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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Entertainment
Patrick Lenton

The Sims at 25: a terrifying facsimile of life, death and the endless cycle of work

Screenshot from The Sims video game
‘There was a kind of wild-west weirdness to the original Sims’ … the blockbuster game turns 25. Photograph: Acmi

“Who would you put in your pool these days?” asks my friend while we stand in a giant lime-green dollhouse. We’re at Acmi’s celebration of The Sims’ 25th birthday, inside a Y2K-inspired pop-up styled by the interior designer influencers and diehard Simmers Josh and Matt. There are a couple of blocky PCs where people can play the original Sims. There is also a grim reaper and a llama wandering around.

The pool question makes a lot of sense to anyone who has ever spent hours on the blockbuster game. Any dedicated player knows the terrifying death by drowning that awaits their Sim if they take away the pool ladder.

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