THE SIMS

The Sims is a series of life simulation video games developed by Maxis and published by
Electronic Arts. The franchise has sold nearly 200 million copies worldwide, and it is one of the
best-selling video game series of all time.
Back in 2000, California-based developer Maxis released a game entirely focused on the
micromanagement of someone's life, letting players pull their strings to make them do chores,
go to work, and make friends. The Sims filled a niche that no one knew existed, becoming both
a video game and a cultural phenomenon. With the release of The Sims 4 on Xbox One and PS4,
as well as the new Pets expansion pack, we thought we'd relive the history of one of the biggest
PC franchises of all time.
Game designer Will Wright was inspired to create a "virtual doll house" after losing his home
during the Oakland firestorm of 1991 and subsequently rebuilding his life.[2][3] Replacing his
home and his other possessions made him think about adapting that life experience into a
game. When Wright initially took his ideas to the Maxis board of directors, they were skeptical
and gave little support or financing for the game. The directors at Electronic Arts, which bought
Maxis in 1997, were more receptive—SimCity had been a great success for them, and they
foresaw the possibility of building a strong Sim franchise.[2]
Wright has stated that The Sims was actually meant as a satire of U.S. consumer culture.
[4]
 Wright took ideas from the 1977 architecture and urban design book A Pattern Language,
American psychologist Abraham Maslow's 1943 paper A Theory of Human Motivation and
his hierarchy of needs, and Charles Hampden-Turner's Maps of the Mind to develop a model for
the game's artificial intelligence.[2]

Raid on Bungeling Bay (1984)

While not an actual 'Sims' title, it was while designing Raid On Bungeling Bay that Will Wright
realised he was having more fun creating the worlds than actually blowing them up, which was
the core of the game.
He wondered what it would be like to breathe life into this world, instead of destroying it, and
after the release of Bungeling Bay, he continued to tinker with the game's level editor. Wright
would tweak variables and add elements like traffic, an ecosystem, and people, and watch as
the simulated city grew and changed over time in response. He would read up on urban
planning, and put the new theories he studied into practice by coding them straight into his
simulator. This side project would eventually become SimCity.
SimCity (1989)
SimCity was a city-building simulation game, and at the time, a unique one. It could neither be
won nor lost in the traditional sense; there were no cinematics, and it didn't build to a climactic,
blockbuster ending. Game publishers were confused, asking Wright, "How are you going to
make this a game?"
After struggling to get SimCity published, Wright co-founded a company called Maxis with Jeff
Braun, an entrepreneur looking to break into the video game industry. In 1989, Maxis published
SimCity. It had a slow start, but the game's popularity began to grow and by 1992 it had sold a
million copies. SimCity was lauded by critics and fans alike, and it won countless awards. It was
even used in urban planning and political science classes.

Various Sim Titles (1990-)

Realising it had struck a chord with the public with ‘hobby-style’ games, Maxis continued to
release "Sim" titles throughout the '90s, including SimEarth and SimAnt, as well as sequels to
SimCity. But none of the games Maxis was releasing were hitting the critical or sales success of
the first SimCity. After experimenting with different genres, including publishing 1995's 3D
Pinball for Windows, and suffering a string of commercial failures, it was considering acquisition
offers. It was only when the studio was acquired by EA in 1997 that Maxis gained a new lease
on life.
The Sims (2000)
The Wright family lost their home to a fire in the early' 90s. As they began the process of
replacing their belongings, Wright wondered why people bought things. In particular whether
they thought buying things would fulfill their wants and needs enough to make them happy. He
began work on a game where players would build virtual house and fill it with items, but
realised he needed something, or someone, to 'score' how well the house had been furnished.
Thus the Sim was born. He realised that these Sims could be more sophisticated than just house
critics, that they could be actual people with their own lives to lead. Following EA's acquisition
of Maxis, Wright was given the team he needed to put The Sims into full production.
Released in February 2000, The Sims allowed you to create and control a family through their
everyday lives. With their starting account balance of 20,000 Simoleons (§), Sims could
purchase an empty lot, or a build and decorate their own home. In-keeping with the open-
ended 'hobby-style' philosophies of Wright's previous games, once the Sims were moved in,
players were then free to do as they please with them. Sims had eight basic Needs that
required management and they could get jobs, form relationships with others, and even die.
The Sims Expansion Packs (2000-2003)
In order to capitalise on the massive success of The Sims and satisfy a player base that
was crying out for more content, Maxis began to release themed expansion packs.
These packs would periodically introduce a variety of new objects, architectural styles,
and even new gameplay mechanics for a lower price than the full game. They allowed
Maxis to experiment with new ideas at a relatively low cost, and kept interest in The
Sims high. The first Sims game had seven expansion packs, including Hot
Date, Unleashed, and Makin' Magic.

The Sims 2 (2004)

Sims now had personality. They would form memories, and had distinct Wants and
Fears, which would feed into an ultimate lifetime goal: Sims could now be family or
career-oriented, and long for money or power. Sims would remember important life
events, both positive and negative, and if they constantly met their goals, they'd live
happier, longer lives.

But the biggest change was the addition of genetics. In The Sims 1, there was no
guarantee that a child would resemble either of its parents. In The Sims 2, after a
successful 'WooHoo,' the female Sim could become pregnant, and the resulting baby
would inherit not only appearance from its parents, but aspects of their personalities
too. Sims passed through six life stages, with each offering unique age-related
experiences.

But it wasn't just the Sims that received some huge changes. Players could now view
the world in full 3D thanks to the game's new engine. Days of the week were added,
Build and Buy Mode received their share of gameplay tweaks and new objects, and
Create-A-Sim was radically overhauled to improve Sim customisation.

The Sims 2 Expansion Packs And Stuff Packs (2005-2008)

Over four and a half years, eight expansion packs were released for The Sims 2, and while packs
like Pets and Bon Voyage were very similar in style and content to Sims 1 expansions, most
packs for The Sims 2 made huge changes to the game.
Realising how hungry the audience was for new things, Maxis began to release themed Stuff
Packs. These were cheaper than expansions, but included a load of new items. There were nine
stuff packs for The Sims 2, including a tie in with clothing brand H&M, as well as everyone's
favourite flatpack furniture store, IKEA.
The Sims 3 (2009)
Previously, when you wanted to send your Sim somewhere such as a community lot, you'd
meet a loading screen between the two areas. In The Sims 3, all you had to do was zoom out
from the Sim's home lot and you'd be on the neighbourhood map, without a loading screen in
sight. If you sent your Sim to work, you could now follow their journey across the
neighbourhood.
To make The Sims 3 feel more like an actual 'living world,' there was an optional new feature
called Story Progression, which meant that all Sims in the neighbourhood would continue on
with their lives without your input. It meant that some Sims, even ones from families you'd
created, could die, form new relationships, and even have children.

The Sims 3 Expansions And Stuff Packs (2009-2013)

EA shipped 11 expansion packs for The Sims 3. Most were inspired by previous packs, so you
had the usuals: Pets, Seasons, a couple of holiday packs, and a chance for Sims to go to
University.
Some, like Showtime, added new ways to interact with your real life friends, with in-game
messaging, and the ability to send your Star Sim on tour into your friend's game. Of all the
expansions, Into The Future was the only really original take, offering a futuristic vibe and new
items to make your Sims' lives easier. The Sims 3 also had nine Stuff Packs, including High-End
Loft Stuff, Town Life Stuff, and Katy Perry's Sweet Treats.

The Sims 4 (2014)

After 2013's lacklustre SimCity reboot, Maxis needed The Sims 4 to be a hit. Its biggest new
feature was SmartSim, which meant express emotions based on events happening around
them. Build and Buy Mode were condensed into one, and you could sculpt the look of your Sim
to exactly how you wanted them.
But despite these gameplay improvements, a lot was missing in The Sims 4. Toddlers--a whole
life stage--were noticeably absent when the game launched. Swimming pools, a mainstay of
The Sims since the first game, were also unavailable. The huge, seamless worlds introduced in
The Sims 3 were also no more. Create A Style was gone, there were no basements, grocery
stores, or school/work locations on the neighbourhood map.
The Sims 4 Expansion, Stuff, And Game Packs (2015-Present)
The Sims 4 has only had four expansion packs since its release, with the recent Cats and
Dogs being the latest. Instead of expansions, there's been five Game Packs: smaller than an
expansion but bigger than a Stuff Pack, these have introduced new gameplay mechanics like
parenting skills, and also vampires. A lot of the missing, fan requested features, such as toddlers
and pools, were eventually patched in. The game has 12 Stuff Packs, with the development of
the next one, Laundry Day Stuff, being guided by Community votes. A console version of the
game was also released, and a mobile version is in development for next year.