The Sims: about as innocent as video games get, right? The virtual equivalent of a doll's house, the game is all about having fun, creating houses, and just plain, family-friendly gaming. That is, largely. Whether it's deliberate on the part of developers, or simply fans reading too much into things, there are plenty of more...disturbing subplots and theories that run through the games. While it's all portrayed lightly and with the trademark Sims humor, thinking too deeply about the stories behind these occurrences is a recipe for pure nightmare fuel. From a family who died painful deaths and now haunt their former home, to a statue with a tragic backstory, The Sims series has its darker moments.

There are also those moments that defy rational explanation on the part of the developers. From including religious analogues which seem destined to cause trouble, to a disastrous launch and painfully harsh DRM, sometimes it's the publishers and developers who go too far. Then there are the players, whose actions in the world can bring about completely unanticipated problems, though that's hardly a Sims only issue (I'm looking at you, Second Life). In this list, I'm going to take a look at all three. From players causing problems, to haunted houses, and tragic tales, this list covers them all. If you've played The Sims, you've probably got hooked, so some of them you might remember. Others though? I bet you don't. Read on to find out about the ugly, dark, strange, and downright disturbing side to The Sims series.

15 That Time A Goth Sim Got Abducted By Aliens

If you were this bored, you'd want to be abducted by aliens too. [Via sims.wikia.com]

The mystery of Bella Goth is one of the most popular bizarre moments in Sims history. In the gap between the original Sims and Sims 2, Bella disappeared, seemingly abducted by aliens, shortly after the birth of her son Alexander. She was last seen looking through a small telescope at philanderer Don Lothatrio’s house. Strangely, a telescope that small wouldn’t normally lead to the aliens getting angry about invading their privacy and watching their space-based hi-jinks, a different telescope is needed to lead to abduction. Weirder still, Bella does still exist in the game. In Pleasantview, she can be found by modding the game, and is not marked as deceased, while in Strangetown, a Bella without any memories of her family exists. Some have blamed alien experiments for wiping her mind, while others believe her wiped memories are simply a result of a problem with the game’s development.

14 When The Sims: Medieval Opened Up A Religious Can Of Worms

"Now look, I'm not saying The Watcher controls your actions and watches you pee, but..." [Via thesimsmedieval.wikia.com]

You ever heard people say “don’t talk about religion and politics”? It’s a good policy for getting through difficult family dinners, but Maxis also determined it was a good course of action for The Sims games too. Until they didn’t. Enter: The Sims: Medieval. This little remembered Sims 3 spinoff introduced a Christianity analogue based around worshiping “The Watcher.” This wouldn’t be so strange in itself, if it wasn’t split into two branches: Jacoban and Peteran. Jacobans believe in a very Old Testament hellfire and brimstone style of worship, and hair shirts. Peterans take a more modern view, with The Watcher depicted as caring and loving. The introduction of a schism akin to Catholicism and Protestantism, with one written as being somewhat vicious and the other loving, and each side’s analogous identity open to interpretation, seems like a huge misstep in a world where sectarian violence is still common.

13 The Player Who Made An Assembly Line For Ghosts In Their Home

"Get me a drink, I'm on Reddit duty again." [Via simsvip.com]

When you think of assembly lines, your mind might flicker to that dull summer job you had in a box factory in college, or maybe to the original Model T. Ford. What about ghosts? In a Reddit thread which invited players to share the worst thing they’ve subjected their sims too, a player talks about just that. The player, who should probably be doing either prison time or psychology experiments, put their sim in a home with just a hamster and a wedding buffet, and sealed them in. Once their hamster died the depression would drive them insane, and once the food rotted they would starve to death. They then repeated this, placing the urn of the previous sim in the same room. Eventually, the sim “is up all night, every night, terrified of a parade of ghosts of himself.” American Horror Story ain’t got nothing on a determined Sims player!

12 When The Sims 2 Got In Trouble With Jack Thompson

Really, who WOULDN'T find this erotic. [Via simsvip.com]

Perennial thorn in game developers’ sides Jack Thompson found issue with many video games. For some, like GTA, the reasons might be obvious, but why didn’t he like The Sims? According to Thompson, The Sims 2 was “worse than Hot Coffee,” because players could allegedly remove pixelation to see their sims totally nude in the shower. While it was true players could remove pixelation using the in-game console, players hoping for a cheap, badly-textured thrill would be dead out of luck. If the pixelation was removed, players wouldn’t find anything below the waist. As EA exec Jeff Brown said, “they appear like Ken and Barbie.” If getting off on blank space and a trademark is your idea of a good time, go right ahead, however, just as with Thompson’s other cases, his accusations were baseless.

11 When The Sims Got In Trouble With Russian Censors

Deal with it. [Via mygaming.co.za]

Russia’s extreme rules prohibiting depictions of gay characters in media, which the government in its homophobic mind calls “gay propaganda” is well known, and The Sims 4 fell afoul of this law in 2014. While in other countries, such as the UK, the game’s tameness was recognized with a 12 and up rating, in Russia, the game received an 18+ certificate for daring to include same-sex relationships, or, you know, represent reality. The developers responded by saying that they had no intentions of altering the game, simply saying “one of the key tenets of The Sims is that it is up to the player to decide how to play the game.” The Sims 4 isn't the only game to come to a cropper in Russia thanks to these laws. Fifa 17 caught flak for its inclusion of rainbow jerseys and laces, as part of a campaign to combat homophobia.

10 When A Free Copy Of The Sims 2 Included Crippling DRM

So much fun! ...When the DRM actually lets you play. [Via pcgamescdn.com]

Back in July 2014, Origin users were able to claim a free copy of The Sims 2, complete with all its expansion packs. While this move seemed extremely generous, gamers soon discovered there was a hidden sting in the tail: SecuROM DRM. This DRM has been hated by users for over a decade now, and with good reason. Acting like an overly-harsh prison warden, the software often punishes legitimate users due to its terrible functionality. Some faults with the DRM include failing to recognize lawfully bought discs, conflicts with Windows Vista, straight-up refusing to work with some DVD drives, and not running on Windows 10. Why EA decided to include software that aims to prevent people getting copies of the game for free on a, uh, free release, is slightly less than manifest. Many gamers simply took matters into their own hands, removing the DRM themselves.

9 When The Sims Included Its Very Own Addams Family

Maximum goth achieved! [Via bunnyrave1.tumblr.com]

The Tricou family were added in The Sims 2: Nightlife, but they aren’t just any family. All eight of the family members are dead, and now haunt various locations in the Downtown locale. One unlucky resident, Rainelle Neengia, who moved into their former home following their deaths, had an Overlook Hotel experience, scared to death by the ghosts of the two teenagers of the family, Gvaudoin and Fricorith. The House of Falling Trees (completely unlike the House of Leaves, yes siree), can be purchased by the player for 85 big ones, if you fancy living out your very own Ghost Hunt fantasy, complete with vampire coffins in the basement and graves in the garden. Players will find that however much they attempt to brighten it up with tasteful lighting (or some disco lights, ain’t no party like a dead person party), you’ll find the place always gets dim and daunting at night.

8 When The Sims: Makin’ Magic Included An Ethically Questionable Spell

Burn the witch! [Via mobygames.com]

The Sims: Makin’ Magic brought magic to the world of The Sims, with players now able to create charms and cast spells. A lot of the spells are traditional fairy tale fare, including being able to turn sims into toads, enchant objects, and give each other ethereal happy pills. One, however, is slightly more sinister. The “Lovestruck” spell, requiring honey, dragon tears, and pixie dust, will make the target sim immediately fall in love with the caster. The ethics of love potions have long been debated not only by fans of franchises like Harry Potter, but by philosophers. Is it okay to make someone fall in love with you against their will? While The Sims isn’t to be taken seriously, it can pose serious questions, with some equating such spells to date rape. Maybe these desperate sims would be better off working on their personality.

7 The Disastrous Launch Of The Sims 4

Not included: pools, toddlers, or ghosts. Included: a love of butterflies. [Via origin.com]

The Sims 4 was met with mediocre reviews upon its release, and with good reason. The game’s launch, like that of SimCity a year before, was a catastrophe. Players were told before launch that the life stages would remain unchanged from previous games, but the toddler life stage ended up being cut at launch, only reinstated two years after launch. Other features initially missing from previous Sims games included pools (popular with swimming fans and psychopathic players alike,) and ghosts. In this list, we’ve already explored the interesting storylines and features that have previously been woven into Sims games thanks to these spectral sims, so them also being missing caused an outcry. Other causes of concern included a remarkable number of bugs, including one which would cause incestuous relationships to form between family members, as well requiring mods to be updated with each patch, created a shaky relationship between long-time players and Maxis.

6 When The Sims 2 Introduced A Haunted Statue

Fire protection is now available in a range of colors! [Via modthesims2.com]

Back to ghostly weirdness, The Sims 2 introduced a haunted statue with some special powers. The Gray Woman Of SimCity is a large statue of a woman who died in an apparently Thanksgiving-related fire after forgetting she left a turkey baking in the oven. A sim death which we’re probably all familiar with, especially if their cooking skills are none too hot (unlike their house, moments later.) In death, like a benevolent Weeping Angel from Doctor Who, she watches over children, protecting them from fire. You’ll find the statue in the aforementioned House of Falling Trees, as well as on Gothier Green Lawns, and it can be purchased for 6000 Simoleons. Cheaper than rebuilding a house after a disastrous attempt to make a hot dog, that’s for sure.

5 The Sims Online’s Personal Pan Apocalypse

It was a strange time. [Via dvsgaming.org]

An MMO closing down is always an odd occasion. Players gather with their friends to say goodbye to each other’s characters, and to the world, one last time, before the plug gets pulled. When the plug does get pulled, it’s often preceded by surreal antics from players. When The Sims Online went down, Stanford University archivist Henry Lowood was there to watch. Players competed against each other in games of chess, maybe hoping to cheat death, like a garbled version of The Seventh Seal. Some sung serenades to each other, while all the while, player’s messages flashed across the screen. “Goodbye my dear friends,” said one, while another said hello to everyone online. Then, all of a sudden, the world flickered, and it was gone, “like tears in the rain” *sniff*.

4 When The Sims 2 Included A Possible Serial Killer

An artist's impression of The Sims' most prolific killer. Maybe. [Via ninja-frog.deviantart.com]

Amongst The Sims’ many mysteries, one particularly dark one will be remembered by observant players. The character of Olive Specter appears to be a fairly-ordinary woman, but if you take a closer look, you’ll notice something strange. She’s been married several times, including to characters who got unluckily marked for death by their names, Hugh Thanasia and Rigger Mortis. Another guy also left her at the altar (maybe sensing running was the smart move), and later died. In her garden, you’ll find graves containing former husbands, maids and delivery people. In her bio, it’s said she enjoys sharpening sticks, pointing to her preferred murder weapon. Oh, and she probably fathered a kid with the Grim Reaper. Guess murdering’s cheaper than long, long, long-distance phone calls to the nether realm for chats with her baby daddy.

3 When The Sims 3 Revealed The Caliente Sister’s Immortality

[Via SkellySpades/forums.thesims.com]

Twin sisters, Nina and Dina Caliente can be found living in Pleasantview, complete with the ashes of Dina’s ex-husband on a coffee table. The pair starts out unemployed and with just over a grand to their name, with just under a month until they make the sudden change to being elders. This isn’t so weird. What is odd, is that they can also be found in the Barnacle Bay neighborhood in The Sims 3, where, despite a 50-year time difference, they appear almost unchanged, other than having switched personalities. Nina now wants to be super-popular, unlike in the previous game where she was on a quest for love, while Dina isn’t so much of a man-eater as she once was. They also now have more skills than before, demonstrating that time hasn't exactly stood still for them, they just haven’t aged.

2 When A Virtual 'Adult' Trade Sprung Up In The Sims Online

Activities in The Sims Online were largely completely innocent, but like Second Life, there was also another side. [Via simscommunity.info]

The Sims Online, while never wildly popular, was notable enough to get in the news for a slightly less salubrious reason than EA or Maxis ever intended. It got into a bunch of hot water shortly after release after it came out that some players were swapping cybersex for Simoleons. While this probably wouldn’t be an issue in itself, players could be as young as 13, creating fears that the game could be facilitating virtual child prostitution. Peter Ludlow, who ran an in-game newspaper the Alphaville Herald, said that nothing was done to stop this from happening. Ludlow had interviewed a number of players, including those who he said to be underage online sex workers. His account was later banned, with EA telling him it was “for the good of the game and its community.” Some maintain Ludlow was a griefer, while others believe it was censorship.

1 The Horrific Story Of The Remington Family

Ah, domestic bliss. [Via thesims.wikia.com]

The Jones family in The Sims 3 are a couple made up of journalist Hannah, and Aiden, a lab tech. Hannah inherited the home from her deceased relatives, the Remington Family, and came to Riverview to live in their new home. Little did she know, the deceased relatives may have moved out of the physical world, but they haven’t quite moved on in other ways. The family all died in various painful ways, Lydia and Kirsten were drowned, Jasper was electrocuted trying to fix his T.V. (well, being married to a ghost would get dull), Cody and some other members of the family died in a fire, and Eileen starved to death. The natures of their death in such a generally family-friendly game are a puzzle, but there’s a deeper mystery. Hannah didn’t know much about the family: so who invited her?