#10
Today at 2:16 AM
Last edited by AndrewGloria : Today at
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Well, I certainly didn't play The Sims as a child -- I was eight when Will Wright was born. When The Sims 1 was released I noticed, but that's about all. By that time I was working as a freelance IT professional and regarded my computer primarily as a work tool. The Sims was reviewed in computing magazines, but I really wasn't interested. I think I regarded computer games as a waste of computing power. One game that did attract my interest a little was SimCity, The idea of simulating a city's development appealed to me a little, but I didn't have a computer that would run it, and money was always tight. It was around 2010 that I began to become aware of Sims games. By that time I had an internet connection that didn't require dial-up, and was discovering YouTube. I saw some rather naughty videos showing gay Sims dancing, kissing and cuddling in skimpy CC clothes. That's probably what initially attracted me to the game. I knew they weren't real people because of the plumbbobs and things floating above their heads! I was also aware of Sims CC clothes. because I'd stumbled upon them when looking for real clothes. Then in 2011, I got a new computer -- a Packard Bell netbook. Although it was a cheap netbook, it was the most powerful computer I'd ever had, and I wondered if it might run some version of The Sims. I did a little research on Wikipedia, and discovered that there were (at that time) three versions of The Sims -- the original Sims from 2000, The Sims 2 from 2004, and The Sims 3, which was the version EA was pushing. I began to look if I could find soe version of The Sims that might run on my netbook. Then in September/October 2012 I found my local Morrisons supermarket was selling The Sims 2 Double Deluxe for only £7. A quick check showed that my Windows version, CPU amd memory were all adequate for Double Deluxe. I wasn't sure about the graphics, but at only £7 it seemed worth taking the risk. So I went back to the shop and bought it! This trivial purchase turned out to be life changing for me!
I spent the next few weeks carefully reading the little manual that came with the game, and the more I read, the more interesting my new game seemed to be. I wanted to play the game and look after my Sims properly, so I read the manual thoroughly. Eventually after messing around in Body Shop for a few days, and playing the Tutorial, I took the plunge and started up the game on 30th November 2012. I went into CAS in Veronaville, and made a teenage boy, whom I named Andrew Jones. (30th November is St. Andrew's Day, and St. Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland, so that is probably what put the name Andrew into my head.) My intention all along was that Andrew would be gay, and that he'd meet another boy and get into a relationship with him. When I tried to save him, CAS insisted that I make an adult relative for him, so -- really as an afterthought -- I made his mum Gloria. I made Gloria Romance, as I thought I'd make a boyfriend for her, and I thought they'd quickly fall in love if they were both Romance. So I saved them to the game, and started to play my first Sims family. I spotted a little cottage at the end of Chorus Court, that they could afford with their twenty thousand Simoleons. So they bought the house and moved in. . .
. . . And then they blew me away!! This game was much much better than I had ever imagined. These Sims weren't mere ciphers. They were real characters, with deep, complex, multi-faceted personalties. They weren't mere automatons that did what I told them, they could think for themselves. It was quickly apparent that they cared for each other and wanted to please each other. It was like meeting a couple of real people and getting to know them. Within about a Sim hour of starting to play, I had fallen head over heels for both of them. I cared for their lives like I cared for my own. I, who had previously regarded all computer games as trivial and unimportant, now found myself totally engrossed in the lives of these two Sims. Starting to play The Sims 2 was truly life-changing for me.
I suppose I haven't got into other versions of The Sims, because these TS2 Sims are so important to me. Not just Andrew and Gloria, but the many other Sims in my game too. I just don't feel any need to get another version of the game. Moreover after twelve years playing, I know how to look after TS2 Sims. I know I can keep them safe and happy. I'm afraid that, if I tried to play TS3 or TS4, I might let my new friends die, through not knowing well enough what I need to do to keep them safe.
P.S. In Real Life it's now getting very late, and I need sleep. So I'll post what I've written now, and proof-read it in the morning. Until then, sorry if some of this post doesn't make sense. I've quickly read through it and made a couple of corrections. I hope it's OK now.
All Sims are beautiful -- even the ugly ones.
My Simblr ~~
My LJ
Sims' lives matter!
The Veronaville kids are alright.