A look into spending the global pandemic with The Sims
By Andrea Walldal
Image courtesy of BagoGames at flickr
With the spread of COVID-19 our lifestyles have taken a drastic turn. Now, instead of going to parties and bars and enjoying our student lives, we are directed to stay at home. Our routines and our habits have been turned upside-down. So, what to do? How will we spend our free time now instead of going out and meeting people?
One possible solution is gaming. During the pandemic, gaming has skyrocketed. In a survey, four out of five consumers had played video games in the last 6 months. Global revenue for gaming was expected to jump last year with 20%. The World Health Organization has even recommended people to stay home and play games to help prevent the spread of the virus. During the pandemic, people have turned to video games to help pass time.
I, personally, have spent a lot of time playing The Sims. I have always been an avid player of the game, but during the pandemic, especially in the first few months, this practice of mine took to new heights. For those not familiar with The Sims franchise, it is a life simulator game where you can do everything you can in real life and more but fast-forwarded.
It is what gaming is, a way to escape from reality by diving into other realities.
I played The Sims 4 fruitfully under many hours, creating families, celebrities and other not-so-likable personalities. My characters graduated school, grew older and died, having lived splendid lives under my command. Then when I got bored of The Sims 4, after having explored most of the game’s options, I gave attention to an older version of The Sims. The Sims 3 is thus far the more accomplished version of the sims, although the 10-year-old graphics took some time getting used to. Though in a way it might seem self-punishing to play a life simulator game when you can’t experience life as normal, I was never bothered by it. The Sims was just as it always was, a fun game to play around with. It is what gaming is, a way to escape from reality by diving into other realities.
Now, a year into the pandemic, I don’t play Sims as much. Instead, I have been playing other games, such as Sea of Thieves with my friends, where we play as pirates, attack enemy ships, sail the seven seas while digging up treasure. I do think there are worse ways to spend your time.
