I came across this (not so) funny little story while reading through Kotaku recently that finally allow me to see the appeal of a game like the Sims:

http://aliceandkev.wordpress.com/2009/06/09/test/

To borrow the blogger’s words:

This is an experiment in playing a homeless family in The Sims 3. I created two Sims, moved them in to a place made to look like an abandoned park, removed all of their remaining money, and then attempted to help them survive without taking any job promotions or easy cash routes.

I was curious about the premise and decided to check the story out… and while reading through it, it finally click that this is perhaps the reason why people really like the Sims.

Objectively I can see that it is a wonderful concept, but having played previous iteration before, I simply could not get how the Sims and game similar to it in presentation could be fun.

I am a strong proponent to structured and linear story telling. I like my story to have a beginning, a journey, a climax and a fulfilling ending. This is why I generally take less interest in ‘open world’ and abstract concept game that discard linear story telling in favour of player freedom and utility. The more abstract a story becomes the less likely I’ll enjoy a game, and because of this, I’ve never been able to enjoy games such as the Sims where the goals and objectives are player defined and player driven. How do you end the Sims anyways?

But reading the above (and ongoing) journal finally gave me enough perspective to understand the appeal of a game with no story structure. The appeal is in humanizing the game with an individual’s personal touch, bringing a little bit of you into the game rather than identifying with an established character. You aren’t just immersing yourself into a role, but rather creating a role that is as meaningful and personal as you want it to be.

In short: you don’t just become the main character of a game, the main character becomes you.

So yes, I still do not like the Sims or any game of its ilk, but I can finally say to any fan of the series, Yes I can see the appeal, and while I might not be able to enjoy the game the way you can… when 'what you did' was explained to me in a structure manner, I was moved... if not to tears then at least to satisfaction at a story well done.

Bravo.

It's like playing dolls, evolved.

I like it because I can set fire to people.

Lol, JK.