The Sims was by no means the first simulation game to hit the market. Vehicle simulation games such as Battlezone and Elite were released in the 80′s that allowed players to simulate real life activities. Elite allowed players to pilot in a space flight simulation. Earlier than this, online games had been created based on the same idea. Spasism was released in 1974 and claimed to be the first 3D multiplayer online game.
It was then in the 1990′s that Maxis began it’s line of Sim games, starting with SimCity.
After the release of The Sims in 2000, it opened up a a once hidden audience in the game industry, the ratio of male to female players was dominated by girls. In an interview with MJ Chun, the producer for the Sims series tell us:
“ MC: It’s actually sixty percent female and forty percent male.”
As more expansion packs were released, the less limitations appeared in the game. Livin’ Large and House Party were the first two to be released, giving players more skins, clothes and objects to play with. Then Hot Date came a long, bringing something different to the table. Hot Date allowed players to leave the household and venture into town, taking your partner on dates or simply dining alone. This also meant the player could now create their own restaurants and entertainment. Other expansion packs included Vacation, where players could go to holiday resorts, Unleashed (pets), Making Magic (Sims can practice magic) and Superstar (Sims could travel to “Hollywood” and become a star).
