In the realm of gaming, multiple genres have been populated by games from numerous publishers, who compete with each other every single day to establish themselves as the dominant force in that particular niche. However, when it comes to the life-simulation genre, there is one game that entered with a bang and hasn't backed out since. Of course, it goes without saying that the series that we're talking about is The Sims, which has quickly transformed into one of the most popular gaming franchises of all time due to its mastery when it comes to the genre of life simulation. Ever since its entry in the world of gaming at the very start of the 21st century, The Sims has been going strong ever since. The series has released a total of four games in its main series, along with countless spin-offs and expansions that are simply way too many to list.
In a bid to make the game accessible to all, EA and Maxis have constantly strived to market the game towards teens, so as to prevent any possibility of their games being restricted by the ESRB. However, even in a game that's supposedly geared towards teens, it seems that there are a lot of questionable elements present in The Sims that have surprisingly been ignored by the majority of people who consider themselves to be lifelong fans of the series. Here are 25 of the most inappropriate things in The Sims that you absolutely must know about.
25 Use A Sim's Body To Bargain With The Grim Reaper
Death is a sad part of life, and at the end of the day, The Sims is meant to portray an accurate depiction of life — well, mostly. To make the concept of death a bit light-hearted, The Sims had most of the deaths appear comical in nature. When it came to old age (which is obviously the most common way for Sims to die), Maxis included a Grim Reaper that would take away the soul of your Sim.
However, if you desperately want your Sim to stick around for longer, then you can make one of the female Sims of your family perform the ultimate sacrifice. Basically, what you need to do is woo the Grim Reaper and sleep with them. This will increase your affinity to the point where you can plead with the dealer of death to spare the life of your Sim.
24 Hook Up With The Ghost Of Your Loved Ones
Of course, if you actually want to make you Sim form a weird attachment when it comes to wooing supernatural entities, why stop at the Grim Reaper? After all, there are just so many options in The Sims when it comes to the various supernatural beings that you can interact with that you should be able to achieve your goal with ease.
From vampires to witches to even ghosts — the (virtual) world's your oyster, and it's up to you to decide whether you want your Sim to go down the route of hooking up with as many supernatural beings as he or she can find. Just make sure you don't go overboard since the next entry will discuss what might happen if you don't practice any "safety" when it comes to your random trysts with these beings.
23 Give Birth To Supernatural Babies
The previous two entries have already discussed the possibility of there being a way for Sims to "interact" with supernatural entities. For a game that's focused on simulating life as accurately as possible, it's pretty odd that such things occur in the first place. However, if that wasn't bad enough, your Sim can also get pregnant with a supernatural being's offspring, which is certainly... something.
your Sim can also get pregnant with a supernatural being
So many questions arise when this happens. Just how did this even happen in the first place? How can ghosts and humans even come into contact, let alone partake in the act of having a child? If only Maxis would've taken the time to provide us with these answers... but alas, it seems we'll have no way to satiate our curiosity.
Speaking of pregnancy...
22 There Are Aliens That Abduct Both Genders But Only Impregnate Men
Since we're still on the topic of supernatural beings (whoo boy, Maxis surely went over the top when it came to this), it seems like the perfect time to take about another such entity that is very much prevalent in The Sims — namely, aliens. These beings can certainly prove to be a pain in the butt when they choose to abduct your Sim out of nowhere while they're stargazing.
Normally, these aliens will just completely mess around with the needs of your Sim, making it go haywire before sending them back to your household. However, if the person who got abducted happened to be a male, then — to your surprise — he'll actually come back bearing a child.
Damn. Just... damn.
21 Meet A Person And Marry Them In Virtually No Time At All
The act of marriage is very drawn-out, spanning a number of years (aside from some exceptions). First of all, the two prospective soulmates need to meet and introduce themselves. Soon, they transform from acquaintances to friends, and from friends to something more. Their relationship will ideally last for a few years before one of them garners the courage to ask the other for their hand in marriage. It's a long story with a sweet ending... unless, that is, you happen to play The Sims.
It can absolutely shatter the illusion
We say this because when it comes to The Sims, there's little to no thought required when it comes to marriage. In one day, you can initiate romantic relations with ease, and once your affinity reaches a high enough level, you can easily ask for their hand in marriage. It's a task that can be accomplished with ease and can absolutely shatter the illusion that The Sims is a realistic game.
20 Divorce Has Little To No Consequences
If you thought that the act of marriage was pretty unrealistic, then it must be said that divorce is even more so. We say this because, in real life, divorce is an incredibly traumatizing event that will lead to no end of problems for the entire family. Parents become distant and cold, children realize that happiness is just an illusion, and relatives get a reality check unlike any other.
Children realize that happiness is just an illusion.
However, in The Sims, divorce is insultingly simple. If both parties of the relationship hate each other, then a simple click of the mouse will lead to divorce. It's as simple as that. No paperwork, no endless arguments, no long-term traumatizing effects — there's absolutely nothing that will indicate that a divorce even happened, save for a sore spot in your Sim's memory.
But is this even that surprising? After all...
19 Marriages Can Be Destabilized With Ease
The act of marriage is supposed to be a binding contract, and the two people who are willfully being the focal point of this ceremony are completely aware when it comes to the implications of such a pact — including when one decides to break any of the rules present in this agreement. However, when it comes to The Sims, it seems that the significance of this pact is little to nothing in the grand scheme of things.
The ways in which you can influence other Sims in the game (including the ones you don't actively control) is pretty scary. By placing your Sim in certain strategic locations, you can completely wreck a marriage when the spouse walks in to witness a sight that she'd rather not know about. Heck, in The Sims 2, you could simply influence people to break off a happy marriage... simply because you could.
But why would you do that when...
18 Extramarital Fun Is The Name Of The Game
One of the main attractions of The Sims has to be romance, and the sheer number of partners that you can have relationships with is pretty expansive. What's so surprising about this is that even if you happen to be in a marriage with another Sim, you can still fool around with others. There's little to no bearing on your conscience when it comes to this, which is really quite something, to say the least.
It's almost as if cheating is promoted in the game
It's almost as if cheating is promoted in the game, which is the last thing that you want to portray. This is quite worrying, especially since the majority of people who play The Sims are impressionable teenagers who might be influenced by what they are able to accomplish in the game.
17 Sims Will Sometimes Clean Their Hands In The Kitchen And Wash Dishes In The Bathroom Sink
Let's get one thing out of the way, so that we don't have to repeat ourselves over and over again when it comes to the next few entries — your Sims are extremely stupid. Now that that's over, let's discuss why this happens to be the case.
One of the main things that contributes to this stupidity that's portrayed by your Sims time and time again has to be the fact that the tracking of your Sims is downright horrible. Depending on what's closer — forgoing any semblance of logic in the process — your Sims will choose to wash their hands in the kitchen sink, and wash dishes in the bathroom. It's a small thing, but it's still pissing off nevertheless.
But when it comes to stupidity, nothing beats the fact that...
16 Sims Will Completely Ignore Kids Without Your Intervention
After having a kid, parents would obviously make it their first priority to ensure that they're taking the required steps to make sure that their baby is satisfied, no matter what. After all, devoting one's full time and attention to their baby is what parenting's all about... that is, unless you happen to be one of the many unfeeling psychopaths present in The Sims.
Now, for the most part, when you choose to leave your Sims alone, they'll do their very best to ensure that the needs of the babies are addressed... that is, unless they happen to be in the middle of something else. So, if your Sim chooses to watch TV or play a video game, then no matter how much the baby cries, your Sim will coldly continue whatever they're doing.
But can you even blame them? How can they take care of a kid if they can't take care of themselves? After all...
15 Sims Have Absolutely No Survival Instincts Whatsoever
We've reached the absolute peak of stupidity. Brace yourself!
But in all seriousness, it must be said that your Sims are absolutely inept. Without your constant input, don't get surprised if your Sim ends up getting completely confused about which need they want to fulfill, leading to a situation where they end up in a state where their needs are so dangerously low that they'll reach the verge of death.
The worst part about this is that if you choose to let go of the family you're currently controlling, then they'll function perfectly, without needing to be constantly micromanaged by you. This begs the question — just why can't these people do the same while you're in direct control of them?
If it makes you feel any better...
14 Sims Will Hallucinate NPCs To Satisfy Their Needs
Now, let's face it. Aside from the logical fallacy that we've already discussed before, the fact of the matter is that you should be aware of the needs of your Sims, and take the required action if one of their needs happen to be dangerously low. However, if you happen to fail this simple task, then don't fear! The game will see to it that your Sim's needs come back to where they are supposed to be.
If your Sim's social need becomes dangerously low, then — in a desperate bid to interact with literally anyone — your Sim will hallucinate a person known as the Social Bunny, who will help you increase your Social need with ease. Do keep in mind that this doesn't apply to the Fun need, since Sunny The Tragic Clown will see to it that your situation becomes even worse.
13 Children Can Find Monsters Under The Bed
The age-old tale of finding monsters under your bed (or in the closet, depending on what tale you've heard) has been told time and time again over the years to children. However, the creators of The Sims decided to take this story to heart by literally placing monsters under the bed of your child, who will understandably freak out when something like this happens.
This might seem rather amusing for a while, until you realize just how traumatic it might be for a kid who just wants to have a good night sleep... before being rudely awakened by a pair of unnerving red eyes that creepily stares at them. Thankfully, the sinister intentions of these beasts never really comes to light, and calling the parents of the child or making him/her sleep in another bed is enough to rectify this situation.
12 Become A Criminal By Applying Online
Perhaps one of the oddest things in The Sims has to be the Criminal Career. Let's face it — the life of a criminal doesn't work according to a particular schedule, and it's preposterous to think that a criminal would take a carpool to start working on their underhanded tasks. However, it seems that any and all forms of logic have been completely thrown out of the window when it comes to this.
Perhaps the stupidest part about this career is how you apply for it. Just like any other career, all you need to do is sift through the job column of the newspaper or go online and "apply" to become a criminal. Like, really? Won't the authorities know if there's a job portal that allows people to join an organization that doesn't adhere to the law?
11 Partake In The Sims' Own Brand Of Inception
There are many ways through which you can ensure that your Sims don't stay bored for extended periods of time. In fact, one might argue that the Fun need is one of the easiest to maintain — especially when your Sims, if left free, will always perform some mindless activity that is solely meant to increase their Fun need... even if it happens to be full.
Gaming is also one of the ways in which your Sim can entertain themselves, and one game that they can play is The Sims, which is pretty weird. Think of it like this — you're stuck in an endless chain where you play The Sims and instruct your Sims to play The Sims, where your Sims instruct your Sims to — among other things — play The Sims.
Whew, that last paragraph had too many Sims for our liking. Maybe they can be reduced by...
10 A Cow Plant That Can Straight Up Eat Your Sim Whole
Before we get started, we should probably apologize for that horrible joke. Now that that's out of the way, it's time to talk about a particular type of flora present in The Sims that can prove to be a blessing or a curse, depending on what situation you find yourself stuck in.
The Laganaphyllis simnovorii (or Cow Plant, for short) can help immensely when it comes to increasing the life expectancy of your Sim. The plant produces an elixir that helps prevent aging... but at a costly price. Basically, if you forget to feed the plant regularly, then your Sim might just be the unfortunate victim of a trap set by the Cow Plant, who'll straight up eat your Sim once afforded the opportunity.
But let's face it...
9 Sims Can Meet Their End Way Too Easily
The sheer number of ways in which your Sim can die is truly astounding. Perhaps the best thing about this — it's kinda weird that we're discussing a silver lining when it comes to something so morbid like death — are the creative deaths that your Sim can be a victim to. Your Sim can actually die from things like laughter, embarrassment and anger, among other such things.
However, the annoying trade-off for this is that your Sims are stupidly prone to death, and can lose their life at a moment's notice. This can prove to be quite irritating, especially when you want to craft a memorable story with your characters, but are unable to do so since one of your Sims just got randomly shocked to death.
8 Guests Will Treat Your House As Their Own If You Welcome Them In
It's common courtesy to greet someone who might be at your doorstep or strolling across the street — especially if you happen to be new to the neighborhood. However, if you want to maintain an intelligent conversation with said person, then good luck. There's a higher chance of this person completely ignoring your Sim and start watching television at his or her leisure.
Not only is this horribly bad manners, but this also showcases a horrible oversight on the part of the developer when it came to coding the behavior of guests in the game. It's normal for the player to experience feelings of anger when this happens, especially when the Social need of your Sim is very low but the person you want to interact with is too busy leeching off the things in your house!
But when it comes to guests, there's one person who absolutely has to take the cake.
7 The Original Sims Had Drew Carey As A Cameo
The original Sims was an absolutely groundbreaking game for a number of reasons that we won't get into right now. However, it was obvious that a lot of money went into developing the game, but what might surprise you is where this money was invested in. If you want to experience this surprise firsthand, then just host a great house party... and wait.
If your house party happens to be especially good, then — out of all the people that EA could've chosen — Drew Carey will make a surprise appearance and join your party. This inclusion just boggles the mind. I mean, if one thinks of a party animal, then we're pretty sure that Drew Carey would be one of the very last people that one might think of.
6 Patriarchy Exists In The Virtual World As Well
You'd think that, in today's day-and-age, the various forms of entertainment would make it a priority to be more progressive. This is of the utmost importance, especially since — with the unmitigated access to the internet — people are becoming more and more informed about the imbalanced nature of society. However, The Sims seems to have taken a step backward in this regard.
While — for the most part — both genders enjoy an equal level of standing in society, the fact of the matter is that equality is definitely not a priority for Maxis and EA. Just take a look at the fact that there are only three matrilineal families present in The Sims, with the majority of families taking the name of the male's family.