So often in life we live in our heads, thinking about the things we want to do instead of doing them because they seem impossible. It’s almost as if we are running a simulation in our minds of the many different outcomes of what we want to do, ranging from worst case to best case.
“Are you living the life you want?” A tricky question to say the least, but one that Hyungjun Kim, producer and director of the upcoming life simulation game inZOIrecently revealed at Gamescom, asks gamers. It’s a question I found myself pondering when I watched the latest trailer for the game and saw all the little HD people fighting, kissing, having babies, and whatever.
When I saw this trailer, I felt transported back to my youth, sitting at my Abuelo’s desktop and watching a very slow version of The Sims 2. I never gave it much thought back when I played, but viewing a simulation game as a sort of “test drive” for life is a pretty interesting perspective for a 26-year-old to analyze.
Personally, I don’t know if I’m living the life I want right now. I think I always want more in some ways, and there’s a little thorn in my side that’s like a dull ache, urging me to live more. Whatever that means.
Especially for the queer gamer: The Sims (or any other life simulation game) is a safe form of experimentation. I still remember the thrill of getting two of my male Sims to kiss. It was dangerous, and I can still remember the excitement, coupled with mild paranoia at the thought that my mother could walk in at any moment and catch me in the act. My life would obviously fall apart and I would have to destroy the computer and the memory.
Especially for the queer gamer: The Sims (or any other life simulation game) is a safe form of experimentation.
In the 6th grade, there was a poster on the wall of my religious education class with the inscription “Who are you when no one is watching?“I felt a chill run down my spine because there were so many things inside me that I couldn’t express, so I decided to use virtual reality and dance in my room. A deal that many queer boys sign in order not to completely lose themselves in the supposed harshness of real life.
Today, I am no longer the same sexually repressed boy I once was, but a completely normal young adult who is just emerging from his regular existential crisis. In a way, I am beginning to understand the little boy who came to his grandfather’s desk with a liter of Dr. Pepper, ready to do the very best he could. The Sims.
There are no discernible risks in gaming. There is no real threat when you are behind the screen. So in times like these, we are very aware of how social media can be manipulated to project something that might not be accurately reflected in the real world. A faceted photo, an apology in a notes app, or half-baked poems written by an AI. I like to play devil’s advocate and think that this form of manipulation can sometimes be turned into experimentation, especially for children who are not comfortable with their identities and anxiously paralyzed young adults.
Unlike Instagram or Roblox, life simulation games are (mostly) single-player experiences where you play God by creating your own little humans and helping them live their lives. You can choose their ambitious dreams, define their weaknesses, and even set their personalities. I always made my Sim self (Sim CAP) a charismatic, hopeless romantic with a fat butt (some of this is true in real life, some not SO much). It was always fun to watch my virtual self live out my dream of being a performer, owning multiple homes, and having an affair with everyone in the neighborhood.
The dubious nature of The Sims is what always balanced the more realistic aspect of the game. It made so much of the mundane seem grandiose. The struggle to pay your bills, to take out the trash, to have to go to the bathroom every 30 minutes. I used cheat codes to keep my Sim from running to the bathroom every time I sent them on a date, of course, but there are no cheat codes for life (except in this case, holding in the pee… I guess?).
Over the years of playing The SimsI’ve seen Sim-CAP rejected, fired, and even explode without batting an eyelid. With no apparent concern for the consequences, I never hesitated to send Sim-CAP into the unknown whenever I felt like it. Since I wasn’t me, but a fantasy version of myself, I could do anything, and it felt safe to play with for hours.
For me it is interesting that the chief developer of InZOI presents the upcoming life simulation game as an invitation to introspection. I never really thought about the psychological effects of gaming The Simsbut here I am, a little afraid to live life and find myself downloading again The Sims 4.
It’s nice that gaming can be a window into possibilities if you look at it that way. There are pros and cons, but maybe there’s a grain of truth in the actions you take with the Sims you create based on your personality. Of course, I’ve created plenty of Sims that aren’t me and had them do things I never dreamed of (like being a doctor). But when I look back on all the times I’ve created myself The SimsI always see him doing the same job, having the same style, acting as that realized version of myself that I have always lived comfortably in my head.
When I think back to all the times I have The SimsI always see him doing the same job, having the same style, acting as that realized version of myself that I have always lived comfortably in my head.
Maybe by playing in fantasy, you can start to understand what you actually want to bring into your reality. What is doable and what is not. Whether it’s living an openly queer life or changing careers, life simulation games could actually be a valuable resource for unearthing those 8 gold pieces hidden somewhere deep inside you.
So the next time you’re not sure what to do with yourself, you might ask yourself, “What would my Sim do?”
(Unless it involves setting something on fire, breaking into something, etc. etc. … Please don’t do that.)
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