Since its release in 2000, the Sims video game has morphed into what some might consider the empress of simulacra. Contrary to many others on the market, both then and now, the Sims thrives on allowing the player to nearly fully design, construct, and control its computerized space. In effect, the game leverages the innate desire of consumers to create a life they may not have access to in everyday life. It not only provides this space of an alternate reality, but also grants them full agency over it––posing as the perfect playground for escapism.
Set in a suburban environment, the Sims places the player in a hyper-reality, extending over four generations, where they can create one or more avatars, called “sim(s).” When beginning the game, the player is given a certain amount of money (“simoleons”) and gets to decide whether their sim will begin living their life in a pre-built home or build a home from scratch. With this initial decision, the player is introduced to its authorship and dominance. This is further amplified as the game’s concept becomes apparent. The player manages typical daily tasks, such as cleaning, cooking, and going to work, but also decides on the sim’s career, relationships, and family life. In effect, the player writes the sim’s life story as he/she pleases.
All of these options give the player a God-like perspective and ability, which some, however, choose to exploit differently. Giving the opportunity to starve, abuse, or even kill the sims, the game suddenly turns into something much darker. This brings us to an underlying interpretation of the game. Showing yellow school buses and taxis, standalone houses, and even the opportunity for intimate relationships with the neighbor, the Sims’ environment strongly resembles that of an American suburb as it is portrayed in television shows or novels.
This allusion gives the game a strong satirical subtext, which cannot be influenced by the player, and ironically criticises the consumerist aspect of life in an American suburb (Pearce 2004, 150). This subtext is that the sims need things to make them happy. However, over time, the things begin to own the sims themselves: a larger house makes the sim happier, but it also requires more cleaning. The player can then hire a maid, but this requires more income. As a result, the sim must work more to earn more money. With more money, the sim can afford bigger, better things––trapping it in its own vicious cycle.
This satirical concept, however, is not solely highlighted by the degree of “(dis)satisfaction” the sims appear to have. Whether one agrees or disagrees with the notion that the game is a satire, one simply cannot ignore the opportunity to subvert social order that is given to the player. The game’s non-linear simulation structure where there is no explicit prohibition to abuse or kill the characters relates to the concept of dark play. In essence, dark play is a gameplay method occurring when the game’s theme and content create an environment in which deviant, controversial, and tasteless actions are possible (Linderoth and Mortensen 2015, 15). In this same article, it is argued that dark play does not solely refer to the player taking actions motivated by dark intentions, but also refers to the game’s structure. As a system with rules, it allows the occurrence of dark play. In other words, leading a “happy” (possibly consumerist) life is not the only story that is being told in The Sims.
Satire can influence the behaviour of individuals and, consequently, even of society, and it is therefore a relevant topic when analyzing the effects of the Sims. In fact, satire is commonly used as a tool of social criticism, with the purpose to draw attention to serious issues (Kishor Singh 2012, 68). Thus, the investigation into whether The Sims expresses a satirical message extends beyond that of a simple young-adult pastime, but rather revolves around exploring whether the computer game criticises a specific society, lifestyle, or behaviours. If this is the case, the game goes beyond entertainment, making social commentary about…
As previously mentioned, the video game embodies the hyper-reality of existing conditions in the represented culture. The Sims’ formal aspects therefore mimic facets that exist in the stereotype of American suburban life. However, the game creators do not choose random aspects they wish to mimic, but, apply certain aspects of the hyperreal to the game in order to convey ideas. Apropos of The Sims, one can identify and group its formal aspects, defining them as strict rules and loose rules. The strict rules are the mechanics of how the player must take actions and surface through the game’s space of possibility. The loose rules are the promotion of actions to the player by obtrusively presenting specific action-possibilities, thus the mechanics of how the player can take actions. The space of possibility consists of all actions that the player can take within the stereotypical American suburb. When taking any sort of action, including actions that lead to a dark narrative, the player is limited to a set of options. Due to the many options, the player perceives free will while actually being restricted by predefined possibilities. The loose rules are a first indication of the satirical message within The Sims: the modelled rules are not randomly chosen but are intentionally incorporated into the game to convey ideas.
As the above-mentioned analysis and example has demonstrated, the game gives the player the illusion of free will. However, it also shows the player that, eventually, the alleged free will is nothing but an illusion by repeatedly pushing the loose rules onto them, and restricting their actions through the strict rules. As a result, the player revolts and the emergent narrative starts turning dark. This now suggests the earlier-mentioned integration of dark play into the narrative, offering us an interpretation of The Sims’ expression of satire.
The Sims reveals what happens behind closed doors in the seemingly wholesome stereotypical American suburb. From a happy family to homicide, and a welcoming home to killing-boxes. The game joins the distribution of the hyper-reality of American suburban life by using existing conditions of the representation, where wealth and sociality are firmly positioned in the absolute foreground. It then, however, allows the player to act against these conditions. It is a parody of the stereotype and the conditions within. By allowing? dark narratives emerge, the game viciously communicates the satirical message that this pure image we have of the suburban life is merely a circulation of images, so thoroughly mediated and processed that their reality has lost any connection with “the real”, even though we as players partly treat it as such. The Sims as a game surpasses the boundaries of the computer screen. It is a simulation of a system, of stereotypical American suburban life to be precise,