“Who am I?” is always the major theme during this portion of gameplay. I spent, as I usually do, a lot of time in Create A Sim picking my interests and outfits for various seasons and social scenarios. (Shoutout to the versions of me in other dimensions who perhaps made some better choices and are chilling on a boat in the Mediterranean right now!) This time was no different. I’ve been playing The Sims since the original game was released 21 years ago (on February 4, 2000), and most of my playthroughs involve me building a parallel, alternate, or idyllic version of my own life. Well, more accurately, following Cyber Monday, when I randomly dropped $60.52 on four expansion, game, and stuff packs despite not having played the game for two years. My most recent playthrough of The Sims 4 started at Thanksgiving. What I got instead was unexpected, yet far more important-mindfulness and clarity. In a bid to feel in control of something in my life during this damn pandemic, I turned to The Sims.
