The Sims 3 World Adventures Overview

The Sims 3 World Adventures Overview

This is not an Introduction wearing a different dress, it is simply my impressions of the game and specifically this expansion to the game, offered in the spirit of sharing with you an impression and, perhaps more important, the expectations that come with slowly tearing the plastic shrink-wrap off of the game case and eagerly inserting the disc into the drive, entering the serial number and then impatiently waiting while the game is installed and then patches for the first time. Multiply that by however many expansions you have to add and there you go!

Ah, but there is more to it than that because in order to get the overview as it were, we must explore what this game really is, what it represents, and perhaps of even more importance, how it changes us as we experience it. Because The Sims as a game and game series is not really a people simulation game so much as it is a fusion of time-management, personality simulation, self-gratification, open-world sandbox gaming, God-Gaming, and community construction gaming.

As an open-world sandbox slash God-Game it really has no equals, but it is the whole time-management and personality creation part of the game that stands out as the most enjoyed aspect for most gamers. Would it shock or surprise you to learn that, in a survey of gamers who consider themselves to be serious Sim fans, the least-used feature in the game controls is the time-controls? That's right, very few self-declared serious fans of the game use the ability to speed up time! Why? Ah, that is a complicated question because it was not part of the surveys.

Unofficially I suspect that part of the reason for that surprising statistic relates to the motivation that many (perhaps the majority) of gamers arrive in the game with. Casual conversation with gamers I know who play and gamers from chat boards online reveals that it is a very common practice for gamers to recreate themselves and the people that they know, love -- and hate -- as the Sims they play in the game. Not only that, but the vast majority of players recreate either the house that they grew up in during childhood or one that they lived in at some point in their real-world life as part of their game play.

The Bohemian Life of Art and Filthy Lucre

In those terms when you think about it the game is not simply being used for the purpose that it was created, but also to simulate and re-live specific memories so is it any wonder that as they play, gamers do not want to skip over or miss the elements and activities that make up their play? No, it is perfectly understandable.

What is not clear is whether or not the entire experience and the empowerment that the game provides in those respects is a good thing. It is easy to be seduced by the lure of control, and being able to set the stage so that good things happen to you or, conversely, bad things happen to the personification of people you do not particularly like or care for. Often it seems that activities in the game that have a tacit relationship to real-world activities and events blur for many players...

The popularity of both the games and the series is such that the creative forces behind the community and the website known as SuperCheats (one of perhaps the best-established game guide sites and gaming communities online) has branched out to create its own Sim-Centric community site and destination, which is largely the reason for the commissioning of this guide! That being the case, and taking the above into consideration, if you consider yourself a serious Sims gamer and fan and you are interested in exploring the many aspects of motivation, joy, and desire that enfold the phenomenon known as The Sims, the author of this guide hopes that you will consider taking part in an ongoing dialogue and study of the many aspects touched upon above.

If you are interested in participating in and exploring those subjects, keep an eye out for special postings to the chat boards for the base game on the new site, and delve in! You are invited to do so and, assuming that the effort gains sufficient interest, it may very well result in the creation of an official email-based discussion thread. We will keep you informed.