WEBVTT - Episode 61: The Sims 0:00:10.600 --> 0:00:13.880 Hello, and welcome to another edition of Nerve Assent. I'm 0:00:13.960 --> 0:00:16.520 one half of your host Danny Fernandez. If he is 0:00:16.520 --> 0:00:21.720 actually out today, Uh, he is working on a TV show. Um, 0:00:21.760 --> 0:00:25.240 I guess that's what happens. Now that we are successful 0:00:25.920 --> 0:00:30.160 huts down, we are trying to work with our schedules. Um, 0:00:30.240 --> 0:00:32.479 and we will figure that out. We will figure that 0:00:32.520 --> 0:00:35.920 out so that we're not tiktoking and taking turns. Wait 0:00:35.920 --> 0:00:42.200 tiktoking was the wrong vert. That voice is Claire Max, 0:00:42.200 --> 0:00:46.279 who is joining me today, Hello to talk about the Sims. 0:00:46.560 --> 0:00:49.120 So excited what was your Yeah, So we're just gonna 0:00:49.200 --> 0:00:51.360 hop right in. We're also going to be joined by 0:00:51.400 --> 0:00:56.120 Christopher Smith Bryant, who was on our lgbt Q Gamer episode. 0:00:56.600 --> 0:01:02.200 But um, the Sims, the Sims. This was my This 0:01:02.520 --> 0:01:07.920 was like fan fiction come to life. Yeah, people live 0:01:07.920 --> 0:01:13.080 out their fantasies a thousand percent. What like, when was 0:01:13.080 --> 0:01:16.520 your first memory of when you got your hands on 0:01:16.560 --> 0:01:20.440 a game? So I definitely I've played every single iteration 0:01:20.560 --> 0:01:22.280 of this game since the first one. So I played one, 0:01:22.319 --> 0:01:24.440 two or three and now four. I was literally playing 0:01:24.440 --> 0:01:28.080 it last night. Um, so I it came out and 0:01:28.080 --> 0:01:29.600 I think the first one came out in two thousands, 0:01:29.640 --> 0:01:35.040 so I would have been like, I guess, yeah, um, 0:01:35.280 --> 0:01:37.320 But before that, I played sim City, and I played 0:01:37.319 --> 0:01:40.039 like other simulation kind of games like Roller Coaster, Tycoon 0:01:40.040 --> 0:01:44.679 and totally rollers Freaking And I still play Planet Coaster, 0:01:44.760 --> 0:01:47.920 which is like the big brother of Roller Coaster. Um. 0:01:47.960 --> 0:01:49.920 But I really like those kind of games because I'm 0:01:50.000 --> 0:01:53.480 terrible at anything that involves like combat or any kind 0:01:53.520 --> 0:01:56.160 of like oh yeah, totally, I'm so bad at those. 0:01:56.240 --> 0:01:58.400 So I always really liked the kind of like simulation 0:01:58.440 --> 0:02:00.800 games that are chill and you can just like hang out. 0:02:00.840 --> 0:02:03.559 So I definitely remember playing the first one and spending 0:02:03.760 --> 0:02:06.000 way too much time just building my house and then 0:02:06.040 --> 0:02:09.560 not even really playing, just just building houses like most 0:02:09.600 --> 0:02:12.120 of so, I mean it is fascinating because like you know, 0:02:12.160 --> 0:02:15.040 Minecraft is so big, but like that was the starting 0:02:15.200 --> 0:02:18.160 point you know for people wanting to build, for like 0:02:18.240 --> 0:02:20.639 building games really takes off. Yeah. Before that, I just 0:02:20.680 --> 0:02:24.280 built houses with legos, so like a virtual it's the 0:02:24.360 --> 0:02:27.240 virtual version of that. Um. For me, I was largely 0:02:27.280 --> 0:02:32.919 into like animated cartoon games like Aladdin on Second Genesis 0:02:33.440 --> 0:02:35.400 and like the Lion King game. I had that like 0:02:35.400 --> 0:02:38.920 a CD ram of the Lion King game. Yeah, the 0:02:38.960 --> 0:02:41.320 Disney games, and then of course I was super into 0:02:41.440 --> 0:02:45.920 Mario and later Mario sixty four. Um mine were like, 0:02:45.960 --> 0:02:50.280 I guess we don't like the cute seer games, the 0:02:50.320 --> 0:02:52.639 animated ones I definitely played this year. I played a 0:02:52.639 --> 0:02:55.440 lot of the girly, girly type of games. I had 0:02:55.560 --> 0:02:57.799 one that was it was a Barbie game, but it 0:02:57.840 --> 0:03:01.680 was just literally just Barbie makeovers and you just put yes, yes, 0:03:01.720 --> 0:03:03.959 I remember. And so SIMS is also like a grown 0:03:04.040 --> 0:03:06.160 up version of that totally. You just sit there and 0:03:06.240 --> 0:03:10.440 make your sim for like hours. Yes, And and speaking 0:03:10.480 --> 0:03:14.840 of making SIMS, we now have my lovely friend Christopher 0:03:14.880 --> 0:03:17.880 Smith Bryant joining us. I'm sorry for being like, no, 0:03:18.080 --> 0:03:22.280 it's it's chaotic here. We are all very busy. Yes, 0:03:22.560 --> 0:03:25.120 we're all we're all well. And it's right before it's 0:03:25.160 --> 0:03:28.560 weird because this is right before Pride and it's right 0:03:28.600 --> 0:03:31.200 before E three. So for me, it's like the worst 0:03:31.240 --> 0:03:33.839 week of my love. Oh no, I hear you. I 0:03:33.880 --> 0:03:35.960 like have a book signing after this that I just 0:03:36.040 --> 0:03:39.200 found out about today. I was like, oh, I, oh, 0:03:39.280 --> 0:03:43.360 it's today. It's today, So we're all coming together to 0:03:43.440 --> 0:03:46.920 talk about the SIMS. So, my name's Christopher Bryant. I 0:03:46.920 --> 0:03:48.360 don't know if you need an intro, but yeah, I 0:03:48.360 --> 0:03:50.840 worked for l A Gamers, which is a nonprofit. We 0:03:50.920 --> 0:03:53.920 held like PlayStation's first E three after party. So when 0:03:53.960 --> 0:03:55.720 Danny was talking about talking about the SIMS, is like, 0:03:55.720 --> 0:03:59.240 this is perfect of my alley. Yeah, when was your 0:03:59.240 --> 0:04:01.720 We're just talking about like your first introduction. When do 0:04:01.760 --> 0:04:04.880 you first remember getting your hands on this game? Oh? 0:04:04.960 --> 0:04:07.440 I got it when it first came out. I was like, 0:04:07.640 --> 0:04:11.320 I was immediately. My dad I remember saw the poster 0:04:11.480 --> 0:04:13.360 for it, and I've played sim City like I was 0:04:13.400 --> 0:04:15.520 a huge will Right fan. I think I even played 0:04:15.560 --> 0:04:18.320 like he had like an ant simulator game. Remember that 0:04:18.520 --> 0:04:21.680 you do remember that? So I was like, really, I 0:04:21.720 --> 0:04:24.040 remember my dad saw the box and I got it 0:04:24.080 --> 0:04:27.360 and I was just obsessed immediately. Yeah, so I guess 0:04:27.360 --> 0:04:29.839 we should tell people that have never played the SIMS 0:04:29.920 --> 0:04:36.160 essentially what it was. Who are um, Well, yeah, so 0:04:36.200 --> 0:04:39.680 it did come from William Wright, who is a video 0:04:39.720 --> 0:04:42.560 game designer and co founder of the former game development 0:04:42.600 --> 0:04:47.839 company Maxis and uh they created sim City, which is 0:04:47.920 --> 0:04:50.599 kind of what brought him to prominence. And then after 0:04:50.600 --> 0:04:53.920 and sim City had many different iterations, later renamed sim 0:04:53.920 --> 0:04:58.080 City Classic. That was a city building simulation video game 0:04:58.520 --> 0:05:03.480 and that actually released in nine Yes, that was way 0:05:03.520 --> 0:05:06.640 before all of this. Oh my god. So the game 0:05:06.640 --> 0:05:09.920 focuses on players operating as a mayor whose task is 0:05:10.000 --> 0:05:14.440 to build up the city, um, providing basic transit links, power, 0:05:14.680 --> 0:05:20.280 simplistic services for for residents. And then yeah yeah, yeah 0:05:20.360 --> 0:05:22.039 yeah and sam along the lines if we were talking 0:05:22.040 --> 0:05:25.880 about roller Coaster Tycoon, um, But like roller Coaster Tycoon 0:05:25.960 --> 0:05:28.520 was easy, sim City was like it was hard. I 0:05:28.600 --> 0:05:30.720 was like, this is stressed. I should just have a job, 0:05:30.800 --> 0:05:34.400 like I just work. It really was stressful. But then 0:05:34.440 --> 0:05:36.760 we had the SIMS, which was the first game in 0:05:36.760 --> 0:05:39.400 the series. So it was developed by Maxis and published 0:05:39.480 --> 0:05:42.760 by Electronic Arts. So did e A did they publish 0:05:42.760 --> 0:05:44.599 it from the beginning? Do you know that it was 0:05:44.680 --> 0:05:49.080 released for Microsoft Windows in February of two thousand, um 0:05:49.120 --> 0:05:52.320 and essentially, so now you're playing as the virtual people 0:05:52.760 --> 0:05:57.200 of this city. So why do you think people gravitated 0:05:57.279 --> 0:06:02.719 towards SIMS that it is still so prevalent. I read 0:06:02.760 --> 0:06:05.640 a thing online that equated it to like playing house, 0:06:05.680 --> 0:06:07.680 Like when you're a little kid, you play house, You 0:06:07.760 --> 0:06:09.440 know what I mean, And it's that kind of thing. 0:06:09.560 --> 0:06:12.400 I guess. It's like a pretend life what you can 0:06:12.480 --> 0:06:14.520 kind of do whatever you want. It's sort of open ended. 0:06:14.760 --> 0:06:17.000 It's funny that you say that because the original name, 0:06:17.080 --> 0:06:19.279 like the project name for the SIMS was called doll 0:06:19.320 --> 0:06:23.600 House originally, and uh so the creation of the SIMS 0:06:23.600 --> 0:06:26.440 happened when will Write went through a house fire and 0:06:26.480 --> 0:06:29.240 he was having to like save things, redesign things, and 0:06:29.240 --> 0:06:30.960 he was like, really, I don't know if you have 0:06:31.120 --> 0:06:33.760 is that okay to talk about this? Okay? So he 0:06:33.960 --> 0:06:37.520 I'm a huge fan of him, So he created, uh 0:06:37.600 --> 0:06:40.200 this idea of like how he had this primal need 0:06:40.279 --> 0:06:43.080 to figure out which furniture he needed how to redesign 0:06:43.080 --> 0:06:46.360 a house, and that became kind of the basis behind 0:06:46.400 --> 0:06:48.839 the SIMS was was this need, so he was like 0:06:49.120 --> 0:06:52.160 creating this. Originally the game was called Doll House, and 0:06:52.200 --> 0:06:54.679 everyone hated it, like they were like this is so stupid, 0:06:54.720 --> 0:06:57.720 like who would like this? And when they showed it 0:06:57.800 --> 0:07:00.440 at E three years ago, there was like a line 0:07:00.520 --> 0:07:02.760 because they had this Max had a small little booth 0:07:03.000 --> 0:07:05.479 and there was a line like that was so crazy. 0:07:05.520 --> 0:07:08.360 It was going around to other booths. Like people were like, 0:07:08.520 --> 0:07:11.200 this is unreal, So no one really believed in it 0:07:11.280 --> 0:07:14.080 until it was first shown, and I think that you're right. 0:07:14.200 --> 0:07:17.160 It became like almost like a like the game's Second Life, 0:07:17.400 --> 0:07:19.240 which I also play. I have had an account for 0:07:19.280 --> 0:07:22.520 seventeen years and second really yes, what can you tell 0:07:22.520 --> 0:07:25.840 me the difference between the two. The biggest difference is 0:07:25.920 --> 0:07:29.640 that the Second Life has absolutely no there's no there's 0:07:29.680 --> 0:07:32.120 nothing that you ever have to do in second line, 0:07:32.120 --> 0:07:33.840 So you don't have to eat, you don't have to 0:07:33.880 --> 0:07:36.240 deal with like any kind of life needs. You can 0:07:36.280 --> 0:07:38.840 literally just do whatever you want. And there are ways 0:07:38.880 --> 0:07:43.320 to like play it so that you can create, you know, 0:07:43.840 --> 0:07:45.840 role playing scenarios are like objects a lot of people 0:07:45.920 --> 0:07:49.400 you role playing in in um, second Life its second 0:07:49.400 --> 0:07:52.080 life online where you're talking to other people. So it's 0:07:52.120 --> 0:07:54.280 it's kind of like, um, if you've heard of IMVU, 0:07:54.400 --> 0:07:58.000 what second Life is better? Okay, So it's like, so 0:07:58.120 --> 0:08:00.720 Second Life is more of like a role playing game, 0:08:00.920 --> 0:08:02.960 where like an online role playing game, and the SIMS 0:08:02.960 --> 0:08:05.920 is more like a simulation that it's. Second Life is 0:08:05.920 --> 0:08:07.880 weird because it's it's really hard to describe. It's not 0:08:07.960 --> 0:08:11.040 even necessarily a game. It can be a chat room, 0:08:11.200 --> 0:08:14.720 it can be a role playing game, it can be yeah, 0:08:14.800 --> 0:08:17.800 any kind of really whatever you want. Like I used 0:08:17.800 --> 0:08:19.520 to be a vampire in second life, So I was 0:08:19.520 --> 0:08:21.800 part of a vampire plan and you like actually had 0:08:21.840 --> 0:08:24.800 to find other people to like feed on or else 0:08:24.880 --> 0:08:27.680 you would wait, does that mean that you're ruining somebody 0:08:27.680 --> 0:08:30.760 else's second life? No, so they had to be a 0:08:30.760 --> 0:08:34.439 willing participant. You had to have to feed on them, Like, um, yeah, 0:08:34.559 --> 0:08:35.960 but it was like that kind of thing. You could 0:08:36.000 --> 0:08:37.760 choose to be a vampire. You could choose like there 0:08:37.760 --> 0:08:40.120 are people who are furries or like it's and you 0:08:40.600 --> 0:08:42.680 you have so much more freedom over creating your avatar, 0:08:42.760 --> 0:08:45.160 even more so than you do in the SIMS because 0:08:45.160 --> 0:08:47.800 you don't have to be human. You could be anything 0:08:47.920 --> 0:08:51.000 or anyone that you want. Um. Has the SIMS ever 0:08:51.080 --> 0:08:53.400 gone off of humans or is it always? Do you 0:08:53.440 --> 0:08:56.560 have aliens and they have vampires. Now they've added expansions 0:08:56.559 --> 0:09:00.200 where you can do that, and yeah, it is. It 0:09:00.280 --> 0:09:02.120 is cool to see the progression of the make of 0:09:02.200 --> 0:09:05.360 SIMS from like the SIMS one to now because now, 0:09:05.480 --> 0:09:07.960 I mean, as as someone that's LGBT, like you can 0:09:08.000 --> 0:09:11.280 now have transgender characters in the SIMS four, which is fantastic. 0:09:11.880 --> 0:09:14.600 They remember they made an option where they're like, actually, 0:09:14.679 --> 0:09:17.280 any clothes option is available for any Yeah, they didn't. 0:09:17.280 --> 0:09:20.559 They used to filter them by like masculine or feminine clothes, 0:09:20.600 --> 0:09:23.040 and now they give you that option, but it doesn't matter. 0:09:23.200 --> 0:09:25.080 You can wear whatever you want. And they also do 0:09:25.160 --> 0:09:27.240 the thing where, um, you can choose like a male 0:09:27.320 --> 0:09:30.280 or female for your sim, but is an option in 0:09:30.320 --> 0:09:32.920 the Creator sim to choose whether your sim can get pregnant, 0:09:32.920 --> 0:09:35.360 whether they can get other sims pregnant, and even like 0:09:35.440 --> 0:09:37.200 their voice and the way that they walk, you're not 0:09:37.280 --> 0:09:39.200 limited by their gender. So if you like, you can 0:09:39.200 --> 0:09:40.719 have a female sim with a deep voice, or a 0:09:40.800 --> 0:09:43.800 male sim with a high voice, or like any combination 0:09:43.840 --> 0:09:45.560 that you want, which is really cool, just like how 0:09:45.600 --> 0:09:49.679 people are in real life. Totally, I wanted to go 0:09:49.720 --> 0:09:52.000 back to will write because, like you all said, he 0:09:52.160 --> 0:09:54.600 so he lost his home during the Oakland fire storm. 0:09:54.600 --> 0:09:59.479 Of this is really fascinating because in our Lego episode, 0:10:00.120 --> 0:10:04.640 um Ok Christiansen, who created Lego, also lost his home 0:10:04.640 --> 0:10:07.920 and a fire. This is bizarre because I'm obsessed, you know, mean, Danny, 0:10:08.080 --> 0:10:11.480 I'm obsessed Lego. I'm obsessed with the SIMS. I also 0:10:11.600 --> 0:10:15.520 had a house fire. I don't know. I'm just saying 0:10:15.559 --> 0:10:20.480 I am a prodigy necessary for Oh my gosh, this 0:10:20.520 --> 0:10:23.560 is like all of y'all superhero backstories, like both on 0:10:23.600 --> 0:10:25.800 the Spectrum and went through a house fire. So then 0:10:25.880 --> 0:10:29.360 just become obsessed. So now I can say I knew 0:10:29.360 --> 0:10:32.680 you before you created like the next big game. But 0:10:32.800 --> 0:10:36.160 you are obsessed with building, Like your place is covered 0:10:36.160 --> 0:10:38.599 in legos. Danny has been in my house. It's it's disturbing, 0:10:38.720 --> 0:10:42.160 like there you can't there legos everywhere and giant buildings 0:10:42.160 --> 0:10:46.080 and stuff. I'm obsessed with. That was my Another huge 0:10:46.080 --> 0:10:47.920 part of the SIMS was like it's weird because it 0:10:48.040 --> 0:10:51.000 is simulation. It's like you're you're kind of almost like 0:10:51.000 --> 0:10:53.040 a little bit of second like where you're living vicariously 0:10:53.040 --> 0:10:54.960 through these people a little bit. But also it's just 0:10:55.000 --> 0:10:57.840 a building app it's a great he One of the 0:10:57.840 --> 0:11:00.760 biggest inspirations for the SIMS were just at the time, 0:11:01.280 --> 0:11:03.880 architecture tools. Yeah, I mean that's what it seems like. 0:11:03.960 --> 0:11:06.000 I know people who use it to literally like plan 0:11:06.080 --> 0:11:08.400 how they're going to decorate their their house. In real life, 0:11:08.400 --> 0:11:10.079 you know, you build your house in the SIMS and like, oh, 0:11:10.120 --> 0:11:11.880 what would look nice in this room? And you like 0:11:11.920 --> 0:11:15.360 plan it out? So yes, so right said. He stated 0:11:15.360 --> 0:11:17.880 that SIMS was actually meant as a satire of us 0:11:17.920 --> 0:11:22.520 consumer culture, which is funny because you can buy things, yeah, right, 0:11:23.000 --> 0:11:24.720 you can. I mean they use this what it's called 0:11:24.720 --> 0:11:30.040 Similan similar and you you listen to even the music 0:11:30.240 --> 0:11:35.360 and it's very like would you say, like nineteen fifties housewife. Yeah, 0:11:35.440 --> 0:11:38.880 it has that feeling of like old timey elevator music, 0:11:39.760 --> 0:11:42.760 but like happy peppy, like Homemaker is a very marvelous 0:11:42.880 --> 0:11:47.120 Mrs masil Hinda kind of a very American consumer like 0:11:47.480 --> 0:11:49.360 and it does kind of parody the thing of like 0:11:49.400 --> 0:11:51.360 you want new things, you have these people that their 0:11:51.440 --> 0:11:55.240 needs and their happiness determine, Like it's very nineteen fifties Americans, 0:11:55.559 --> 0:11:58.040 it is. Yeah, it's very like even like your similar 0:11:58.040 --> 0:11:59.959 be happier if they're in a room that's nicely decorated 0:12:00.040 --> 0:12:02.760 it or like you buy them a new item or something. Well, 0:12:02.760 --> 0:12:06.160 this is fascinating because he said that he took um 0:12:06.200 --> 0:12:08.800 a couple of things. One was ideas from the nineteen 0:12:08.840 --> 0:12:12.559 seventies seven architecture and Urban Design Book a pattern language, 0:12:12.960 --> 0:12:18.040 but also American psychologist Abraham Maslow's nineteen forty three paper 0:12:18.160 --> 0:12:23.160 A Theory of Human Motivation and his Hierarchy of Needs 0:12:23.320 --> 0:12:27.040 and Charles Hampton Turner's Maps of the Mind to develop 0:12:27.040 --> 0:12:30.160 a model for the game's artificial intelligence. So kind of 0:12:30.160 --> 0:12:31.720 like what you were saying, like they might be happier 0:12:31.720 --> 0:12:33.440 in a room full of people, they might be happier 0:12:33.559 --> 0:12:36.480 if it's decorated nicely. They're like going off of what 0:12:36.559 --> 0:12:38.839 would actually motivate people, and that's what they put into 0:12:38.920 --> 0:12:42.160 the game. Yeah, and you do have like your basic needs, 0:12:42.160 --> 0:12:47.840 like you have um, hunger, bladder, energy, social, and fun, 0:12:47.920 --> 0:12:50.960 and you have to like before you can do anything else, 0:12:51.000 --> 0:12:53.080 you have to make sure that you know you're which 0:12:53.080 --> 0:12:54.800 is the mass of hierarch comm needs things like you 0:12:54.880 --> 0:12:57.040 basic needs first and then like you build up to 0:12:58.240 --> 0:13:01.520 other types of needs. So the SIMS is one of 0:13:01.520 --> 0:13:04.719 the actually the most progressive games and the sinse that 0:13:04.920 --> 0:13:07.400 I remember, it was like one of the first things 0:13:07.400 --> 0:13:10.040 where you could have a dude woo who with another dude? 0:13:10.080 --> 0:13:14.520 You know, but can you explain to people woo who 0:13:14.559 --> 0:13:19.160 is don't um woo who is intercourse um? And uh. 0:13:19.240 --> 0:13:23.720 I remember that was my introduction to gay sex. Really, 0:13:24.400 --> 0:13:27.200 it was one of the first things where I was like, wait, wait, wait, 0:13:27.240 --> 0:13:29.960 there's a dude who can do woo who with another dude? 0:13:30.160 --> 0:13:33.440 And I remember when because it was a thing, no 0:13:33.480 --> 0:13:35.280 one knew the rules of it. It's not like they 0:13:35.320 --> 0:13:38.480 had clearly defined rules at first. Like I remember people 0:13:38.480 --> 0:13:41.200 playing the game and realizing, oh, you can lock this 0:13:41.240 --> 0:13:44.720 person in a room and burn them on fire and mysterious. 0:13:45.000 --> 0:13:47.319 It was a sandbox. I don't think even the developers 0:13:47.400 --> 0:13:50.040 knew everything that you could do in the game. Maybe, 0:13:50.200 --> 0:13:52.600 but yeah, woo who I mean, it was a huge 0:13:52.640 --> 0:13:54.720 deal because that's why I had a teenage rating, is 0:13:54.760 --> 0:13:57.600 that there were some sexual things about it. To be clear, 0:13:57.600 --> 0:14:00.640 you never see it. It's a blurred but the fact 0:14:00.679 --> 0:14:04.079 that there's even implications, and there's the like almost a 0:14:04.679 --> 0:14:08.520 real world type blurring, like it remember when you get naked, 0:14:08.559 --> 0:14:10.959 like when you take a shower, you're just you're naked 0:14:10.960 --> 0:14:13.000 in the shower, but it's like just pixel over like 0:14:14.200 --> 0:14:16.760 you know. But at the at the two thousand's early 0:14:16.800 --> 0:14:19.840 two thousands, people were like, yeah, well escape of course. 0:14:20.120 --> 0:14:22.160 I also remember it was like Big Brother was really 0:14:22.200 --> 0:14:25.440 in was like coming in and that like SIMS and 0:14:25.480 --> 0:14:27.760 Big Brother was like paired for me. I guess it 0:14:27.840 --> 0:14:29.720 was kind of also like the dawn of the reality 0:14:29.760 --> 0:14:32.360 TV show kind of era, like watch other people live 0:14:32.440 --> 0:14:35.320 their lives. Here's you know. It makes it came out 0:14:35.320 --> 0:14:37.600 in a perfect time because it was right during Big Brother. 0:14:37.640 --> 0:14:39.400 It also makes sense because it had such a long 0:14:39.480 --> 0:14:43.080 development period why it took it came out the perfect time, 0:14:43.120 --> 0:14:44.800 you know, and it took that long for people to 0:14:44.840 --> 0:14:48.360 get on board. So you were talking about sandbox games, 0:14:48.360 --> 0:14:51.160 and just to clarify for people what that is, it's 0:14:51.160 --> 0:14:54.520 where the player has ability to create, modify, or destroy 0:14:54.600 --> 0:14:58.720 their environment. And also there's no like they lack any 0:14:58.800 --> 0:15:02.440 defined goals. Typically like Second Life would definitely be like 0:15:02.440 --> 0:15:04.920 a pure sandbox game, right where you don't have to 0:15:04.960 --> 0:15:06.880 do anything if you don't want to, you just have 0:15:06.960 --> 0:15:10.320 the option to um. SIMS definitely has the sandbox element 0:15:10.320 --> 0:15:12.440 in terms of like the building and the creating kind 0:15:12.440 --> 0:15:15.040 of thing, but then there's also like the gameplay. Yeah, 0:15:15.080 --> 0:15:17.240 I would say the earlier versions of the SIMS were 0:15:17.240 --> 0:15:20.000 almost more sand boxing boxing in the sense that was 0:15:20.040 --> 0:15:22.800 just a simulation. You would see people literally destroy the 0:15:23.320 --> 0:15:26.800 environment almost but yeah, that's that's it. I definitely call 0:15:26.800 --> 0:15:29.680 it like a sandbox simulation. Now it's turning a little 0:15:29.680 --> 0:15:31.320 bit more into a role playing game, would you say 0:15:31.400 --> 0:15:33.920 that a little bit actually? So the newest expansion that 0:15:34.000 --> 0:15:36.560 just came out that I literally playing last night, UM, 0:15:36.680 --> 0:15:40.320 it's called Strangerville, and it's really unique for the sims 0:15:40.320 --> 0:15:43.120 because it's the first one that actually has UM, like 0:15:43.480 --> 0:15:47.240 a role play storyline that you can play, So the 0:15:47.400 --> 0:15:51.440 game has UM. In this expansion, there's like a mystery 0:15:51.440 --> 0:15:53.400 in the town that you need to solve, Like townsfold 0:15:53.400 --> 0:15:55.320 were acting really weird and there's like all these strange 0:15:55.320 --> 0:15:57.800 plants around, and you can you have the option you 0:15:57.800 --> 0:15:59.320 can just play normally if you want to, but you 0:15:59.320 --> 0:16:01.960 have the option to give your sims like the aspiration 0:16:02.040 --> 0:16:04.960 that they want to solve the stranger vill mystery, and 0:16:05.400 --> 0:16:08.040 you can like get different like basically quests. They're not 0:16:08.080 --> 0:16:09.680 they don't call them quests or anything. And at no 0:16:09.760 --> 0:16:12.120 point do you have to do anything. You can go 0:16:12.200 --> 0:16:14.600 as far in it as you want or not. But 0:16:14.800 --> 0:16:16.800 you have the option to like talk to townsfolk and 0:16:16.880 --> 0:16:19.680 learn things and go find items, and like you know, 0:16:19.920 --> 0:16:21.520 you'll you'll talk to one guy who's like, well, I 0:16:21.560 --> 0:16:23.640 can you know, give you a key card to the 0:16:23.640 --> 0:16:25.720 Secret Lab if you'll bring me x y z amount 0:16:25.760 --> 0:16:28.200 of things, like very much like a role playing kind 0:16:28.240 --> 0:16:31.080 of game. Yeah. With the expansions, they've kind of gone 0:16:31.120 --> 0:16:33.560 off from just being a simulator to just doing like 0:16:33.720 --> 0:16:36.160 and there's also all of these other things and vampires 0:16:36.360 --> 0:16:40.480 and yeah, and aliens and go. So the SIMS, the 0:16:40.520 --> 0:16:43.800 original game that came out in two thousand, by March 0:16:44.080 --> 0:16:47.200 two thousand and two had sold more than six point 0:16:47.280 --> 0:16:51.600 three million copies worldwide, surpassing Missed as the best selling 0:16:51.640 --> 0:16:54.840 PC game in history at the time, and it came 0:16:54.840 --> 0:16:58.160 with many expansion packs. So we have to take a 0:16:58.200 --> 0:17:00.320 really quick break and then we're gonna hop back into 0:17:00.320 --> 0:17:12.040 The SIMS right after this, and we're back. I did 0:17:12.119 --> 0:17:15.080 want to say another stat about this. So the success 0:17:15.119 --> 0:17:18.160 of The SIMS has resulted in Guinness World Records awarding 0:17:18.160 --> 0:17:23.439 the series numerous world records, including as most expansion packs 0:17:23.480 --> 0:17:27.040 for a video game series and best selling PC game series, 0:17:27.080 --> 0:17:29.720 with the sales estimate ranging from thirty six to fifty 0:17:29.720 --> 0:17:32.439 million units, which I'm sure is only climbing at all times. 0:17:32.600 --> 0:17:35.479 Oh yeah, So while we were on break Claire, you 0:17:35.480 --> 0:17:38.080 were telling me about some of the compilation videos that 0:17:38.119 --> 0:17:40.679 you can watch on YouTube. I guess it kind of 0:17:40.680 --> 0:17:43.280 revealed a little bit of like a statistic side of humanity, 0:17:43.320 --> 0:17:46.280 because people are obsessed with finding creative ways to kill 0:17:46.560 --> 0:17:50.399 their sims, like different different kinds of things that you 0:17:50.480 --> 0:17:54.840 can do. One yeah, I mean, I what's the worst 0:17:54.840 --> 0:17:58.280 way that you've killed your sim? So I personally don't 0:17:58.280 --> 0:18:00.360 like to kill my SIPs. I get to attach to them. 0:18:00.600 --> 0:18:03.000 But one of the ones that I watched on YouTube, 0:18:03.080 --> 0:18:06.000 which I thought was like crazy, is you have to 0:18:06.080 --> 0:18:08.440 go to a fish shop, like out in the out 0:18:08.440 --> 0:18:09.879 in the world. Have to go to a fish shop 0:18:10.160 --> 0:18:11.960 and you have to have zero cooking skill and you 0:18:12.000 --> 0:18:16.080 have to buy a recipe for puffer fishna geary, and 0:18:16.119 --> 0:18:17.879 then you have to make the pupper fish nagarie. And 0:18:17.960 --> 0:18:20.600 you have zero cooking skill and you make puppfer fish nageary, 0:18:20.720 --> 0:18:23.080 it will be deadly to anyone who eats it. So 0:18:23.160 --> 0:18:25.159 I watched a girl who threw a dinner party. She 0:18:25.200 --> 0:18:27.040 made the pupper fish in geary and killed every one 0:18:27.080 --> 0:18:30.600 of her guests like the Red wedding basically, and then 0:18:30.600 --> 0:18:32.119 she just had like a line of because when you 0:18:32.160 --> 0:18:34.080 when you die in the SIMS, the groom rep literally 0:18:34.080 --> 0:18:36.800 shows up and like takes your soul away and then 0:18:36.800 --> 0:18:39.119 you get an urn of like the dead sim. So 0:18:39.160 --> 0:18:41.000 she literally had just like a line of urns of 0:18:41.000 --> 0:18:43.960 all the people who were at her dinner party. Oh 0:18:44.000 --> 0:18:46.960 my gosh, what about you, Chris. I mean my I 0:18:47.119 --> 0:18:49.920 accidentally killed a SIM once and I remember like in 0:18:49.960 --> 0:18:52.520 a house fire and for some reason they couldn't escape, 0:18:52.920 --> 0:18:55.720 But it's because someone was doing something weird around the door, 0:18:55.840 --> 0:18:59.000 Like there's like a weird really stupid Yeah, they're really stupid, 0:18:59.200 --> 0:19:02.320 I mean, but basically I remember this is before YouTube 0:19:02.359 --> 0:19:05.280 is out. I remember putting someone in a pool and 0:19:05.320 --> 0:19:07.719 then there's like no ladder to get out, and I 0:19:07.800 --> 0:19:10.159 was like, wait what wait, They're just gonna They're just 0:19:10.160 --> 0:19:12.959 gonna drown. There's okay, they're gonna drown, Like I was like, 0:19:13.320 --> 0:19:15.199 and then I like I lost them, and I remember 0:19:15.280 --> 0:19:18.040 just being like what. So they actually people were so 0:19:18.080 --> 0:19:20.159 obsessed with like putting people in pools and taking out 0:19:20.200 --> 0:19:22.440 the ladders that they made it in the newest version 0:19:22.480 --> 0:19:24.399 of the game that they can now climb out of 0:19:24.400 --> 0:19:26.040 the pool without a ladder. So if you want to 0:19:26.080 --> 0:19:27.440 kill your sim in a pool, you have to build 0:19:27.440 --> 0:19:31.200 a fence around the pool. That's so weird. There was 0:19:31.240 --> 0:19:34.120 another video I saw of a girl. She was annoyed 0:19:34.160 --> 0:19:37.040 that her like teenage daughter Sim was ordering pizza too much, 0:19:37.480 --> 0:19:39.480 so she trapped her in a room that was like 0:19:39.560 --> 0:19:43.080 literally just a pool with a single square in the 0:19:43.080 --> 0:19:45.000 middle of the floor with a long table on it, 0:19:45.040 --> 0:19:47.040 and at the very end of the long table she 0:19:47.119 --> 0:19:49.640 put a pizza. And the only place that the Sim 0:19:49.640 --> 0:19:51.679 could stand to get out of the water was on 0:19:51.760 --> 0:19:54.520 the far end of the table, away from the pizza, 0:19:54.800 --> 0:19:56.600 so she could like look at the pizza. She could 0:19:56.600 --> 0:19:58.359 smell the pizza, but she could not reach the pizza. 0:20:00.000 --> 0:20:04.600 It was tortuous. Ever, such like I can imagine that 0:20:04.680 --> 0:20:08.600 psychology professors like study what people do with their sims. 0:20:09.240 --> 0:20:11.320 This is so this reminds me of that like college 0:20:11.480 --> 0:20:15.880 experiment or whatever, where they like Stamford. Yes, yeah, yeah, 0:20:15.960 --> 0:20:18.600 literally exactly that like once you're in power, how quickly 0:20:18.600 --> 0:20:22.000 you try. It's a little bit frightening, it is, But 0:20:22.119 --> 0:20:25.280