The Sims (Deluxe Edition)
From Eduwiki
The Sims Deluxe Edition is a simulation game where you get to control the daily lives of ordinary people. You can choose to play different characters from different households, all ranging in cost and the number of family members in them. You have several options such as a couple, a family with kids, or roommates living together. The objective of the game is to help them survive by satisfying the needs of your characters, which include hunger, comfort, hygiene, bladder, energy, fun, social and room environment. This means that you need to feed them when they get hungry, bathe them if they’re dirty, let them do a fun activity from time to time, and put them to sleep when they get tired. You also need to make sure that regular household chores are done such as cleaning up, making the bed, or taking out the trash. You need to be able to juggle all of their needs in order to keep them energized, healthy and in good spirits. I realized early in the game that having a job is essential to surviving in the game. A job brings in income, which pays for the bills, maintenance, food and supplies they need to keep them satisfied throughout the game. Each Character also has a unique personality, which means that they all have different needs when it comes to having fun.
The first time I played with a couple, and both ended up unemployed because I neglected to find them a job early enough. They eventually ended up both getting depressed and arguing every time they talked to each other. Once they were depressed, it was almost impossible to get them to look for a job. Whenever I tried to get them to socialize in order to boost their relationship, it had a negative impact because of the mood they were in. Also, an increase in one need means a decrease in another. For example I had Bob newbie, my male character, play on the computer in order to have some fun, but he got tired in the process and had to rest. The same with Betty Newbie, the woman, she got tired after reading a book for fun. It seemed to me as though their energy ran out rather quickly, perhaps due to the lack of a healthy relationship.
After failing with the Newbies, I switched over to two roommates, Melissa and Chris. This time my strategy was to find them both jobs from the start before they got too depressed to work. I also paid close attention to how I decorated their home and spent a good amount of their money on furniture. I did not purchase the cheapest furniture because I realized from the first time I played it didn’t do much to increase their comfort, energy or room needs. I decided that the best way to control both characters was to put them on opposite schedules, so that when one goes to work, I can work with the other. I also made sure to call over friends often and work on their relationships because that seems to be the hardest need to satisfy. It’s fairly easy to satisfy their hunger, sleep, or hygiene, but maintaining a good relationship seems a bit more of a challenge in this game.
Educational Implications
Overall, it’s a big juggling game because you discover so many other factors that come into play as you’re playing the game. As far as the educational implications, I don’t know if there are enough for me to recommend this to be used in a classroom for educational purposes. Sure there are lessons to be learned such as making sure to recycle your newspaper, to turn off the TV or radio to save energy, or to make sure to take out the trash so that your home doesn’t get invaded by flies, but I think this game is more entertaining than educating, at least for me. The only place I could picture this games being of any value in the classroom is in a life skills class where students learn about responsibility and preparing for a future. It could teach them some lessons about what it’s like to live by yourself and how much work it takes to maintain a home and a healthy lifestyle.
