Has the sims comfort you in away ?

I was working in long term healthcare during this pandemic. The game was one way I dealt with the stress. Especially my fantasy save. Sometimes the stories that came from it reflected my anxiety, sometimes they were an escape from it. But it definitely was a form of therapy during a stressful time.

yeah i guess it kinda helps

its nice to have something creative to do that you don't particularily need any skills for

doesn't need to become your hobby career and lifes purpose

doesn't need any particular tools besides good computer

won't be asked about at family gatherings

no one will ask you to do for them

mom won't complain if you don't do
or worse ask you to do

you don't need friends / other participants to have fun with

...

and list goes on :lol:

also its just nice escape from my depresso and anxiety really and i just like it so much to create something without having to physically create anything at all

my family has knack for hoarding most peculiar items already and it feels so suffocating to me without me adding to it and yet sometimes you do feel like creating things for sake of creating

Yes, and great thread?

I have used sims games as a way to focus on something else when something was hanging over my head, that I was anxious about but could not otherwise affect (waiting on news when it could be good or bad for instance) and when struggling with depression or just on need of, as others have mentioned, fun that is easily accessible, doesn't require special equipment, materials, or planning, or needing other people to be reliable for group things.

I hadn't thought of it that way, but it really is one of the most comforting, easy forms of stress relief.

No. I have my faith, family, and friends for getting through difficult times.

Interesting discussion and spot-on, it's escapism for me. Writing TS4 stories has been my overwhelming obsession since 2019. Without a project to focus on, things get bad, very quick. XD
Doing storytelling, building etc, and having stories and build / Sim ideas to think about keeps me distracted from other things. It's my main hyperfixation and currently my longest one where the others have fizzled out over time. I think part of the fun is seeing what other people create in the game and that's what's made it more enjoyable as well. Keeping up with others' stories and challenges and such, it's something to enjoy and look forward to.

"simgirl1010;c-18198609" wrote:
No. I have my faith, family, and friends for getting through difficult times.

and a increasingnumber of grand kids, sorry mom still hasn't hooked up the game where we met .

back on topic it wasn't in the very begining butlife happens. so one death and i divorce later my sim family beings me happiness ive been trying to finish my what was supposed to be a legacy but became a story for 6 yrs. the generation 2 heir hates rules he has a tendency to break them then my game save breaks.

"Horrorgirl6;d-1004451" wrote:
I am not going to get into to many details . Just that I am disabled I have autism and ADHD . So life is not easy for me .When I play the sims besides writing is my way to escape .To play with different characters giving them a reality thats great.

I believe there is a known correlation between enjoying The Sims and having developmental disorders such as Autism Spectrum Disorders. Actually there are several articles about neurodiversity and The Sims players, so I think, and I do write this with all possible respect, that your experience of almost therapy through escapism whilst playing is by no means unique in the fanbase.

I've been using The Sims since The Sims 2 as a kind of escape myself. Family members becoming ill and dying, even with my writing, my faith, reading etc. Sometimes the easiness of The Sims is preferable. What I enjoy most is that you don't have to follow anyone else's plotline and there's really no winning. You can put as much or as little effort into it as you feel like. I do find it relaxing, addictively so actually, :D

Like the majority of adults today, I am not fortunate enough to have some ideal network of family, friends, and institutions to ease my burdens.

Came from a small family, never had get together with the few relatives. Moved often growing up, so never had lifelong friendships with schoolmates. Jobs don't offer anything but temporary job friends either.

While I'm happy for people who are ensconced in a big longstanding network of family and friends, that is not the typical case for most adults today, and the lack of that for your average American at least, grows more prevalent and severe with time.

I don't suggest that Sims can be any kind of replacement for real life social support networks, or that escapism into a comforting fantasy is a healthy way to live life all the time, if it means ignoring problems that need facing. But not all problems have a solution, and sometimes distraction from suffering is a valid mode of survival.

Additionally, exploring fantasy without scrutiny and judgement has helped many a simmer realize things about themselves that lay hidden due to pressure to conform to roles and forms of expression that society expects of people.

Sometimes one doesn't know one's shoes pinch, until one tries another pair.

Unlike games that offer primarily the sense of achievement that comes with besting others in competition, this one offers solace to the senses alongside open-ended fantasy, plus some aspects of grinding for rewards that give it something besides a total sandbox feel.

That sets it apart from all others in having the potential to be comforting and inspiring whatever your situation. ?

Yes, I lost my husband and went through two years of a probate nightmare. I also lost one of my dogs. And I had to spend a couple of years there taking care of everything. So two winters alone in Michigan and I don't drive. The Probate was sooo stressful, I didn't eat or sleep, I knew I needed something to distract me and saw an add about sims 4. Ok, I'll try this. I am now at 9984 hours played. Sims 4 saved my sanity for sure.

Yeah, TS/TS2/TS3 has been great in helping to cope with life. However, it's not just The Sims. I've played video game consoles since I was young and even had a few PC games too. For me, it's not just used as a coping mechanism but can also inspire creativity and I enjoy being entertained by thought-provoking and intelligent subject matter; which stimulates my deep interest of learning and development of my own individualism.

It's been a while since I started wondering if I was autistic based on a few tell-tale signs. But still didn't really know much about it, so I started doing research and watching others who were officially diagnosed and was surprised to find out how much I could relate, though not to everything, naturally of course. I took two different online tests that says it's mostly accurate at determining and said I have Asperger Syndrome and OCD. Yeah, that makes sense. The way I think, the way I process information, the way I view the world, the way I hyperfocus, etc. is just different. However, I don't define that a problem at all or a disorder or a disability. It just means I'm in a group of people that also possesses these kinds of unique abilities or gifts. Truth be told if everyone thought the same way then it would be a very boring world because it would lack not only diversity but innovation.

Besides video games, I like creative writing, animation, movies, books, arts & crafts, sewing, photography, doll collecting, fashion, drawing, comic books, nature, animals, etc. My understanding, wisdom and sanity all comes from my faith. Based on my own experience I love being different and I love being myself even when others don't. I've grown a lot since I was young and I am very comfortable with me, myself and I. I don't seek others validation because my self-worth comes from within/internally not without/externally.