As 2000 arrived at the new millennium, boy bands and pop stars ruled the music charts, and the International Space Station welcomed the first crew. “Survivors” – when over 70% of Americans don’t own a mobile phone, and only half of our households have a computer.
Phil Salvador, library director at the Video Game History Foundation, looked back on this era of rapid technological growth.
“If I had been playing computer games at the time, I would probably be playing on my family’s computer,” Salvador said.
This was an era when game hardware was evolving, with titles like Halo and first-person shooters increasing. But one game developer, Maxis, is a simulation game designed to replicate real activities.
At the helm was legendary game designer Will Wright. He had personal reasons to explore the genre.
“Wright actually lost his home Auckland Hills Fire In 1991, he had to start rebuilding his life, which inspired his dollhouse idea,” Salvador said.
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Initially it was a virtual construction game, but Dollhouse couldn’t attract much attention. However, when Maxis was acquired by Electronic Arts in 1997, EA recognized the quirky potential of the game.
Salvador said EA has found that people like to interact with simulated people more than the original purpose of the game. It was around this time that EA changed its concept from Dollhouse to Sims.
The Sims spent nearly a decade developing and eventually created a digital space where players could control their virtual existence, environment and choice of life. When the game debuted in February 2000, it was different from what was previously seen.
“It’s a game where you help people do chores around the house and use toilets and stuff like that, and it’s not the most immediately persuasive game idea, but people do it If they started looking at it practically, they probably noticed there, there something special happened there,” Salvador said.
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Despite the competition between the PlayStation 2 and the Xbox, the Sims quickly became a cultural phenomenon. By 2002, it had become a bestselling PC game in history.
“It’s humble to look back at all the people we’ve influenced,” said Laura Miele, president of EATEANTEATINE, TECHNOLOGY and Central Development. “Several generations of people grew up in Sims.”
The franchise redefines what it means to be a gamer, with women making up about 60% of the player base of the latest games. With over 500 million players, Sims is the largest brand in life simulation games.
Miele believes that the game’s successful longevity is an open canvas for creators to express themselves no matter their age.
“Whether you’re 12 or 82, players can always connect to the culture they like through the Sims,” Miele said.
Sims continues to resonate with cultural makers. This year, Grammy Award winner Dojacat took part in a 25-hour live stream of the Sims celebration, similar to the newly crowned Chapel Lawn. The best new artist With the aim of participating in things like The Black Eyed Peas and Glass Animals’ Dave Bayley, and with the aim of recording songs in Simlish, a fictional language created for the game, he is interested in being simmered. was shown.
“Simlish was a great, great concept for Sims. I have to say,” said Rachel Franklin, senior vice president and group general manager of EA’s Lifestyle Entertainment. “What it does is that players can say, ‘Hmm, I think they’re saying this.’
Under Franklin’s direction, Sims 4 will become the most widely played title in the franchise, offering players unparalleled control over Sims and environment customization.
“We always get stories about people wanting to be architects, for example, and as architects, for all I’ve put into play,” Franklin said. .
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“There are also many people experimenting with their lives in Sims, where some people build families and find out what makes them happy through these little people and this cause and effect,” she said. I said that. “It’s a safe space, an optimistic universe. It’s a place where everything will go well in the end.”
As Sims celebrates its 25th anniversary, its legacy cannot be denied.
“In terms of importance, it’s very close to the top of the list,” Salvador said. “When you think about video games that are really broken, you know, doom, it’s a game, it’s one of the first games of first person shooting games that you’ve really clicked. You see something Clearly, like Super Mario Bros. and Donkey Kong.
And on why the game is still relevant, Salvador said, “Everyone brings a bit of itself to the game. Everyone gets something a little different from it?”
