's what I played Sims 1 on. I took forever to collect all of the add-ons, so by that time, Sims 2 came out. And I finally upgraded to a Windows 98 computer.It took me a long time to get Sims 2 and get all of the add-ons I was still playing catch up when Sims 3 arrived. Sad to say, but I never got around to playing Sims 3, and then it was 2014, and they announced The Sims 4, so I skipped Sims 3 entirely and went straight to Sims 4. And then about a year later, I joined the old Vanilla forum. And here I am, 10 years later!Okay, so what's your story?

I found the game in a bargain bin at Staples in 2001 and have played ever since!

Back in 2001 I heard some co workers talking about The Sims I was intrigued by what I was hearing ,so I decided to take a look at what they was so excited about.I was hooked on it like hooked on phonics. 😁

Making magic was so much fun…great memories from sims1 days

I followed articles in game magazines during development, was intrigued about such a strange game and got The Sims on or close to release. Same with Sims 2, only by that time I didn't call a "strange" game anymore.I had all expansions for The Sims and Sims 2, but never warmed up to Sims 3, so by the time Sims 4 rolled around I was still (or again) playing Sims 2. I started playing Sims 2 with mods only in 2012 or so, so there was still much to discover.I played Sims 2 and 4 parallely (one memorable day on the same day, even, but never again because the differing controls caused a headache), before Sims 4 advanced to my favorite, a fact that I was in denial about for quite some time, because it felt like betrayal.

I was 13, my friend gave me a burnt copy of Sim City 3000 (Sorry Maxis!) and it had an optional trailer for 'The Sims' on it.I watched that trailer over and over and over and over again. The trailer had no dates with release on it that I remember and games being connected to the net an updated wasn't a thing so I had no real idea when The Sims would come out. Google may have existed in 2000 but search engines (even Ask Jeeves) weren't a thing I knew about yet and I was fast becoming the most internet-savvy person in my friends/family.Then later in 2000 my dad had to go to a computer shop and like a Quest lighting up there was 'Livin Large' (the first Sims EP) placed prominently on a stand. I think I ruptured a few people's eardrums that day in the store with my squeals of excitement. I fangirl'd over The Sims the same way girls fangirl over boybands.My poor dad clearly was forced to buy The Sims and Livin Large (i have no recollection of this encounter but i defininitely remember going home fawning over the booklet etc so i guess he paid for it? thanks dad!).I've bought nearly every pack from nearly every game since then. (Like, i didn't get the Katy Perry thing).

How did you get started playing The Sims?

Jehane40
Rising Adventurer
3 hours ago
I had heard about it way back when it came out but never got around to playing it, simply because I didn't play games back then, at least not regularly. That only started when I had finally finished my degree and was so fed up with reading books that I started to look for a new hobby. I found gaming, played lots of adventure games in the beginning... and then I found the base game for Sims 2 on sale, remembered that a friend had told me about the first one and decided to buy it. I admit I was pretty much out of my depth in the beginning, my Sim kept dying because her house burnt down... but I loved it, started to buy the expansion packs that were on sale, too.
I think Sims 3 was out by then already, and I spent way more time on that one than on the second instalment even though I never liked how the Sims looked. I got Sims 4 only a couple of years ago, maybe four or five, I think... and it's the only one that I've played very thoroughly and for hundreds of hours at this point. I still have the old games, TS3 is installed on my computer, too... but whenever I think about starting it up and create a new save, I'm like "Nah, you have seven households with stories in TS4, you can't just ditch them".
I did start playing Sims Medieval a couple of weeks ago, though. Boy, is that one fun 😁
Lori57
Rising Traveler
2 months ago
A friend of my sons had been given the game, it wasn't his cup of tea. So he gave the game to me.
My family have been cursing him ever since. According to them I am glued to the computer, and have burnt more than a few dinners because of it. But I really like playing games and I don't really care if dinner is a bit crispy. Not sure what year it was, but it was a long time ago. 😁
Smellincoffee
Seasoned Scout
2 months ago
A trailer for the original game was included with SimCity 3000 Unlimited, and I immediately loved the idea of building houses and making people. I was just a kid but saved my allowance and bought it on release. Have played Sims ever since.
gidget1234
Seasoned Vanguard
2 months ago
I started with Sim City a long time ago and I think they advertised Sims as controlling the little people moving around your city. I got the Original Sims when it came out, and moved onto 2, 3 and 4 when they were introduced. I have stayed with the franchise ever since (with RL breaks at times) and I even did Sims Online when it came out (bad memories of that one). I recently took a long break due to the game not playing well on my old laptop. I was away for about 6 years and got a new computer a few months ago and started fresh! And I love it just as much as I always did. And I love seeing how creative people are. I like building but I am not good at it so I love looking at the gallery and get most of my homes from there.
- Smellincoffee
  Seasoned Scout
  2 months ago
  The fun thing is that the SimCity 3000 opening crawl uses models from The Sims 1, complete with the clothing/skins!
SillyAngelx
Seasoned Vanguard
2 months ago
My journey started in 2007 with TS2 on console. When searching online for information after playing and liking the game, I found out that there was a PC version that was 10x better than the console version. I quickly bought the base game and then an EP not too long after, then another, and another, and another 🙃
Haven't looked back since.
Fengjui
Rising Scout
2 months ago
I started with the original TheSims and had all of the expansion packs to go with it. I love playing the original game.
ryouma17
New Rookie
2 months ago
i dont remember how i got started with the series
my earliest memories is me playing i think it was the sims 2 it was on PS2 i think i lived in a trailer or mobile home or something. i remember having to read books on cooking and repairing alot because everytime my sim tried to cook anything she would burn down the house and everytime she would try to use something it would break
honestly i have more memories of seeing the sims advertisements all over TV then i do of playing the early games. it wasnt until TS3 that i really got invested in the series
the one ad that always stuck with me even today was of will wright he was on a talk show explaining the game and he was talking in simlish explaining how its a real language anyone can use and he was having a conversation with a girl next to him or maybe it was all just some fever dream i had
QuaintToyVice
Seasoned Rookie
2 months ago
Heard about the first Sims game because of a neighbor. Didn't have a computer back then, so I ended up playing Bustin' Out on console. The Sims 3 was the first Sims game I played on PC.
ZephalX
Rising Scout
2 months ago
A friend of mine told me about Sims 4 3 yrs ago. This is how I found out about the Sims franchise after playing the SimCity franchise for nearly 2 decades. Once I tried out Sims 4, I didn't play Sim City 4 ever again.
LadyGray01
Seasoned Hotshot
2 months ago
I played SimCity way back in 1989 when I was 10. I know it's not a Sims game per se, but it's where it started. I remember Will Wright saying something about wondering what all the little Sim people in SimCity were doing and that's where the idea started. SimCity 2000 (which actually came out in 1993) was my favorite after school/work activity until I moved out of my parents house. In 2000 my husband and I were visiting my sister at her apartment and she showed me Sims 1 on her PC. We bought it for console. We also bought all the others- Bustin' Out, Urbz, Sims 2. After I'd played Sims 2 on the console for awhile, my husband got it on PC for me. I also played Sims 3 until 2019. I bought Sims 4 in 2014 but didn't like it and didn't come back to it until 2019. Now I go back and forth between 2&4.