Hey everyone, my name is Ashley Garvey and I’m a sophomore studying Communications. I have absolutely NO idea what I want to do after graduating from Cornell. I’m from Plymouth, Massachusetts (yes, where the pilgrims landed in 1620). I use the word “wicked” as an adjective and I lovelovelove the Red Sox. I play on the softball team here at Cornell, and we’re really good so you should come watch in the spring. My favorite television show is Grey’s Anatomy, and I just started getting into Entourage.
There was a point in my life that I spent hours and hours per day on the computer, playing one [very addictive] game. This game, my friends, is called The Sims. The Sims can be described as a “metaworld” or a “MUD”, for it allows you to create your own world and life in one sitting. I especially like the game because I can be any person that I want to be. I can be Mike Smith, the player pimp who lives in a 25-room mansion, and also has six girlfriends on the side. Or, I can be Michelle Smith, the housewife with three kids who is a mascot for a soccer team.
But the question is, why is the Sims so addicting? It’s probably the fact that you can create your dream life with one click of the mouse. What may not be attainable for you in reality may be one promotion away in the game (as long as you get that one charisma point by talking in front of the mirror for 3 hours). However, the game is not as easy as it sounds. It is almost like have a pet human, because you have to direct your character in the game to eat, sleep, use the bathroom, go to work, etc. Failure to do so may result in the death of your Sim.
All that I know is that it is painful to drag myself away from the computer screen to go back to my boring life. It hurts to snap back to reality where I am not Jeff Jones, president of Simsville. And did I mention that I’m a kabillionaire and my mansion has 15 bedrooms, 10 bathrooms, 6 kitchens and an indoor pool? Oh yeah, and that’s my Benz parked in the driveway. Pfft, I wish.
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3 comments:
Hey Ashley :)
I'm not fortunate enough to own the game, but playing it is always "fun". The first time I played the game at a friend’s house, it took little instructions and pretty soon we were creating those Sims and trying to get them through all the big stuff; work, house expanding, and relationships. Before we knew it, we had spent a solid four hours, and it seemed like we hadn’t achieved anything yet.
Maybe just the idea of controlling a virtual universe, every aspect and interaction. Like you said, it's pretty much having "humans" as pets. Is it that appealing because deep down we're all controlling and into world domination? jk. And living another life through the various Sims is also quite appealing, since we only get one life but in the game we can arrange and impact the lives of all those Sims.
Hey Ashley,
I just wanted to say that I feel your pain when you talk about the Sims. Although I have not played the Sims in a couple of years, I remember when it first came out and how addictive it was. Me and my sisters would literally fight over computer time. I definitely agree with your reasoning about the Sims being addictive because its much glamorous and sometimes interesting than our real lives. Imagine if getting a promotion at work was as easy as it is on the Sims? We'd all be driving BMWs. But I think the Sims addiction can actually be even a little more intense. I think it has a lot to do with humans loving to have a sense of control. Who doesn't love to be in charge? As a Sim you can run your entire life. Decide exactly what your home looks like, what job you have, you even decide who you fall in love with. So maybe the reason why people love the Sims is because it gives them an opportunity to run the show. Real problems and real life are set aside, while new ones which you have actually have control over become the pressing issues.
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