Celebrating The Sims

The last article from the latest issue of The Sims Magazine I'm highlighting is the one about the history of The Sims. It includes a lot of looking back, and an interview with Graham Nardone! Here are some snippets from the article!

“In the beginning, we weren’t sure how a game without any levels or end goals would do,” said Lyndsay Pearson, a senior producer at The Sims Studio. “There certainly were some skeptics out there.”

“The Sims’ players are some of the best fans in the world. They’ve taken the creative tools available in the game and have used them to tell stories, build homes and create Sims in ways we never imagined,” said Pearson. “It’s their creativity and imagination that inspires us in The Sims Studio every day to continue to innovate, evolve and deliver new gameplay experiences that are fun for all.”

The Sims Studio is getting ready to unleash its latest ideas on fans everywhere with The Sims 4. Though mum on lots of new details, Pearson did assure us the team is approaching this project with the same care they’ve strived to bring to the franchise. ...

“The Sims 4 creates new challenges much like its predecessors: our fans always expect the best while maintaining the true essence of The Sims. With so many years between base game releases, there are many factors to consider – new hardware, new competitors and new life experiences. It isn’t easy but we love what we do,” Pearson said. “The Sims 4 is about bringing the experience back to the Sims themselves and really making them the stars that the game revolves around. We will be crafting experiences that let you tell stories about life. The game platforms, technology and player base may shift and wiggle, but we will always strive to be your go-to experience.”

The world and how we interact in it seems to have changed so much since The Sims was first launched: online dating; working from Starbucks; gay marriage; smartphones that everybody carries with them at all times. How do you decide which cultural trends to adopt and which ones to leave out of The Sims?

The Sims tends to absorb a wide range of life experiences, influenced both by our development team and our passionate fans. It can result in a fun mish-mash of decades, but I’d say it ultimately lends to the charm of the game and the universe that Sims characters exist within. Just think – you’re reading a digital issue of The Sims Official Magazine, while at the same time, your Sims have access to tablets and smartphones in the game. But without fail, a newspaper still gets dropped off to their house every morning. Things like having a home telephone may seem a little old fashioned these days, but it can still be a very relevant part of a player’s story for their Sims. Alternatively, I think we’re well ahead of the popularity curve in many cases. For example, check out The Sims Makin’ Magic where we first introduced vampires and werewolves to the series more than 10 years ago. Those types of supernatural creatures have exploded in popularity since then! In many ways The Sims allows people to interact with pop culture in more relevant ways than they could otherwise, where they can take experiences that are really current in their lives and immediately tell a story with it.

Read the entire article!