The Sims turns 25 this year. What’s the key to its success?
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The Sims turns 25 this year. What’s the key to its success?
This story was produced by our colleagues at the BBC.
This February marks the 25th anniversary of The Sims, the life simulation game where players design their own characters, give them personalities and keep them happy. Or — well — try to, at least.
Since its original 2000 release, the series has sold 200 million copies and become a cultural phenomenon. Barbie star Margot Robbie is set to produce a movie inspired by the universe and pop stars, including Katy Perry, have recorded songs in the in-game language, Simlish.
While creators Maxis and publishers EA are based in the U.S., the game has a global fan base. Its latest release, The Sims 4, has been translated into 18 different languages.
Mollie, a British content creator, is known as the EnglishSimmer online. A Simmer is a superfan of the game. (Think like Taylor Swift’s Swifties, but for The Sims.) Mollie said the series’ success springs from its open-ended gameplay and the willingness of developers to let players mod — or modify — its code to create whatever they want.
“We have these amazing storytellers and just so much talent within the community to drive this game,” she said.
Even at its launch, The Sims was a little different to other games at the time, where choices around sexuality or identity were rare. Players could pursue same-sex relationships. Later, options around gender and race opened up, too.
Amira is an American content creator who plays The Sims for a living. She created a darker skin tone pack for characters in the game.
“One common issue in a lot of video games is that the skin tone options don’t get as dark as they should,” she said. “I couldn’t make Sims that either look similar to me or maybe family and friends.
“The difference between a lot of games and The Sims is I could do something about it.”
The game’s also come under some criticism for its lack of accessibility options for disabled people, but for the most part, The Sims’ depth of customization is what continues to attract a diverse crowd of gamers.
Diversity in and outside of video games is currently under scrutiny in America’s political landscape. Companies such as Amazon and Meta, which own social media apps Facebook and Instagram, have scaled back on their diversity programs, as Donald Trump has returned to the White House. What does this mean for the inclusive spaces in gaming?
Zoe Delahunty-Light is a video producer for the British gaming website Eurogamer. “While it’s unlikely the Sims publisher EA will follow Meta and suddenly change its inclusive options in The Sims, the bigger concern is that Meta changing its DEI principles will galvanize certain toxic groups of gamers, making inclusive spaces more important than ever,” she said.
Twenty-five years on from its release, it’s clear that for some players, The Sims has become that space. For these players, it’s more than just a game: it’s now a place for community, a place for Simmers.
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