One of the most popular games today, and over the past few decades is The Sims. The game walks a thin line between life micromanagement and god simulator, but it’s definitely one truly entertaining title. The Sims have been around for a long time, and the hype started way back in the year 2000, and the new titles have been coming out ever since. 

One of the reasons why the game was so popular is because it gave a lot of options to the players or the ability to let their imagination loose. Back in the year 2000, playing Sims was the ultimate way of having fun. Well, it would be fun to see the evolution of this franchise and see how far it has come. 

SimCity (1989)

Even though The Sims games became popular and came out in the year 2000, that was technically not the first installment. The first game was a city-building simulation called SimCity. When it comes to The Sims franchise it kind of redefined the way we think about games. 

You see there is no way you can lose at The SIms no matter how bad you are at it, in other words, there were neither win nor lose conditions, which typically the games have. SimCity was no different, and even though it’s vastly different from the games we have today it set a foundation of what The Sims franchise is going to be.

The Sims (2000)

In the year 2000, The Sims was released and allowed players to micromanage a family, by building their home, decorating it, and filling it with more family members. Once the family moves in you can do with them as you please, and either helps them fulfill their 8 basic needs or choose to ignore them. The sims you controlled could get a job, form a relationship, give birth or increase family size, and even die.

The Sims Online (2002)

Although it looks good on paper The Sims online did not live up to the hype. Even though MMO style games sound interesting as you get to play with other real-life players, the game was far more limiting than the first installment, which kind of killed a big portion of its appeal. Moreover, the main competitor Second Life was better received and had a bigger player base which also affected the success of this title. 

The Sims 2 (2004)

This new installment really made the Sims more relatable, they could develop distinct desires or aspirations or fears. Also, if they were more successful in fulfilling their life-goals they would be happier and live longer.

Following this game, the creator Maxis released the game called Spore, which would allow players to control life and evolve it from simple brings all the way to intergalactic civilization.

The Sims 4 (2014)

This is the latest installment of The Sims franchise. Now you can even create how your Sims look, and events that are happening around them also trigger specific emotions. It also builds on Sims 3 where you can follow the life of your Sims more closely and in greater detail.