What year did you start playing your first The Sims game?

And after twenty years and after reading about Sims5, Sims4 will be the last iteration for me. I have spent thousands of hours playing this game and never thought I'd hear myself say I will not be moving forward with the franchise. Time to seek out another life simulation game I guess. Because The Sims franchise has morphed into something I no longer recognize, or want to invest in.