The Sims 3

The Sims 3 and The Sims games in general is the dream of a gynecocracy, a fantasy of reality by the whims of whoever plays the game. When women or more conservative players are behind the computer, the game is more or less played in the correct way.

When it is in the hands of a man or whoever wishes to push the limits of the game, it becomes hell on SimEarth. Perhaps it's the most mainstream example of a Rorschach test.

With The Sims 1 and 2, the game was simplified to a point where it can be interesting and enjoyable with the pre-9/11 atmosphere of late-90s suburban living for the first game and the second remaining a modest chill. With the introduction of The Sims 3 and the opening of "Web 2.0" since 2007, mods are now bigger than ever and they are determinable of what occurs in the game.

When Electronic Arts fully became EA in 2001-05, it was very clear which direction they were heading. Like putting the "Christ" out of "Christmas," they essentially took the "Arts" out of EA.

this game EMBARASSES sims 4. the sheer detail, quality (for it's time), FASHION??, customization, just so much we will never have in ts4. it's so confusing how this predates sims 4 and is extraordinarily better. i prefer making sims and houses in ts4, but prefer the gameplay of ts3. if ts4 had ts3 open world + detail, and cas customization? that would be perfect.

it's also kinda boring, but i find that with the sims 4, too. i just get a little bored with life games after i make the characters and get into the rhythm of their life.

Played this for way too many hours to rate it lower, but really feels like such a soul-sucking game. oh and fuck EA of course

I was 8 years old when The Sims 3 first released. I remember seeing the demos on Youtube and I knew immediately that I wanted to play this game. My dad got me the game a short time after the release -- around the time when the Ambitions expansion released, if I remember correctly. I have to say that there aren't any other games that I have come back to for this amount of time, and it isn't nostalgia that brings me back.
First off, the game runs like dogshit. I've spent hours tweaking the in game settings and finding work arounds online. There's no dancing around the fact that you will experience many crashes playing the Sims 3 until you optimize your settings and install the NRaas mods. Crashes and stutters are, sadly, a fact of life with this game. I admit my PC is not high end but it's still fit for gaming. From what I have read online, the quality of the components in your PC, unless you play on a toaster, do not necessarily affect the performance of the game. Even those with top end machines need to install the necessary NRaas mods and lower their settings. I'm happy to admit, after hours of troubleshooting, the game does not crash for me (my 8 year old self is jumping up and down) and runs decently.
So you might be wondering, is any game truly worth hours of fixing the performance, which, I concede, should have been solid years ago? There is one game in my experience that is worth all that trouble, and that game is the Sims 3! Inside the virtual towns of this game are countless hours of customization, house building, and, most importantly, hilarious life simulation that more than make up for the initial headache of getting it to run properly.