Insight into virtual games people play
When I reviewed the original single-player game of The Sims about two years ago, I found it boring, unfulfilling and repetitive. It went on to become one of the best-selling games ever, spawned five expansion sets, and even today takes up about five slots on the top-20 best-selling list.
What I found boring - developing skills to execute more animated expressions and buying new items for houses - others found exciting. I suspect the house-building and interior-design aspects of the game are a big draw.
Recently, I saw a beautifully designed bedroom set with a bed, drawers and a pair of paintings, all done in Japanese style that you could download. There are many other examples of interior designs created by fans, free to download into your Sims world.
One reason that sales of this game are so high is that many non-gamers find it appealing. For example, many women who do not play other computer games are addicted to The Sims.
The Sims Online is a subscription-based game that requires a fee of US$9.99 per month, with the first month free. All the players live, play and interact in a virtual world. You are encouraged to buy property, design your own house and find house-mates.
All the characters one encounters are real people. Previously boring character interactions are now absolutely fascinating to me.
In my first few days online, another player tried to trick me into handing over all my precious starting money (he claimed we could magically multiply our money, if I would only let him hold my money for a bit).
I was invited to become someone's room-mate and found an online girlfriend, who was then courted by another player. Later, I found out from my room-mate that my girlfriend had dumped me and married someone else.
I have met a lot more people since then and now when I log on I have 'miss you' messages from my new fiancee. We are saving money to get married, buy our own place and start a business. None of that ever happened to me in the single-player game!
I have also encountered a lot of immaturity - the occasional teenage boy who thinks it is funny to pretend to be a female Sim. Their immaturity usually betrays them quickly. One even kicked me out of his house for not handing over money.
The game is more fun if you are a mature person who enjoys talking and meeting other people. For parents with children there are security features that parents can set so that no one can talk to the child without parental approval.
The Sims Online is a great way for social people to meet one other. I can imagine shy people might even come out of their shells as they can meet people behind the safety of a computer screen.
Some buttons on the interface have not been implemented yet. I am not sure if this means the game is unfinished, but game updates seem to take place on a fairly regular basis. The last two have required 6.5-megabyte downloads.
Many of the players I found online were fans of the original Sims but found the online game much more fun. They love to show off their interior design skills and invite people over. They also love the real-people interaction, as I do.
But what do I know? The Sims is one of the best-selling games ever. I did not like it. The Sims Online has not met sales targets, but I am addicted.
