Well the game doesn’t count it as cheating..?
I guess that’s the difficulty setting, as obviously a shorter lifespan makes it more challenging to complete aspirations, careers and raise a family etc. The longer the lifespan, the easier and more forgiving the game gets. But like everyone has been saying it allows to create different play styles. We see from these kind of polls there are lots of people who play with aging off too, as they don’t like the idea of their sims getting old lol..
I see what your friend is saying though. It’s easy to end up with a mansion and fortune by the time your founder sim hits elder when playing a legacy challenge on long lifespan, which kinda eliminates the whole challenge..?