Why do you play Sims?

The opportunities for creative expression are vast.

Within the game, I love playing challenges, legacies, playing with genetics, building, and designing.

And there are so many ways to be creative with the Sims even outside the game itself. For example, when I played Sims 2 about a decade ago, I got involved in making Sims machinima, which was a hugely creative and time-intensive hobby.

I have also totally geeked out in creating databases, spreadsheets and/or family trees on my Sims at times. I have even played around with creating CC and modding. Recently I started learning more about Tumblr as well, something I would never have done without my Sims involvement.

And, I really enjoy participating in the community.

So, there's a lot. It's a great hobby, really.

I started playing at the age of twelve and I think I started playing because it was fun to control little people. I started with the Sims 1 and a lot of my sims died. It was fun trying to keep them alive and to achieve a nice house. I remember wanting to own a mansion in that game. I was a little older when the sims 2 came out and I loved playing families and started building my own homes. I played the sim during this time to escape my own life. I was bullied in school and had home life issues so this really helped to get away. I play now for fun and because I love telling stories through my sims. It's also a great escape from reality at times.

I started playing this game since TS1. For me during that time (I was a teen), it was a very unique and interesting game where you can control a pixel made creature and it can even have families, die, etc. It is a different kind of genre (during that time) because I do play lots of other games as well, like Harvest Moon, Theme Hospital, but mainly PS games.

So, TS2, TS3, and now TS4. I play it out of my love for this franchise as I grew up playing the game (like how we love other games/franchise when they launched different version or upgraded version of the original game. Because I was too immersed in the game (especially TS2 at that time - I can play it for more than 24 hours per day or even before the exams), my brothers once told me that I like to play it because I want to escape the reality..but that is how most games are.. worse, they (my brothers) populated my neighbourhoods with their weird creatures :s (for TS2, we have a family shared PC) It's true sometimes, but now, as I am older, I like it because of my memories, and the creative part of it..

p/s : If you asked around, you will always find someone who played it once during their childhood..at least those that I met

I still fire a sims game and play every once in a while, even after all this time.

What I find fun about it? I like subtly guiding my sims and seeing what they get up to, without being too heavy handed. Like a kindly deity wanting to see his sims live a good and happy life of their own choosing. It adds some challenge to the game, while still being relaxing. Some sims are remarkably stubborn (usually because they often don't seem to want anything in particular), so even getting a sim married off and having a child can be very satisfying and feel like a major achievement.

Actually, I kind of wish sim autonomy and/or whim system was a little more robust, but it mostly works.

There are so many reasons the Sims is like no other "game". I use it to tell stories create (or borrow) characters and live out their lives, to channel creativity and that's when I enjoy it most and where I need control to achieve it. I use it to just kill time or relax and destress sometimes .. that's where collecting and doing tasks or trying to do aspirations come in, I probably do this the most. I use to just play a game and that's when I enjoy the surprises, wackiness and some amount of chaos... just watching and playing and seeing where it takes me... I do this more when there is a new pack to explore or I do something different. Sometimes all of these ways overlap of course.. I'm just glad to have a game that offers so many avenues of entertainment.

I play The Sims to escape reality and in a some way to relax after a long day. I play many other games too, but The Sims is the only game franchise that I will never ever stop playing. It's like a family member.
The Sims helped me get over my depression by distracting me from thinking about bad and dark things, it even helped me get a boyfriend, and the best thing is that I didn't have to create a sim to achieve all of this:lol:

I've been a simmer since TS1. I continue to play The Sims because of my love for the franchise in general. But I think what I like most about the games is how I can just escape the harsh real world and play in a more idyllic world. I also get to live out fantasies and experience life in different ways that I would never be able to do in real life.

This is an old thread - however from seeing people posting - a new thread should have been started.
I play for stress relief - I can make my sims to things and control them in ways I can't control in RL. and since I use MCCC I sometimes can't control what the non-played sims do and I can let go and just say What???? are you doing lol

Escapism, living out personal fanfics. Stuff like that.

I first started playing due to curiosity. I quickly became addicted. I play for several reasons: pure entertainment, designing houses, its fun to observe them too. I feel like a mother taking care of her kids. I make sure they do the right thing and have everything they need. I even spoil them. I never had kids so I guess that is why. A friend of mine has a God complex. He likes have power and control over them. I prefer to allow them to do as they please, but if they are kids, they must do their homework and help with chores.

It is kind of like being able to manipulate characters in a movie. well, manipulate is too strong a word. I mean more like contributing to a movie.

Plus, they are just so plumming cute ! :) It all boils down to fun.