For 25 Years, The Sims Has Delivered Amusement, Distraction, and a Sense of Security

Last year, the Pew Research Center conducted a survey to get to the bottom of a complicated question: why do young people play video games? Gamers (85% of whom are in their teens) responded with three main reasons: 98% said they play for fun, 72% seek out social interaction, and 66% enjoy the competitive element.

But there’s another compelling aspect to gameplay that, for some players at least, is more important than those things. It’s a refuge—a game’s ability to be a safe harbor, to furnish a sense of security and safety in an otherwise bewildering “real” world. It’s unlikely that a gamer can find this kind of solace in, say, Grand Theft Auto or Mortal Kombat.

But it’s in ample supply in The Sims.

The groundbreaking video game is marking its 25^th birthday this year. A quarter century is a long time for any consumer product, let alone a digital one. And though The Sims has drawn millions of fans for its quirkiness (you can raise rabbits!) and its perils (the rabbits can kill you!), its most cherished perk may be its least heralded. The Sims accepts you—or any version of you—just as you are.

“In The Sims, every moment is an opportunity to redefine life on your own terms—there is no judgment,” said Lyndsay Pearson, VP of franchise creative for Maxis Studios, the Electronic Arts division that makes The Sims. “This idea has appealed to generations of gamers and maybe even more so now when we are afraid or feel out of control.”