What makes this game so addicting?

For me its a way to live a thousand different lives, to experience the world through someone else's eyes and to learn from those other people's perspectives. By exploring the many aspects of their day to day living I can experience the things that might shape their attitudes. Generally I want to to break out of the box and explore everything possible beyond that which I know. It's why I also like supernatural play. Creating my Sim proxies is also a challenging and rewarding experience. It is a somewhat unique form of artistry, I find.

I agree with the majority here that its creative outlet is what appeals to me the most. My other hobbies include painting and writing and playing Sims lets me explore some new story possibilities or just relax in a very mundane, yet a bit magical environment. I have been playing sims since Sims 1 and no other game has become such a comfort place for me to relax and unwind.

I so enjoy my Prehistorical, Historical, 20th Century & Futuristic Game Saves.
I love my GTW/Strangerville/JTB for my SiFi Futuristic play.
Also I love my GT/IL/JA/Vampire/ROM for my Prehistorical & Historical play.
Furthermore, I love my CL/C&D/GF/EL/VG/Paranormal for my 20th Century play.

I never ever use mods or MOOs in my Sims 4, just alot of cheat modes. ;)

I don't have any other expensive hobbies and I'm already over 50, I've had time to save money for something that I enjoy. I don't use cc or mods, so I want all the packs to add new things on the game and I don't think of it as spending too much money for something that I enjoy. Some people use their money on cigarettes and some buy new computers or cars all the time. I don't judge them, they can do whatever they want with their own money. I wish people would stop worrying about how other people use their money. I'm okay, I still have money left. ;)

In my case this game is so addicting because it makes me forget all my worries and I can do what I want on it. I make the big decisions myself but I love the autonomy and I let my Sims choose their spouses quite often themselves. I could not play without the autonomy, because it would feel like playing with dolls.
For me the autonomy is the most important thing why I'm so addicted to this game, I'd be bored without it.

For about a year, I was addicted. Then I realized that Sim's behavior was all pretty much the same, and the addiction went away

I don't really think it is addicting but as with all things, we must manage our own time and money.

There are a lot of games and hobbies out there, everyone typically has some that they play or do. I agree that it's a creative outlet and can be a stress reliever when dealing with complicated things in life.

As adults at least in most societies now, we don't have a lot of outlets for creativity as others mentioned. I guess I like being able to do what I want and being able to come up with stories regardless of whether they actually entertain anyone else. I've occasionally talked on here about a few but I get to experiment without being edited by anyone else. You can also spend time on little "boring" details that wouldn't exist in a book or show if you want to. Want to spend hours just editing the likes and dislikes of 300 characters? Ok. Want to just build an island resort or new house all day? Ok. Make a random townie playable and come up with a whole life for them? Fine.

Anyway, I think it is fine. I guess I've played multiple versions (I'm not that old, I was playing some games when I was a kid & I like history). It's really up to a player what they want to spend. I enjoy it but take breaks and sometimes I've disappeared from the game even for years. I had a break for some months earlier this year and I actually disappeared for over a year not that long ago for other commitments. It's nice that it's still around and I can come back. When I pick back up, I have a good time.

So far, I have not thought that it is too much like games that are heavily micro-transaction-based because anything is optional and there are sales. Watching a film isn't replayable and I don't tend to reread books but I can play a game as much as I want. I still watch films and read books but I consider gaming to be in that category. I'm not fixated on the total cost since 2014 since some packs were gifted to me and I've done some sales. I don't think about how much I spent on books or films since 2014.

When I came back recently, my first thought was that it's time for an update but as I got back into it, I had fun. It's true that if the series completely starts all over, it'll be a jump though that has happened before. I took several years off between TS3 and TS4.

Do what you want, gaming is fine, just make sure that you are actually living your own life as well. Sometimes real life can be overrated like last year for a lot of people. I have other hobbies like hiking, socializing (when we actually can), travel (when we actually can), reading which I should do more, learning skills in various classes, and "real lifing". I could pick up a few more hobbies and sometimes I concentrate a lot more on real life than games but when I do, I have fun. I think it is good to not completely lose our imaginations. I've been on here because it's nice to know that other people are like that as well.

I like my sims and the storylines I have going on. New packs always add something I can use and it's fun to get new options for my sims. I try to use pretty much everything that comes on a pack, so for me it's generally a good value. There are a couple of pack I don't own.

I just want to add that some years ago, I was in a relationship with someone who was very critical of The Sims series. That person would say things like, "Those are just ones and zeros, that's not real." Meanwhile, that person would spend hours on some video pool/billiards site. "This is a real game and it's with real people." I'm really glad to not be with that person anymore. Now I'm with someone who lets me be me, this person mainly likes to watch other people play video games on livestreams which I didn't realize is a popular thing. The attitude is "you do you" and that's the attitude that I mainly have for other people, just make sure that you are enjoying your life as much as you can.

I'm just adding that the first relationship did not last long. Lol.

I think it's addictive for me because I can make Sims happy and successful. This was more of a challenge in TS1 and 2, but it's still satisfying to have a Sim get a promotion even though it's easier. And I'd rather marry off my Sims than read romance novels. The reason I buy new packs is because they're new. I can't afford to change my own living room furniture or buy a new wardrobe every 6 months, but a whole set of new clothes, furniture, and experiences for my Sims costs much less than a new outfit for me.

The creative aspect for me. I get to make characters, their stories, and explore their settings. It’s all about imagination for me since gameplay is a dud.