The Sims Wiki:Featured article/Past Articles

Every month on The Sims Wiki, we feature an article on the main page. We appreciate your input in selecting the article which will be featured.

January 2019
The Sims 2: Open for Business, or OFB, is the third expansion pack for The Sims 2, released on March 2, 2006 in the US, and on March 3, 2006 in Europe. The Mac version was released on September 4, 2006. It allows Sims to run a home or community lot based business.

The main change to the core game introduced by Open for Business is a new neighborhood type—the "Shopping District", the default one being named Bluewater Village. A number of Sims live there, such as a toymaking family, a woman who owns a home-based flower shop, a family that owns a furniture shop, a family bakery, and a rich tycoon who owns a nightclub and an electronics shop.

Open for Business also adds new functionality to a Sim's productivity around the house. Sims are able to craft new items, including toys, flowers, and robots. Additional items include those aimed specifically at enhancing the business setting like an old-style cash register, beauty salon chairs and child-oriented toys. Servos are reintroduced as fully playable household robots that can perform basic tasks and function like a Sim in regards to social interactions.

There are new objects in Open for Business. Furniture styles and the build-mode selection have been expanded. The biggest difference, however, is the addition of business-oriented items such as cash-registers, shelves, elevators, and crafting centers that Sims can use to create things to sell.

December 2018
Celebrity status is a feature in The Sims 3: Late Night that allows Sims to become renowned celebrities around the world they live in. Celebrity status ranges from one to five stars, and the number of stars a Sim has is visible when the cursor is pointed at a celebrity Sim. Celebrities will not accept most social interactions from ordinary Sims at first, and they must be greeted and impressed before they will talk. In addition, Sims cannot simply visit a celebrity's home or penthouse, but must first ring them up on the callbox asking for permission to enter; celebrities that either don't know or dislike the visiting Sims may refuse them entry.

Sims can gain celebrity points in a variety of ways. They may gain celebrity points by socializing with and impressing existing celebrities. Reaching a high level in certain careers—particularly the Film career—will guarantee Sims celebrity status. More rarely, Sims can get celebrity points from opportunities. Celebrity points are permanent and cannot be removed without the use of cheats.

Being a celebrity provides Sims with many potential perks, such as access to the VIP areas in many bars, clubs, and lounges; discounts at retail stores and restaurants; freebies and other exclusive objects; and admiration from passersby when out and about. However, celebrities will also be followed by paparazzi, who may expose any embarrassing or disgraceful acts that they spot the celebrity being engaged in. Celebrities who get publicly disgraced will get a negative moodlet that lasts for three days and will temporarily revoke some of their perks.

November 2018
The Sims 4: Cats & Dogs is the fourth expansion pack for The Sims 4. It was announced on August 21, 2017 at Gamescom and was released worldwide on November 10, 2017. The console version was released on July 31, 2018. It is a spiritual successor to The Sims: Unleashed, The Sims 2: Pets, and The Sims 3: Pets. The expansion reintroduces cats, dogs, and raccoons, as well as new features such as foxes and a vet clinic business which Sims can experience in the new world of Brindleton Bay.

In Cats & Dogs, Sims can own cats and dogs as pets, which are the main feature of the expansion pack. Unlike previous games, pets cannot be controlled by the player, similarly to The Sims 2: Pets, and there is no cheat that will allow the player to do so. Sims can interact with these pets in various form of ways such as feeding, playing and training, and are able to bond with them through these interactions.

Vet clinics are another feature introduced in Cats & Dogs. They are a lot type and a business that Sims can own. Cats and dogs can now have various types of illnesses, that can be easily cured by veterinarians. They are treated with different types of medicine and in serious situations with a surgery station, that can also neuter and un-neuter pets.

Alongside pets and vet clinics, the expansion pack also introduces the coastal world of Brindleton Bay, veterinarian and pet training skills, new traits, aspirations, collectibles, and other various pet related objects and activities.

October 2018
Isla Paradiso is a world featured in The Sims 3: Island Paradise, consisting of a town located on a tropical archipelago with many different islands. It was designed to highlight the many new features introduced in the expansion pack, such as houseboats, diving areas, resorts, and hidden islands. The world bears some resemblance to Sunlit Tides, but has more of a Spanish-Caribbean theme and places more emphasis on interacting with the water.

Unlike other worlds, a land connection does not exist for every lot, necessitating the use of boats in order to get around. Boats can be purchased in buy mode by the player in a similar fashion to purchasing cars, and require a boat trailer to be docked at. Sims can also build a houseboat, a type of residential lot that can be moved around on the water. A taxi boat service is available for Sims who do not own their own boat. Isla Paradiso's oceans are deep enough for the Kraken—a giant sea monster—to appear, and may attack the boats of Sims if they stay out in the water for too long.

129 Sims appear in Isla Paradiso, including one returning Sim—Edward Dregg, who first appeared in The Sims 2: Bon Voyage and The Sims Castaway Stories as a pirate captain ghost.

September 2018
A restaurant is a type of location in The Sims series that allow Sims to eat out at community lots without having to cook for themselves. They were first introduced in The Sims: Hot Date, and later reintroduced in The Sims 2: Nightlife and The Sims 4: Dine Out. The Sims 2: Open for Business and The Sims 4: Dine Out allowed Sims to run a restaurant in an owned business, managing its staff, menu, and pricing. In these games, players are able to see inside the restaurant and direct their Sims around as usual once inside.

Restaurants in general consist of at least three employees—a host that seats customers; a server that delivers the food; and a chef that prepares the dishes. The restaurant will also require a podium for the host to be stationed at, a stove for the chef to cook with, and a sink or dishwasher for the servers to wash the dirty dishes in. In Hot Date, restaurants also required a fridge and a preparation surface.

Restaurants appear in The Sims 3 as rabbit hole locations that players cannot see into. Sims can choose to eat at a diner or a bistro; the latter is more expensive, but can trigger events that will not occur at a diner. Players can direct their Sims to stay for dessert after the meal, but otherwise cannot choose what their Sims will order, and cannot see their Sims eating inside the restaurant. However, a venue from The Sims 3 Store, titled the Business as Usual Bistro, features a working restaurant, complete with the ability to assign a chef, set the menu, and decide the opening hours for the restaurant. If a Sim owns the restaurant, they can also profit from it.

August 2018
School is where children and teenagers attend to get education during those life stages. School appears in all of The Sims series, except in The Sims Castaway Stories. The school bus takes children and teens to and from school. In the first two games and The Sims 4, the school is located off-screen and is not visible to the player, just like careers. In The Sims 3, the school is a rabbit hole building.

Children and teenagers attend school on weekdays and are free from it during weekends (except for The Sims, in which weekends don't exist). School days usually last for around 4 to 7 hours, depending on the game. Children in school will have grades, that work similarly to job performance of careers. Grades can be boosted by doing various forms of activities during free time. These include studying from books, completing tasks, and raising skills. Sims will get homework after school days, and failing to complete them generally results in bad grades. In The Sims 3 and The Sims 4, players can also assign tasks for the Sim to do during school. They vary from sleeping in classes, working harder than usual, or just gaining more friends.

Other forms education alongside normal schools exist for children and teenagers to attend. In The Sims, children whose grades linger at F for several consecutive days are first given a warning, then banished to military school. In The Sims 2, Sims can attend private school if they have a minimum grade of C. In The Sims 3: Generations, children and teens can be sent to a boarding school and take a class after school.

July 2018
Temperature is a feature introduced in The Sims 2: Seasons, The Sims 3: Seasons, and The Sims 4: Seasons that is tied closely to the weather mechanics of the game. In all games, the outdoor temperature has an effect on a Sim's internal temperature; if Sims become too hot, they can cool down by going swimming or grabbing a cold drink, while Sims who are getting too cold can warm up by changing into outerwear. In all cases, going indoors will help them cool off or warm up. Sims that get too hot may faint from heatstroke or get sunburned, while Sims that get too cold may freeze and collapse.

The outdoor temperature also a has a profound effect on Sims' lives. Colder temperatures will produce visible frost and cause bodies of water to freeze over, and precipitation will come in the form of snow if it is cold enough. Warmer temperatures will produce much more violent thunderstorms and hail, and heat hazes may become visible. The current season determines the average outdoor temperature, with spring and summer bringing warmer temperatures, and fall and winter bringing colder temperatures.

In The Sims 2 and The Sims 4, real-world temperature units are not used to determine the temperature, and instead a scale ranging from -100 to 100—with the former being the coldest and the latter being the hottest—is used. The Sims 3 is the only game to use real-world temperature units like Celsius and Fahrenheit.

June 2018
The Sims 4: City Living is the third expansion pack for The Sims 4. It introduces apartments and penthouses, and allows Sims to live in and explore the city world of San Myshuno. It is a spiritual successor to The Sims 2: Apartment Life and The Sims 3: Late Night, and borrows objects or other elements from several other expansion packs.

The Sims 4: City Living was officially announced on September 12, 2016. It was released in North America on November 1, 2016 and in Europe on November 3, 2016. The console version was released on November 17, 2017.

City Living features a new city world named San Myshuno, which is heavily based on a variety of modern cities from around the world like Tokyo, San Francisco, and New York City, and also features elements of Indian, Chinese, Japanese and Moroccan culture throughout the city. In San Myshuno, there are a total of 21 apartment units available, which are the main feature of the pack. Apartments offer new gameplay compared to normal residential lots, such as landlords, paying rent, various types of pests and close quarter neighbors. A total three penthouses are also found in San Myshuno. They are placed on top of decorative buildings that do not have any limitations beyond their lot size, so they can be demolished and rebuilt, much like other buildings on a normal lot. Other new activities in San Myshuno include visiting festivals, raising up in new careers, and more.

May 2018
The Goth family is a prominent family in The Sims series, originally consisting of just Mortimer, Bella and Cassandra, appearing as one of the starting families in the original The Sims. The family is featured in all four main games (The Sims, The Sims 2, The Sims 3, and The Sims 4), The Sims 2 for GameBoy Advance, and The Sims: Bustin' Out for console.

The immediate members of the family appear in Neighborhood 1/Old Town, Pleasantview, Sunset Valley, and Willow Creek, and are considered a key founding family in those places. Other branches of the family appear or are featured in the histories of other areas, including Moonlight Falls, Lunar Lakes, and Sugar Maple Coast.

The earliest known Goth was possibly a medieval-era woman by the name of Lady Ravendancer Goth, who wrote ‘Lady Ravendancer Goth’s Book O’ Spells’. The original tome was found in the Gothique Library, a library built by the very first Goths that settled in Sunset Valley. Magical ability is a common trait shared by many Goths; it is shown in several games that Bella Goth is capable of magic, and her mother-in-law Cornelia Goth was often used in promotional images dealing with magic things such as spell books and the Cowplant.

October 2017
Gardening in The Sims 4 is a game mechanic and skill, allowing Sims to grow plants that can be sold or used in various recipes.

Sims can plant plants on their lot, in bare earth or in flower pots. Sims need to tend plants regularly to keep them alive and healthy. Plants that are well-tended and remain healthy eventually increase in quality. As plant quality increases, the needs of the plant increase; higher-quality plants may need to be weeded or sprayed for bugs to keep them healthy. Plants produce harvestables which can be sold, eaten, or used in cooking or herbal recipes. The quality of the harvestable depends on the quality of the plant. Higher-quality harvestables can be re-planted, and the plant that grows from the harvestable will start at that higher level.

As Sims develop their gardening skill, they obtain new abilities, such as the ability to talk to plants, fertilize gardens, and graft plants together. More advanced gardeners can graft cuttings of multiple plants onto a single plant, allowing that plant to produce multiple types of harvestables at the same time; some rare harvestables can only be obtained by grafting certain plants together.

The Sims 4 base game features 33 different types of plants that can be collected and grown; other content packs increase the total number of available plants to 50.

March 2017
Toddler is a life stage present in The Sims 2, The Sims 3, and The Sims 4. It is the second life stage for Sims (following infancy), and the youngest life stage that can be chosen in Create a Sim. Toddlers grow up into children.

Toddlers gain a measure of independence from infancy, but still require active parenting. Toddlers, like babies, can be held and carried by Sims, teenaged or older, and need to be carried up and down stairs. Toddlers are unable to use certain objects accessible to older Sims, and are generally only able to take care of their most basic needs. During this stage, acquiring toddler skills is an important focus. Toddlers are able to learn how to speak, how to walk, and to be potty trained. Passing these milestones give toddlers additional self-sufficiency, and may affect whether the toddler grows up well. Toddlers are also able to develop other skills for the first time through the use of toys and games.

October 2016
Ghosts are the remaining entities of a dead Sim, and appear in all main series games, either as non-playable characters or as a playable life state.

Ghosts possess a number of unique abilities. They are able to pass through walls and solid objects. In many cases, ghosts can manipulate objects around them, causing them to levitate or else possessing them in some way. The color of a ghost can represent how the Sim was killed, or the emotional state of the ghost. Ghosts can often become angry, and haunt or scare living Sims, especially if their gravestone or urn is mistreated or a particular Sim does something to anger the ghost.

September 2016
Agnes Crumplebottom, also known as Miss Crumplebottom, is a well-known and notorious pre-made Sim.

She first appears as a non-playable character in The Sims: Hot Date. Miss Crumplebottom detests public displays of romance, and will promptly scold, smack, or beat with her purse, any Sims engaged in public displays of affection. She appears in The Sims 2 as well, though in that game she is deceased, and the job of opposing public romance is taken up by a distant relative with a similar name.

In The Sims 3, which occurs first in the original timeline of The Sims games, Agnes is a young and bitter widow, haunted by the ghost of her husband who died on their honeymoon.

December 2015
Lucky Palms is a world for The Sims 3. It was announced on June 18, 2012 and released on June 28 of the same year. It is the fifth world released for The Sims 3 Store. Lucky Palms is set in a desert setting with small pockets of green scattered throughout the world. There are 50 residents (and 5 unborn babies), making Lucky Palms the same size population-wise as Bridgeport, Hidden Springs, and Riverview.

It is available in a Standard and Gold edition. The Gold edition contains The Lucky Simoleon Casino, as well as several extra objects, including the blackjack table and the slot machine.

November 2015
Teen is a life stage that is featured in The Sims 2, The Sims 3, and The Sims 4. It succeeds the child life stage, and precedes the young adult or adult life stages.

Teens have more freedom than their younger counterparts, and are able to do more things. They can develop and build all available skills, pay bills, get a part-time job, drive cars, cook meals, and sneak out. In The Sims 2: University, teens may also go to college, where they will automatically age up to young adult.

A notable difference between teenagers and children is that teenagers able to pursue romantic relationships. They can perform all romantic interactions, but cannot WooHoo or get married; teens in The Sims 4, however, can "Mess Around" and exchange promise rings. Teens may want to have their first kiss or go steady with another Sim. Teens can only date other teens, and cannot perform romantic interactions with a Sim in any other life stage. In The Sims 2, the romantic bond between two teens will be broken if one teen ages up and the other does not. In The Sims 3, a teenaged lover who ages up will remain listed as their boyfriend/girlfriend, but cannot perform romantic interactions until the other Sim ages up as well.

Teens can live on their own without the aid of older Sims in the house. They cannot be taken away by the social worker, and can even run away from home if their relationships with the rest of the family drops too low. In The Sims 3: World Adventures, teens can travel abroad on their own. Teens in The Sims 3, however, have a curfew, and may be arrested and brought home by the police if they are caught violating it. Teens in The Sims 2 may sneak out of the house at night, but will be brought home by the police if they are caught.

When a child becomes a teenager, the player may select their aspiration and chemistry. Teens have four or two trait slots.

October 2015
Barnacle Bay is a downloadable world from The Sims 3 Store, released on September 23, 2010. Prior to release, the price tag was announced as 1650 SimPoints; this was increased to 2000 SimPoints after release. As of May 2012, Barnacle Bay can no longer be purchased with SimPoints, and instead is included with a $20 bundle that includes various other content. The world was also included with The Sims 3: Island Paradise if the player pre-ordered the game on Origin.

Barnacle Bay shares a deep and rich connection with the ocean, being first settled by pirates. It has since grown into a vacation destination, populated with beaches, parks, and a modern downtown area. Sims can explore the pirate ship, go fishing, or tour the abandoned piers by the beach. The world also includes a unique diner rabbit hole named "Hogan's Deep Sea Diner", a nod to the regular "Hogan's Deep Fried Diner".

The world is well known for being the home of the Caliente sisters, who moved to Barnacle Bay following the events of Pleasantview. They share a house with Luisa Libros, and all three are romantically involved with Alec Trebo, Jeff Smith, and Juan Jr Inkbeard.

September 2015
The Plumbob is an iconic feature of The Sims series. It is used in most titles to identify the currently selected character, and to show the mood of playable Sims. The plumbob has become an important and easily recognizable symbol of the franchise, and is featured in countless game covers, logos, posters, and other products.

In The Sims, the plumbob's color depends entirely on the Sim's current motives, which determines the Sim's overall mood. The plumbob will be green if the Sim is in a good mood, white if the Sim is "neutral", and red if the Sim is in a bad mood. A deeper and darker shade of green or red indicates the severity of the mood. In The Sims 2, the plumbob will be white if the Sim is in platinum aspiration, which raises the Sim's mood to maximum regardless of the Sim's motives. Otherwise, the plumbob will be green if the Sim is in a good mood, yellow if the Sim is in a mediocre mood, and red if the Sim is unhappy. The plumbob in The Sims 3 and The Sims 4 functions similarly to that of The Sims 2, although there is no platinum mood.

In The Sims: Hot Date and The Sims 2: Nightlife, a date partner or outing members will have a blue plumbob over their heads. This plumbob reflects their mood in Hot Date depending on the shade of blue, although this is not the case in Nightlife. In Open for Business, employees will have a spherical plumbob over their heads that reflects their mood, much like the normal plumbob does; players should keep a close eye on this plumbob in order to give them breaks appropriately, or they may quit when their motives get too low.

The appearance of the plumbob has changed throughout the series, but it has always generally resembled the shape of a hexagonal bipyramid, making it a dodecahedron. It has 12 isosceles triangles, 18 edges, and 8 vertices.

August 2015
The SimBot is a life state introduced in The Sims 3: Ambitions and appear to be the predecessor of Servos. SimBots have the same motives as normals Sims except for hygiene.

Unlike Servos, SimBots cannot recharge themselves in any way other than by sleeping or getting electrocuted. SimBots can eat food, although they prefer scrap, and one piece of scrap is usually enough to satisfy their "Scrap Reserves" motive. SimBots are hydrophobic, and will short-circuit when told to take a shower or play in a sprinkler. However, they have no trouble simply being sprayed by a sprinkler, and can mop up puddles of water. SimBots are not affected by fire, allowing them to detonate objects without fear of getting burned or singed.

SimBots have special jets in their feet, allowing them to hover from place to place. They are used as a substitution for running, and for navigating between lots.

July 2015
The child life stage is featured in The Sims, The Sims 2, The Sims 3, and The Sims 4. Children cannot grow up in The Sims; in later games, they grow up into teenagers.

Children have much more freedom than the previous life stages, although there are still some limitations. In The Sims 2, children can't stay home alone without an older Sim present. In The Sims 3, children have a curfew that they cannot violate. Children in The Sims and The Sims 4 do not require an older Sim present to live alone and do not have curfews; however, the range of skills they can learn is limited. Children will also need to attend school in order to maintain good grades and avoid being taken to military school, being confiscated by the social worker, or being forced to select a random fourth trait.

June 2015
The Sims 2: Seasons (also known as TS2 S, TS2 SNS, or simply Seasons) is the fifth expansion pack for The Sims 2. The game was released on March 1, 2007 for North America and March 2, 2007 for Europe. This expansion pack served as the inspiration for The Sims 3: Seasons.

Seasons introduced the Riverblossom Hills neighborhood, as well as the concept of weather and seasonal cycles. Sims must now be mindful of what to wear outdoors depending on the season, and monitor both outdoor and internal temperature in order to stay comfortable. Gardening was also enhanced, and fishing was introduced to the game, allowing Sims to grow and catch their own food. Sims that use too many pesticides whilst gardening may become a PlantSim.

April 2015
Toddler is a life stage present in The Sims 2 and The Sims 3; in those games, it is the second life stage for Sims (following infancy), and the youngest life stage that can be chosen in Create a Sim. Toddlers grow up into children.

Toddlers gain a measure of independence from infancy, but still require active parenting. Toddlers, like babies, can be held and carried by Sims, teenaged or older, and need to be carried up and down stairs. Toddlers are unable to use certain objects accessible to older Sims, and are generally only able to take care of their most basic needs. During this stage, acquiring toddler skills is an important focus. Toddlers are able to learn how to speak, how to walk, and to be potty trained. Passing these milestones give toddlers additional self-sufficiency, and may affect whether the toddler grows up well. Toddlers are also able to develop other skills for the first time through the use of toys and games.

December 2014
The unicorn is a mystical horse-like creature introduced in The Sims 3: Pets.

Wild unicorns are present in the world between 8:00pm (20:00) and 5:00 the next morning, though there is only a 33% chance that a wild unicorn will appear on any given night. Unicorns generally resemble horses, though with some notable differences, including different tails and facial hair (on male unicorns). Unicorns give off a glittering light or trail of light when they appear, disappear, or gallop, and emit rainbows from their horns while standing still, eating or drinking.

Unicorns seem to have a close relationship with plants and with nature, and will often autonomously bless plants or cause small plants to grow. Despite this, unicorns, like horses, will often choose to eat garden plants and so must be kept separated from them.

Sims, child or older, can try to tame a wild unicorn so it can join their household. The Sim will need to be best friends with it first, and also be 'best friends forever' with 3 household animals. Once tamed, Sims will be able to utilize the unicorn's unique magical abilities, including teleportation, fire extinguishing, and the blessing or cursing of flora and fauna.

November 2014
An Imaginary Friend is a life state, featured in The Sims 3: Generations. Imaginary Friends begin their lives as inanimate dolls, delivered to newborn babies or to toddlers. The doll can also be given to a Sim as a gift. Toddlers can interact with the doll, and often are carried around in the toddler's inventory. Dolls left outside the inventory tend to teleport around the lot (similar to gnomes), usually to be closer to the toddler.

If a toddler forms a close enough bond with the doll, the Imaginary Friend will transform into a life-size living creature. Its age will always correspond to the age of its owner. Imaginary Friends are visible only to their owners, and to other Sims who own an Imaginary Friend. An Imaginary Friend can be made "real" through the use of the Imaginary Friend Metamorphum potion. Once real, the Imaginary Friend is visible to everyone and can be interacted with like any other Sim. It can engage in WooHoo and, though it is not biologically a Sim, it can produce offspring.

There is a 75% chance that a newborn Sim will receive the doll. Once received, it cannot be sold or deleted without the use of cheats, though it can be given away or kept away from the toddler in order to prevent it from forming a bond.

October 2014
Painting is a skill in The Sims 3. The skill is augmented by the Artistic trait, and the Extra Creative lifetime reward. Prior to The Sims 3, painting skill was part of a broader "creativity" skill which was also earned through playing instruments, writing novels, or using certain reward objects.

Sims can learn to paint by using the easel, drafting table, or sketchbook. They can also take a class at the school or college of art. If The Sims 3: Ambitions is installed, Sims can register as a self-employed Painter. As Sims advance in the Painting skill, the quality of the paintings also get better. There are 158 paintings available to paint. Each painting has minimum and maximum skill caps — Sims with low Painting skill cannot make a high-level painting, and vice versa. This means that once the Sim has advanced in the skill, they will no longer be able to paint unique low-level paintings. The value of the paintings varies, depending on many factors, including skill level, canvas size, painting quality, and the number of paintings a Sim has painted.

September 2014
The Sims 4 is the fourth main installment in The Sims franchise. Like the previous games in the series, The Sims 4 focuses on creating and controlling families of virtual people called "Sims".

Sims in The Sims 4 have more emotional depth than in any previous game in the series. A Sims' emotional state affects which actions they perform and how the actions are performed. One Sim's emotions can affect other Sims around them. Sims in extreme emotional states can even be killed by their emotions. The emotions that a Sim can or will experience are affected by their moodlets, traits, and life stage.

Create a Sim is revitalized, making it more intuitive and flexible than in previous games. Sims' physical features are customized by clicking-and-dragging on different parts of the body. There is also a "detail mode," which allows more precise modification of a Sim's facial features. The game's build mode has also been overhauled to be more powerful and intuitive than ever before. Players can now adjust the height of a building's walls and its foundation, and can move, turn, expand or contract entire rooms with a few clicks.

The Sims 4 also features a brand-new Gallery system; an integrated online content browser. Sims, families, and houses can be added to the Gallery and downloaded by other players. Other players' works can also be downloaded, added to the game, and be played immediately.

The Sims 4 has an official release date of September 2, 2014.

August 2014
Gardening is a skill in The Sims 3. The skill is augmented by the Green Thumb trait, and the Super Green Thumb lifetime reward. It involves the planting, growing and harvesting of various plants that Sims can find within each world. Unlike the previous Sims games, The Sims 3 gardening has been much expanded upon, introducing many real-life plants and several fictional species such as the 'Life Fruit', 'Flame Fruit', and 'Plasma Fruit'.

Some expansion packs include more varieties of plant collections. Some of the plants can be used as ingredients for Nectar Making and Mixology, with the key ingredients for Nectar Making being the grapes from Champs Les Sims. With Ambitions, Sims can register as a self-employed Gardener. Gardening can be profitable by selling the harvested produce from the inventory, supermarket, or consignment store.

Only teens and older can tend the garden. Children cannot learn the Gardening skill, but they can learn the Child Gardening hidden skill. Once a child grows up into a teenager, they will earn Gardening skills at the same level of their Child Gardening and Scouting hidden skills.

July 2014
The Sims 2: Nightlife, or NL, is the second expansion pack published for The Sims 2. It was released for Windows on September 13, 2005 (North America) and September 16, 2005 (European Union, Australia and New Zealand), and for Mac OS X on March 27, 2006.

Nightlife allows players to explore the new Downtown subneighborhood, featuring many locations dedicated to fun and romance, including restaurants, clubs, parks, and bowling alleys. Sims can go on dates with one another, and the success of those dates is determined by a dating mini-game. Chemistry was introduced in Nightlife, creating a new depth and complexity in Sim relationships. Nightlife also allowed Sims to own their own vehicles for the first time in the series.

June 2014
There was no featured article for June 2014

May 2014
A career is a set of jobs in a single field that Sims can work in to earn money. Careers in The Sims series are typically linear, with each job requiring that certain skills and other criteria be met before the Sim is promoted to the next-highest job in the career track. Different careers have different requisite skills and criteria for advancement. Sims who meet the requisite criteria and who are in a good mood at work are more likely to be promoted. Sims who go to work in a bad mood risk being demoted, and Sims that skip work will eventually be fired altogether. In The Sims 2, Sims can also be promoted, demoted or fired by various chance card outcomes.

A Sim may get a job by reading a newspaper or using a computer; in The Sims 3, a Sim can also visit that career's appropriate rabbit hole building to get a job. In The Sims 2 and later, jobs obtained through the computer are usually at a higher level than those obtained through the newspaper, with the career level determined by the Sim's skills and number of friends. There are also opportunities for Sims to change careers without starting at the beginning of a new career track.

April 2014
Vampires are social creatures of the night, introduced to The Sims 3 in The Sims 3: Late Night and expanded upon in The Sims 3: Supernatural. Vampires in The Sims 3 differ from their The Sims 2 counterparts in several ways.

Vampires have a pale, slightly glowing layer on top of their normal skin tone, as well as glowing eyes, fangs, and a distinctive 'V'-shaped mark on their necks. A vampire's motives are the same as a non-vampire, except hunger, which is replaced with thirst. Thirst can be alleviated by consuming plasma, in the form of plasma fruit or plasma packs, or from biting a Sim's neck. A Sim can be changed into a vampire by befriending a vampire, then asking to be bitten by or accepting a bite from the vampire. Vampirism can be cured through a potion from the science lab.

Vampires have several distinctive powers. They have a lifespan five times longer than non-vampires from the Young Adult life stage onwards. Vampires can read the minds of other Sims to learn about the target's personality, career, relationship status, or other information. Vampires are very strong and fast, and learn skills faster than normal Sims.

March 2014
Darren Dreamer is a Sim from Pleasantview in The Sims 2, and Lucky Palms from The Sims 3. He is the son of late Davis and Delilah Dreamer, and is currently a widower after his wife Darleen passed away. He has one son named Dirk.

He is secretly in love with his neighbor and friend, Cassandra Goth, but she is engaged to the town Casanova, Don Lothario, whom he considers an enemy. Darren enjoys painting and wants to be a full-time artist, despite his severe lack of funds.

February 2014
Mermaids are a life state introduced in The Sims 3: Island Paradise. Mermaids are native to the sea, and have a colorful scaly fish-like tail while in the water. They are excellent swimmers and divers, and are able to breathe and survive underwater indefinitely. They can venture onto land, but must return to the ocean periodically or they will eventually become a non-mermaid. When on land, they require frequent hydration, or they can die of dehydration.

Players can create mermaids by having normal Sims eat mermadic kelp, which the Sim can obtain by befriending a mermaid, or by purchasing a lifetime reward. Mermaids can also become pregnant with another mermaid or a non-mermaid Sim - if one parent is a mermaid, there is a 50/50 chance that a baby born will be a mermaid. Mermaids cannot be created in create a Sim.

January 2014
Chemistry is a game mechanic for The Sims 2, first introduced in the Nightlife expansion pack. Chemistry overhauled the in-game romantic attraction mechanic between Sims, making it easier or more difficult to foster romantic relationships between Sims.

Chemistry measures multiple aspects of a Sims' personality to determine how easily Sims can be attracted to one another. Certain pairings of aspirations can result in greater or lesser chemistry. Some zodiac signs share a strong attraction (or repulsion) to other signs. Similarity in Sim personality points can improve attraction. Sims possess turn-ons and a turn-off, which are specific traits that the Sim finds especially attractive or repulsive.

These factors are considered together, and the combined score determines the level of chemistry, demonstrated in-game by a number of "bolts" present in the relationships panel. The greater the number of bolts, the stronger the attraction between two Sims. Strongly attracted Sims are more easily able to form relationships, and are more likely to have positive interactions with each other.

A complex chemistry mechanic does not appear in The Sims or The Sims 3.

December 2013
Simlish is the language used by Sims in all games in The Sims series. Dialog between Sims in the game is an important part of the experience, but having the Sims speak in a real language would be too repetitive and would be too expensive when translating dialog between languages. The Navajo language was considered for usage, but ultimately it was decided to construct a new language, while leaving the meaning of the words themselves up to the player's imagination.

Many real-life songs have been performed in Simlish, to be featured in various games or expansion packs. There have been multiple attempts to try and translate Simlish phrases into real languages, to varying levels of success.

November 2013
The Sims 3: Into the Future is the eleventh and final expansion pack for The Sims 3. It was first revealed to the public in January 2013 as an untitled expansion pack; it was released on October 22nd, 2013.

Into the Future allows Sims to participate directly in events in the future, for the very first time in the entire The Sims series. Future visitors travel in time to the neighborhood of Oasis Landing, which can be altered in various ways by the actions of Sims visiting it or of Sims in the "present day." Oasis Landing has three possible futures which can be visited and experienced - a "normal" future, a lush Utopian future, or a grim Dystopian future. The actions of the Sims affect which future ultimately occurs.

Into the Future introduces futuristic redesigns of modern-day objects, as well as all new forms of transportation, recreation and fashion. Sims are also able to build Plumbots - advanced robots, and spiritual successors to SimBots and Servos.

October 2013
The Genie is a non-playable character that Sims can summon by cleaning an Antique Lamp or rubbing the Dusty Old Lamp. In all three main games in The Sims series, a Genie can grant various wishes on behalf of the Sim who summoned it, although in the first two games these wishes may turn out to have either positive or negative consequences. In Livin' Large and FreeTime, Genies cannot be freed from their lamps or made playable, and regular Sims cannot become Genies. In The Sims 3: Showtime, however, Genies can become a playable life state, though a Sim still cannot become a Genie without one of the elixirs featured in The Sims 3: Supernatural. If both Supernatural and Showtime are installed, Genies will also appear as one of the life states that can be made in Create a Sim.

September 2013
The Simoleon (§) is the unit of currency used in The Sims series, as well as other game series produced by Maxis, such as the SimCity series. It is assumed to be the national currency of SimNation. It is revealed in The Sims 2 that simoleons are red, orange and white.

The value of simoleons varies between titles, and doesn't consistently reflect any real-life currency. Some cheaper objects, including food, appear to be much more expensive than real-life examples, while expensive objects and houses are often much less expensive than their counterparts in reality. Generally, better-quality items are higher priced, as is often true in real life.

Simoleons are primarily used to purchase objects, build or remodel a house, pay bills, and buy food for Sims. They are earned primarily through careers. However, simoleons can be earned through many other ventures, or can be obtained through cheating.

August 2013
Death is a final state of (non-)being, in which a Sim, pet or creature that was previously alive ceases to be alive. Death comes in many forms and diverse causes such as old age (brought on by reaching the end of the elder life stage), accident, player neglect, or a conscious action by the player.

Death is closely associated with the Grim Reaper, who comes to collect the souls of departed Sims and other creatures. Living Sims can sometimes plead with the Grim Reaper to spare a Sim from death, the success of which varies depending on the relationship between the two Sims (though there is always a chance that it will fail regardless of the relationship level).

In real life, death is a permanent and irreversible condition. In The Sims series, however, there are multiple methods to prevent death or to bring back those who have died. Dead Sims and some other life states take the form of ghosts; in some games in the series, these ghosts can be interacted with. There are several methods, both legitimate and illegitimate (cheating), to return ghost Sims to their corporeal form.

July 2013
The Sims 3: Island Paradise is the tenth expansion pack for The Sims 3. It was announced during a January 2013 "Live Chat with The Sims 3" event, and was released on June 25, 2013.

Island Paradise introduced several new features to The Sims series for the first time, including boating, diving, and resort ownership. Diver Sims may encounter sharks or mermaids, all while finding valuable sunken treasures. Sims can own and drive boats around open water, and can discover unexplored islands which can then be claimed by the Sim. Sims can start and manage their own resorts, and work towards increasing the resort quality and its profitability.

A new world, Isla Paradiso, was introduced with the pack, and it showcases the new features in the pack. Unlike the sub-neighborhoods introduced in The Sims: Vacation/On Holiday, The Sims 2: Bon Voyage or The Sims 3: World Adventures, Isla Paradiso is a full neighborhood. Sims from other neighborhoods cannot visit Isla Paradiso as tourists, though they can relocate there (as of Patch 55).

June 2013
Books are items in The Sims series that can be read by Sims to learn various skills or for entertainment. Books are typically stored in a bookshelf.

The Sims and The Sims 2 had a limited variety of books available to read, and they varied depending on the intended use. Books could be read to increase mechanical and cooking skills in The Sims, while books could teach cleaning and (eventually) several other skills in The Sims 2. Children in The Sims can use books to study and improve their grades; this use is not present for children or teens in The Sims 2, though college students can read books to study and improve their class performance.

Books are overhauled in The Sims 3, and can be individually purchased from the bookstore, and can be kept in a Sims' inventory. Books are often given as part of an opportunity. Books written by a Sim are kept by the Sim, and can be read by other Sims.

May 2013
Pregnancy is a game mechanic and multiple-day event that begins after a successful 'Try for Baby' interaction between two Sims of opposite gender, and ends with the pregnant female Sim giving birth to one or more newborn children. Pregnancy primarily affects adult and young adult female Sims. Pregnancy brings many physical and lifestyle changes to the pregnant Sim, including increasing body size, faster-decreasing motives, and forced vacation/maternity leave from work.

Pregnancy was introduced as a game feature to The Sims 2 and has appeared in each subsequent game. Prior to The Sims 2, kissing or playing in the "Vibromatic Heart Bed" were the only ways for two Sims to have children - in these cases, a baby would be born immediately after the completion of the action, forgoing any pregnancy period.

Under normal circumstances, only female Sims can become pregnant. However, male Sims can be impregnated as well, either through Alien abduction or by the use of Cheats.

April 2013
A Skill is a specific talent that Sims (and in some games, pets and other creatures) can acquire. Skills can be learned in many ways, such as through reading certain books, using skill-building objects or Career rewards, learning them from other Sims, or through Chance cards.

Skills are relatively simplistic and generalized in The Sims and The Sims 2; for instance, playing the piano and painting pictures on an easel both use and build up the same skill. In The Sims 3, there has been a tendency to create more specific skill sets. Additionally, all games feature certain hidden skills, which are developed and improved without appearing in the game interface.

Learning skills allows Sims to become more proficient in certain activities, like cooking or repairing broken objects. Learning skills in these situations has a practical benefit, by decreasing the likelihood of Sims creating dangerous situations due to ineptitude, and by increasing the quality of work performed or of the items produced through the Sim's labor. Skill building is also central to promotions in a Sim's chosen career. In order to be promoted, a Sim must improve their skills to a certain level; those skills which must be improved are usually related to the career they are working in.

March 2013
Aliens are a life state, featured in The Sims 2, then re-introduced to the series in The Sims 3: Seasons expansion pack. Full-blooded aliens have green skin and tend to be bald, though there are some full-blooded aliens that have hair, such as Pollination Technician 9 Smith. Full-blooded aliens also have prominent, pointed ears and large black eyes with no discernible pupil or iris. Aliens can abduct Sims, though generally will only do so if the Sim shows some curiosity about the Aliens themselves. If a male Sim is abducted, he may be pregnant upon his return.

In The Sims 2, the resulting offspring is an Alien-Sim hybrid (50% Sim, 50% Alien). Male abductees are typically shown to have been impregnated by a Pollination Technician, though it is unknown what purpose aliens have in impregnating Sims. Aliens in The Sims 2 have no special powers, but possess a "perfect personality" that can often be passed along through multiple generations of offspring.

In The Sims 3, offspring of an abduction are biologically 100% alien. Aliens are endowed with certain special powers, such as the ability to instantly repair broken objects with their minds, or to take control of another Sim. These powers are diluted in future generations until the hybrids are less than half alien, at which the powers are lost.

February 2013
The inventory is a feature that allows Sims to hold and carry a number of items. It was introduced in The Sims: Hot Date, re-introduced in The Sims 2: Nightlife, and is a base-game feature in The Sims 3. It is also available in The Urbz: Sims in the City, The Sims 2: Pets for Consoles, and The Sims 2 Castaway.

The inventory can be a space-saving feature, as it allows items to be stored until they are needed, without taking up space on the lot. Most games do not limit the number of items that can be placed in inventory. Inventories in earlier games are often limited in what is able to be added or removed. In The Sims expansion packs, for example, players are not able to manually remove items from the inventory.

By The Sims 3, nearly all items can be manually added to or taken from the Sims' inventory. The Sims 3 also introduces a 'family inventory'. The family inventory is able to store more types of items than the regular Sim inventory. The family inventory is used to store and transport household objects when a household moves to a different lot. The family inventory is accessed through Buy mode.

January 2013
Apartments are a multi-household lot type, featured in The Sims 2: Apartment Life expansion pack. Apartments operate in a similar manner as dormitories and hotels did in previous expansions, but are unique in that they allow multiple households (up to four) to live on the same lot simultaneously.

Neighbors can have more regular interaction with the active household, and Sims in the active household can even visit the neighbors for the first time in the history of the series. Apartment units not filled by player-created households are automatically filled by "Social group townies," which fall into a particular 'class' depending on the class of the lot (Low, Medium or High). Sims can search for a roommate to help pay for a portion of the rent; roommates are not playable and act on their own free will.

Although multiple households share the same lot, each household remains independent, functioning as they do on normal residential lots. Changes made on the lot in one household's saved game are not shown in the other saved games. Sims in other player-made households continue to observe their daily schedules even while not played, but no changes occur.

December 2012
A Werewolf is an occult life state, first introduced as a minor feature in The Sims: Makin' Magic, but later re-introduced and expanded upon in The Sims 2: Pets and The Sims 3: Supernatural

Werewolves appear and, to a degree, act like normal Sims during the day. However, at night they can (and in The Sims 2: Pets, they always) change into a wolf-like creature. These creatures tend to frighten other Sims nearby. At the end of the night, werewolves change in appearance, back into regular Sims.

Werewolves in The Sims 2: Pets gradually undergo personality and body changes the longer they are 'infected' with the condition. The condition is originally received from a pack leader, and can then be transferred to other Sims (teen or older) through the 'Savage' interaction. The condition is cured through Lycanthropic-B, purchased from the Obedience Trainer or the Gypsy Matchmaker.

Werewolves in The Sims 3: Supernatural experience longer lives than non-werewolf Sims, and gain athletic skill faster than regular Sims. They can be transformed at-will during most nights, but will automatically transform during a full moon, when their mood drops too low, or when they are angry with another Sim. Werewolves are cured using the Potent Cure Elixir or through an opportunity presented by their romantic interest.

November 2012
The Sims 3: Seasons is the eighth expansion pack for The Sims 3. It is set to be released in mid-November 2012 worldwide

The pack's main feature is the reintroduction of weather to the series, not seen since The Sims 2: Seasons. Weather varies depending on the four seasons - Spring, Summer, Fall (Autumn) and Winter. The length, order and occurrence of particular seasons can be adjusted by the player in each saved game. As seasons change, the weather gradually changes, resulting in warmer or colder temperatures and variations in precipitation; rain, snow and hail.

Each new season brings with it a special festival, which occurs on the last Friday of the season (or on the last day of the season, possibly). Love Day, a festival based on Valentine's Day, takes place in the spring; Leisure Day occurs in the summer; Spooky Day, a play off of Halloween happens in Fall, and Snowflake Day, a generic winter holiday (in lieu of a specific holiday like Christmas), which takes place in winter.

October 2012
Dina Caliente is a Sim in Pleasantview from The Sims 2, in Pleasantview, Strangetown, and Melbourne from The Sims 2 for consoles, and in Barnacle Bay from The Sims 3 Store.

She is the daughter of Nighat and Flamenco Caliente, and has a twin sister named Nina Caliente. Dina is alive in all the games she is present in. Dina is an Alien-Sim hybrid, and so is Nina, because their grandfather was abducted and impregnated by Pollination Technician 7.

Dina was married to a much older Michael Bachelor, and it is implied that she married him for his money; she received an inheritance from him when he died. She had an affair with Don Lothario, but she did not WooHoo with him, according to her memories. At the beginning of the game, she has a want to marry Mortimer Goth, another wealthy and elderly Sim.

Prior to October 2012, articles were featured on a twice-monthly basis

September 16-30, 2012
Nina Caliente is a Sim in Pleasantview from The Sims 2, in Pleasantview, Strangetown, and Melbourne from The Sims 2 for consoles, and in Barnacle Bay from The Sims 3 Store.

She is the daughter of Nighat and Flamenco Caliente, and has a twin sister named Dina Caliente. Nina is alive in all the games she is present in. Nina is an Alien-Sim hybrid, and so is Dina, because their grandfather was abducted and impregnated by Pollination Technician 7.

Nina has four love interests in total, Don Lothario in Pleasantview, and Jeff Smith, Alec Trebo and Juan Jr Inkbeard in Barnacle Bay.

September 1-15, 2012
The Sims 3: Supernatural is the seventh expansion pack for The Sims 3. The pack re-introduces many popular features of previous packs, including The Sims: Makin' Magic, The Sims 2: Pets and The Sims 2: Apartment Life. Five life states - Fairies, Werewolves, Zombies, Witches and Vampires - are introduced or reintroduced in this pack, more than in any other expansion pack to date. The expansion pack also introduces a lunar cycle that affects how the different supernatural creatures behave. Additionally, several new traits are added, as new special mythical artifacts and the ability to brew magical potions.

The expansion pack also introduces Moonlight Falls, a new spooky-themed neighborhood designed for the exploration of all things eerie and odd. The neighborhood features all of the creatures introduced in the pack

August 17-31, 2012
The Mysterious Mr. Gnome is a set of special items found in The Sims 3 and its expansions. This object differs from a regular garden gnome, as it possesses the unique ability to teleport around the lot, often reappearing near objects or in interesting poses.

Mysterious Mr. Gnome can sometimes interact with objects it teleports to. If it appears near a television or a stereo, it may turn the object on. If it appears near a Scraptronic™ Workbench with an unfinished project, it will complete the project to a 99% completion. Sims at level 10 in the Science career can perform experiments on these gnomes.

August 1-16, 2012
Gunther Goth is a pre-created Sim that appears (either living or dead) in The Sims (specifically, The Sims: Unleashed), The Sims 2 and The Sims 3. While alive, Gunther is the elder patriarch of the Goth Family. He is married to Cornelia Goth and is the father of Mortimer Goth. Later on in the game timeline, he becomes the father-in-law of Bella Goth, and the grandfather to Cassandra and Alexander Goth.

Gunther lives a long and varied life, starting out in Sunset Valley as a successful businessman. He, along with his family, live in the oldest house in the town. By the time of The Sims, Mortimer has grown up and moved out, and Gunther has moved to a new home and a new career, now becoming a dean in the Education career track. Gunther dies before the events of The Sims 2, and is buried alongside his wife and other members of his family, in the graveyard by the Goth home.

July 16-31, 2012
PlantSim is a life state introduced in The Sims 2: Seasons expansion pack. PlantSims are initially created through the over-use of pesticides on crops and fruit trees by Sims gardening. PlantSims' physical features resemble normal Sims, though their skin is green, and hair on their heads is replaced with a growth of leaves and flower saplings. PlantSims have different motives than normal Sims. These motives are more similar to the needs of plants - sunlight (similar to the energy motive), water (hunger), and love (social).

PlantSims can have PlantSim children through 'spawning;' that offspring will posses the same skills, talent badges, and personality of its parent; subsequent generations of PlantSims will also develop more elf-like physical characteristics. PlantSims can reproduce sexually with other Sims as well, but the offspring of that relationship will not be a PlantSim at birth, even if both its parents are.

Once a Sim has become a PlantSim, they can return to normal by purchasing a cure from the Gypsy Matchmaker, by a witch's spell, or by receiving help from a member of the Garden Club.

July 1-15, 2012
Sims are simulated people that are a feature of nearly every Sim game. They are the central feature of The Sims video games, in which players control all aspects of the Sims' simulated lives.

Sims as featured in The Sims series are a bipedal humanoid species. It is unclear how intelligent Sims are; although they have the ability to use tools and create works of technology, they lack direction and often require a guiding hand, that of the player, to manage some of the simplest of tasks. Sims tend to be social creatures, and can hallucinate if left alone for too long.

Sims can be modified into a variety of life states, and can even become a blend of two or more life states, though Sims themselves cannot be 'blended' with other life states. Sims are the default life state for all games in The Sims series, and are the only state that can be created in Create a Sim (unless cheating).

June 16-30, 2012
Michael Bachelor is one of a few pre-made Sims that appears in the original The Sims - he has since appeared in The Sims on console, The Sims 2, and The Sims 3.

He is a teen in The Sims 3 (due to the chronology of the series) living with his parents, Jocasta and Simis Bachelor and sister Bella in a house in Sunset Valley. By the beginning of The Sims, Michael has graduated from Sim State University (according to his biography) and is in the family bin waiting to be moved into the neighborhood. His familial relationship to Bella Goth is not acknowledged in The Sims and he does not know her at all until introduced by the player. By The Sims 2, Michael married Dina Caliente before passing away due to old age. Although there is speculation that Dina was responsible for Michael's death, various factors seem to indicate that Dina's love for him was genuine and that his death was due simply to old age.

June 1-15, 2012
The Landgraab family is one of the wealthiest, biggest, and the most well-known family that appears in almost every series in The Sims. This family empire possesses a number of businesses and enterprises, but most of them are only mentioned, showing the possible richness of the Landgraabs. Most Landgraabs are known to live in luxurious mansions, and one of them is a chateau that contains ancient treasuries which belonged to the ruthless Admiral Landgraab, who set numerous traps to keep raiders from stealing them.

Malcolm Landgraab is an infamous member of the Landgraab family who appears the most with similar name. The ancestors of the Landgraabs who live in Bluewater Village are all Malcolms, with titles II, III, and IV; though there is no known Malcolm Landgraab I in the game. Another Malcolm Landgraab appears in the The Sims for console and The Sims Bustin' Out. He is a business tycoon who collects debts from everyone who owes him in SimValley. Another Malcolm also appears in The Sims 3, and unlike them, he appears to be the nicest Malcolms of all, having a Good trait. However, he reappears in the console version of The Sims 3, who turns to be a snobby man.

May 16-31, 2012
Bridgeport is a neighborhood, introduced in The Sims 3: Late Night expansion pack. It is the first urban neighborhood in the main series; all previous main neighborhoods were rural or suburban. Bridgeport is designed to highlight many nightlife-oriented activities introduced in the Late Night expansion.

Bridgeport consists of two main parts centered around a large bay and suspension bridge. One part is built-up with tall buildings, complete with penthouses where Sims can live. Most of the city's rabbit holes are located here, as well as many clubs and hangout spots. Across the bay is a lower-density suburban area, complete with many expensive houses and mansions. The Sims living in Bridgeport are on average much wealthier than Sims living in Sunset Valley or Riverview.


 * There were no featured articles between April 16-May 15, 2012

April 1-15, 2012
Appaloosa Plains is the neighborhood that shipped with The Sims 3: Pets expansion pack. It is a small town located in the countryside of SimNation, as evidenced by country-themed buildings and ranch homes. Most households in the neighborhood have at least one pet, and the town is centered around pet-related activities.

The arrival of new residents from the city, and the money they bring with, is causing a change in the atmosphere of the town. The neighbors can't live without their pets, and many are sociable towards nearly everyone. However, several of the older residents, like Tate Curley and Hetty Lionheart, attempt to isolate themselves in order to resist the influx of youngsters moving in and changing the culture of the town.

March 16-31, 2012
Vampires are a game feature and life state, introduced to the main series in The Sims 2: Nightlife, and reintroduced in a modified form in The Sims 3: Late Night. Vampires in both games feature pale skin, glowing or red eyes, and fangs. Vampires are creatures of the night, who must avoid exposure to sunlight; this naturally makes them a common sight in urban areas, clubs and hangouts at night.

Nightlife vampires do not age, and have the ability to fly from place to place. Late Night vampires do age, albeit at a drastically slower pace, and are equipped with special powers and enhancements. Vampires must sleep during the day - Nightlife vampires die from prolonged exposure to daylight, while Late Night vampires experience a negative moodlet and lose their powers when exposed to prolonged sun. Vampirism in both games can be cured through purchase of a special potion.

March 1-15, 2012
The Sims 3: Showtime is the sixth and newest expansion pack for The Sims 3, with a release date of March 6, 2012 in North America, March 8 in Europe, and March 9 in the United Kingdom.

Showtime is primarily focused on fame, a game concept first introduced in The Sims: Superstar, and re-imagined in The Sims 3: Late Night. Showtime will allow players to send their Sims to different entertainment venues to perform, earning fame and fortune in the process. New entertainment-based careers and jobs have been introduced, as well as new traits and lifetime wishes. However, a large portion of the expansion focuses on new social features, allowing connection and interaction between players like never before. The expansion features an Achievement system, as well as 'SimPort', allowing players to send their Sims to perform in their friends' towns.

February 15-29, 2012
The Sims Castaway Stories is the third and final game of the second-generation spin-off series The Sims Stories. It was developed for use on less-powerful computers and laptops, and was released on January 29, 2008.

The plot circulates around a group of Sims which survived the sinking of "Solomon Queen". The game consists of 24 chapters, and the player can choose the character with whom he or she will play the game, or create a custom one. Through the game, the player attempts to keep their character alive and happy, while either playing in an open-ended game (similar to the main series games) or in a guided story mode. Changes from 'regular' Sims games include new and unique "careers", the use of 'resources' in place of simoleons, and the use of a 'barter mode' instead of a Buy mode. The game was generally well-received by game critics, with some praising its unique use of the Sims game engine and low system requirements, while others criticized the game's limited replay value.

February 1-14, 2012
A Pet is an in-game creature that can Sims can own and interact with. Small pets, such as fish, have been available in each base game, but cats and dogs (and, in The Sims 3, horses) have all been introduced through expansion packs.

Cats and dogs first appear in The Sims: Unleashed, where small versions in predetermined breeds can be adopted by Sim families. These pets are reintroduced in The Sims 2: Pets, and can be created by the player in-game for the first time (through Create a Pet). The Sims 3: Pets introduces horses to the series, and allows even greater interaction between Sims and pets. Pets in all games can be adopted by a willing family, can be trained in various skills, and can be bred to produce offspring.

January 16-31, 2012


Weather is a game feature, first introduced in The Sims 2: Seasons. Weather includes precipitation - rain, snow, and hail, and air temperature. The likelihood of different precipitation types or temperatures depends on the current season on the lot being played.

Weather has an impact on the everyday lives of Sims. Heavy rain waters outdoor plants, and can spawn potentially dangerous lightning. Hot sunny days in the summer can cause Sims to more easily overheat. Heavy snow can cancel school for child and teen Sims. Cold wintertime air can cause Sims to freeze if outside for too long.

Weather is a feature in The Sims 3 for Wii, but has not yet been introduced as a feature in The Sims 3. Limited weather effects were made available through the Fog Emitter item in The Sims 3: Late Night expansion pack.

January 1-15, 2012
SimNation is the fictional country in which all Sims games take place. SimNation is geographically diverse, featuring coastal areas, mountains, deserts, grassy plains, and other unique regions. SimNation has its own currency - the Simoleon (§), and its own national animal - the Llama. The vast majority of residents in SimNation are Sims, though there are other sentient species, as well as wild animals (skunks, raccoons, bears, penguins and fish, to name a few) and pets.

Mention is made numerous times in-game to locations outside SimNation, both real (France, China, and Egypt), as well as fictional (The 'Old Country'). Therefore, it is very likely that SimNation is meant to exist on Earth, rather than on a fictional planet.

December 16-31, 2011
Betty Newbie (née Simovitch) is the daughter of Vadim and Fatima Simovitch. In The Sims 3 she is caught in a dilemma - Fatima wants Betty to reach stardom through Betty's talents in Arts but Betty is more worried about finding her true love. Later, she ends up marrying old friend of her, Bob Newbie, and takes his surname. She ends up not following what her mother dreamt for her, and she becomes a stay-at-home mom when her daughter, Brandi Newbie, is born. She didn't lived enough to see her daughter marrying Skip Broke, but not enough to see the birth of her first grandson, Dustin. She died while Brandi was pregnant.

December 1-15, 2011
The Sims 2, commonly referred to as TS2, is the sequel to The Sims. Released in September 2004, it heralded sweeping changes from the original: most notably, the isometric view of the original had given way to full 3D. Also, Sims now have life stages (Baby, Toddler, Child, Teen, Adult and Elder) which had them age from birth to death, and their genetics would be passed on to their children. Unlike the original Sims, where the player could spend forever raising their skills, the aging system in The Sims 2 imposes a time limit on this before your Sims die.

The main aim of the game is to lead a Sim from the start of life to death. Sims will need to build up skills and relationships with other Sims, so that they can be successful in their career. A player will also need to make sure a Sim is happy and well by fulfilling wants (including lifetime wants, avoiding fears, and fulfilling motives).

Sims' personalities are also given an overhaul with each Sim having an Aspiration, Wants, and Fears.

The Sims 2 shipped with 3 premade neighborhoods. Pleasantview is a continuation of the original Sims storyline 25 years later. The new neighborhoods are Strangetown, a desert landscape with paranormal occurrences, and Veronaville, which is based on several plays by William Shakespeare.

November 1-15 2011
Marriage is, from the beginning, a feature present in The Sims series. Marriage happens when two Sims agree in committing with each other. The commitment reasons may vary from love to money. Sims who attempt to marry for money are known as "Gold Diggers". Sims of every life stage can marry, and homosexual marriages may happen, but are labeled "Joined Union". When two Sims are not in love, have cheated on each other, etc., they may agree in divorcing, which will end the relationship between the two.

October 16-31 2011
There was no featured article for October 16-31 2011.

October 1-15 2011
The Sims is the first game of The Sims series. It was created to be a game with no primary objective, but to simulate a human's real life and create a human kind named Sims and to put them on a neighborhood. The player has full control over the Sims, and whether to fulfill a Sims' needs and wishes and decide their fate is in the player's "hands". The base game sold more than 15 million copies, and the franchise has sold over 100 million units as of 2008. Since its initial release, seven expansion packs were released, as well as a sequel (The Sims 2) and a prequel (The Sims 3), each of which have their own expansion packs. The additions and improvements added by the games that would follow made this game become so popular.

September 16-30 2011
Ghosts are the remains of a Sim after their death, and are a common life state in The Sims series of games. Ghosts in all games are somewhat transparent, and can also be colored to indicate how the Sim died. Living Sims are often scared when encountering a Ghost, and some can even be scared to death themselves. Ghosts in the earlier games have very little purpose, other than to haunt the lot where their grave rests, but ghosts in The Sims 3 are expanded on greatly, and they are able to be interacted with and controlled by the player. There exist many ways of bringing ghosts back from the dead.

September 1-15 2011
Fire is a disaster state in most games in The Sims series. Fires are usually caused by Sims with low skills (especially a low cooking skill), Sims using cheap appliances, or by objects being placed near open flames. Once a fire has started, some game modes are restricted, preventing the player from cheating to put out the fire. While a fire is burning, Sims will run towards the fire (defying all common sense to the contrary), then proceed to jump, yell and generally panic until the fire is put out. Sims panicking too close to a fire or attempting to put the fire out may catch fire themselves, and may even die from the blaze. Practicing appropriate fire safety can prevent tragic fire disasters.

Prior to September 2011, articles were featured on a monthly basis.

August 2011
The Sims series of video games has many "Easter Eggs" and other hidden features which add a unique tone to the games, and offers an incentive for attentive players to go exploring in them. Often-repeated Easter eggs include references to the SimCity series of games, other games by EA, references to past Sims series characters, possible hints towards future games or expansions, and references to a South American camelid and pack animal. Additionally, references are also made to real-world art, film and literature, including mentions of shrubbery and an embarrassing trait where a Sim can never be nude.

July 2011
There was no featured article for July 2011.

June 2011
The Sims 3: Generations is the fourth and most recent expansion pack for The Sims 3. The expansion pack is family-oriented, focusing mainly on adding new objects for the household and for adding new interactions. The expansion greatly expands on the younger life stages, adding a new dimension to the game when playing with child or teen Sims. Generations also re-introduced in-game memories, a popular feature from The Sims 2 that had been missing from The Sims 3.

May 2011


The Capp family lives in Veronaville, they resemble the Capulets in Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet. Their name is a reference to the Capulet family in Romeo and Juliet.They are involved in a feud with the Monty family. Juliette Capp is currently in a secret relationship with the Monty heir, Romeo Monty. Also, the family can be traced to the youngest generation's great-great-grandparents, while in most families, it can only be traced to the youngest generation's grandparents. A common trait in the bloodline is gray eyes. the majority of the Capp descendants have gray eyes. Other traits, such as green, light and dark blue, and brown eyes, most likely come from the people the Capp family members may have married. It appears that the Capp family has the longest lineage in the game, besides the Monty family. All of the Capps (except Kent) are very fit, whereas most of the Montys (except Mercutio and Antonio's twins) are very fat.

April 2011


Agnes Crumplebottom aka Miss Crumplebottom, is a Sim in numerous games in The Sims series. She is most notable for her old-fashioned clothing and manners. She is also related to Mortimer Goth.

It is speculated that after the death of her husband, Erik Darling, she became embittered and detests seeing two Sims having any romantic interactions in public. When she sees any of these actions taking place on a community lot, she will promptly scold the Sims, smack them, or beat them with her purse.

March 2011


Traits are the building blocks of personality for Sims in The Sims 3. They determine a Sim's behaviors, abilities, and wishes. There are 63 traits in the base game based on mental, physical, social, or lifestyle aspects of Sims' lives and more are added with each expansion. Each trait adds to the complexity and uniqueness of a Sim.

February 2011


They appear to portray the stereotypical "perfect" upper middle class family from The Sims 2. But underneath the surface the Pleasant family is not so pleasant. Mary-Sue and Daniel treat their daughters unequally, favoring Angela when they were younger. Though, as teens neither has a strong relationship with their parents or each other, nor do Mary-Sue and Daniel as she is consumed with work and he is having an affair with the maid.

January 2011


Lolita Goth is a pre-made deceased Sim from The Sims 3. Her tombstone is located in the Goth family graveyard on their lot in Sunset Valley, where her ghost also haunts them. Her relationship to the Goth's is unknown since she can't be found in the family tree.

December 2010


Santa Claus is an NPC in The Sims and The Sims 2. He might visit your Sims if they have a Christmas tree. He comes in the middle of the night and leaves presents.

November 2010


The Sims 3: Late Night is the third expansion pack for The Sims 3. It offers an urban setting for Sims and focuses on late night activities. It will offer players a more mature, realistic and urban environment when compared to earlier similar expansions and has been described as being more about friend outings than dating. It is also more simulation-driven instead of opportunity-driven as the first two expansions for The Sims 3.

Sims will be let loose on a vibrant, active downtown scene, Bridgeport, where they’ll rub elbows with celebrities at the hottest parties, hit the local bar after work, tour the scene with their band, kick back in a plush hot tub, and discover what’s lurking as the lights go out and adventure begins after dark.

October 2010


Sarah Crittur is a large female dog who part of the Crittur family, along with her mate, Danny Crittur. She was introduced in The Sims 2: Pets expansion pack.

Sarah appears to be a completely white dog with a long tail. She wears no collar. At the start of the game she is expecting a litter of puppies. Her learned commands include Speak. Her personality consists of a middle alignment between Genius-Doofus and Independent-Friendly while being Hyper, Aggressive and Pigpen.

September 2010


Create a Sim (also known as CAS) is where Sims are made. It is used to customize a Sim's appearance and personality as well as the relationship within a family or household before adding them to a neighborhood. Once added to the game only superficial changes can be made to a Sim's appearance.

Create a Sim has improved dramatically since its introduction in the original game. The Create a Sim included in The Sims 3 allows the player to alter even minute details regarding a Sim's appearance and outfit, introduces a trait-based personality system to the game, and allows a player to create neighborhoods full of incredibly unique individuals and families.

August 2010


Olive Specter is a suspected murderer in The Sims 2. She shares her eerie, haunted home with her orphaned niece, Ophelia, in Strangetown. Olive is a many-time widow. She was also left at the altar by Earl E. DeMise, who died soon after.

Olive did WooHoo with none other than the Grim Reaper; suggesting Olive had more than a passing relationship with death.

There are a number of people buried in Olive's backyard along with family and former husbands - some of them are service people (maids, delivery people, etc.) There are many theories about Olive, and many unknown questions. How did all these people die on Olive's lot? Is Olive a murderer?

July 2010


The Sims 3: Ambitions, is an expansion pack for The Sims 3 released on June 1st, 2010. It's a career oriented expansion pack, with elements of The Sims 2: Open for Business and The Sims 2: FreeTime.

While on the job, the player has direct control over their Sims’ work and can choose how to spend their days. For the first time, players will be in charge of how their Sims’ career progresses and decide if they will work for good or evil, pursue creative endeavors or technical affairs, climb to the top quickly, or be a slacker. The future of a Sims’ success or failure is entirely in the hands of the player.

June 2010


Sunset Valley is the neighborhood that shipped with The Sims 3. It is very large compared to the neighborhoods in previous The Sims games, having a total of 97 lots and hosts a whopping 25 playable families. The main part of the town is the park, where sims can have a picnic, go fishing or take a stroll and maybe meet someone new; there are also cinemas, gyms, restaurants, shops, pools, and other recreational facilities.

May 2010


Lilith Pleasant is a pre-made teenager who lives in Pleasantview with her parents and twin sister.

She and her twin are complete opposites. While Angela dresses in a light green sundress, Lilith wears a black Gothic dress with black boots, while Lilith's room is "dark", with a dark red carpet and stone walls, Angela's room is a bright shade of pink. Despite being outwardly dissimilar, they have very similar personalities.

Lilith's memories strongly suggest that, when they were young, her parents favored Angela over her and it probably contributed to her bad relationship with her parents and her sister.

April 2010


The Sims 3: World Adventures is the first expansion pack for The Sims 3. The game is reminiscent of previous expansion packs The Sims: Vacation and The Sims 2: Bon Voyage as players can take their Sims away to vacation destinations. Sims are able to vacation in new locations: Shang Simla, Champs Les Sims and Al Simhara. These new locations parody the countries of China, France and Egypt respectively.

The main feature of the expansion are tombs that bring puzzles to the game. There also three new traits, Disciplined, Photographer's Eye and Adventurous, three new skills, Martial Arts, Nectar Making and Photography, and new lifetime wishes related to them. Lastly, the new creature, the Mummy also brings a new death, the Mummy's Curse.

March 2010


The Tragic Clown was first introduced in The Sims: Livin' Large as an NPC. He is also a pre-created, yet deceased, Sim in The Sims 3 who resided during his lifetime in the Sunset Valley.

In The Sims, the Tragic Clown visits depressed Sims who own the "Tragic Clown" painting in order to cheer them up. However, it doesn't help because the Tragic Clown is also feeling miserable.

In The Sims 3, the Tragic Clown is already deceased and buried in the Pleasant Rest Graveyard. His tombstone indicates that he drowned.

February 2010


Though an alien, Pollination Technician 9 is the patriarch of Strangetown, and father of four.

After retiring, he adopted the last name "Smith" and started a family in Strangetown, becoming a respected and admired community leader, with the exception of his neighbor General Buzz Grunt, with whom he is feuding.

He is married to Jenny Smith and is the father her two children. He is also the father to the twins Lola Singles and Chloe Singles through what seems like the alien abduction of Glarn Curious.

January 2010
Erik Darling is the late husband of Agnes Crumplebottom. During the couple's honeymoon, Erik drowned, leaving his young wife alone. His tombstone is located in Agnes's garden, along with his ghost.

December 2009
The Alto Family is a family in The Sims 3. They live in Sunset Valley and have a business feud with the Landgraab Family. The residents of Sunset Valley will have to pick the side of either the Altos with their uptown ideals or the Goth Family's more traditional views. They are described as Nouveau Riche and Evil. Both parents have either mean-spirited or evil as a trait, and it is clear that they have made enemies in town. Their daughter seems to be the white sheep of the family with the good trait.

November 2009
testingcheatsenabled is a debugging tools for The Sims 2 and The Sims 3 which is very powerful, but it might negatively affect the game and cause glitches. There are many actions possible with this cheat, including making Sims grow up, changing a Sim's aspiration or traits, spawning cheat objects, and making Sims selectable or non-selectable. In Create-A-Sim, hidden hairstyles, clothes, eye color, make-up and skin colors can be unlocked. Tombstone of Life and Death, Sim Modder and Rodney's Death Creator can be spawned when this cheat is enabled.

October 2009
WooHoo is used in The Sims 2 and The Sims 3 as an euphemism for sexual intercourse. The game displays a comic animation involving fireworks and an earthquake. WooHoo interactions can be carried out between two Sims, regardless of gender. The ability to WooHoo is dependent on relationship score and desirability. The "Try for Baby" ability is only available between Sims of the opposite sex. As well as in a bed, Sims could WooHoo in a hot tub and a changing booth, in The Sims 2 (with more added with each expansion), and buildings that offer tours in The Sims 3.

September 2009
Alexander Goth is the son of Bella and Mortimer Goth. He has pale skin and Harry Potter like glasses. He seems to share his father's intelligence despite his young age and is enrolled in private school. As a child of older parents, Alexander often wonders if he missed out on anything. His hobbies include optometry and number theory.

August 2009
Darleen Dreamer is one of the pre-created, yet unplayable Sims featured in The Sims 2 as she is deceased when the game begins. She resided, during her lifetime, in Pleasantview. She haunts the lot where her teenage son, Dirk Dreamer, and her husband, Darren Dreamer, still live. Her ghost is red because she was burned to death. Her grave is in the Dreamer's yard however it is possible to resurrect her with the power or the Resurrect-O-Nomitron.

July 2009
A Servo is a robot that was in The Sims: Livin' Large and The Sims 2: Open for Business. In The Sims, a servo could be bought for §15,000 and would clean, repair and do the gardening so the players' Sims would not have to. In The Sims 2, a servo does the same things but the player has complete control of its actions and it acts more like a Sim, with needs, aspirations, relationships and being able to "WooHoo". Servos are built on the Robot Crafting Station by Sims with a Gold Talent Badge in Robotics.

June 2009
The Sims 3, the latest simulation game in The Sims series is released this month. The Sims 3 will feature greater customization options for Sims and their environment using the Create-A-Sim and Create-A-Style tools, an open neighborhood allowing Sims more freedom and less load times for the player, and gameplay with short- and long-term goals that focuses on storytelling rather than managing the needs of your Sims. And with new community features and a Movie Mashup tool it is easy to create and share your Sims experience.

May 2009
When someone dies, the Grim Reaper will appear to take them away. A family member can plead with him to spare the Sim's life. The Grim Reaper can also resurrect a Sim (for a price, §) or turn them into a Zombie. The Grim Reaper is always shown with his black robe and cloak.

The Grim Reaper is also thought to be the father of Nervous Subject in Strangetown.

April 2009
Cassandra Goth was a bright, mysterious girl who enjoys having tea with her grandmother, Cornelia Goth. As an adult, she lives in Goth Manor with her aging father and bright younger brother after the disappearance of her mother, Bella Goth. She is engaged to Don Lothario, the neighborhood's womanizer, and appears to be unaware or purposefully ignoring that he has a couple of other lovers.

March 2009


Riley Harlow is the main character in The Sims: Life Stories.

After moving to Four Corners, Riley finds love with Mickey Smith, but their relationship is threatened by a jealous Agora Tchotchke and Riley's continuing feelings for her ex-boyfriend, Dylan Kincaid.

February 2009
Bella Goth lived with her husband Mortimer and their children in Pleasantview until her mysterious disappearance. Nothing is known conclusively what happened to Bella however many family and friends believe her to have been abducted by aliens. The search continues as her family is not willing to admit she is dead.

There are reports of someone matching her description seen in Strangetown. However when questioned claims no memory of her loved ones or past life. Her family is convinced that it is due to the alien experiments she was subjected to during her abduction.

Her story has captured Sims' interest throughout SimNation. Songs and poems have been written about her and the town, Belladonna Cove even erected a gold statue of Bella holding a platinum Plumbbob.

January 2009
Mrs. Crumplebottom is an elderly NPC sim-woman featured in The Sims: Hot Date and The Sims 2: Nightlife. She frequents Downtown lots in both games, and is usually considered an obstacle in the lives of Sims. She detests seeing any romantic interactions in public, and she will promptly scold Sims, smack them, or worst of all, beat them with her purse!

November 2008
Mortimer Goth and his family moved to Pleasantview when he was a child. As an adult, Mortimer began a career in Science and started a family. Soon after the birth of their son, Mortimer's wife, Bella disappeared, having been abducted by aliens. Mortimer rose through the ranks of the science career to become an esteemed mad scientist, accumulating a lot of wealth along the way, and attracting the attention of the Caliente sisters. Now retired and enjoying his golden years, Mortimer is romantically involved with Dina Caliente, unaware she is only dating him to get access to his millions.

July 2008
Don Lothario is one of the pre-created Sims featured in The Sims 2. He resides in Pleasantview, one of the neighborhoods that ships with the game. He wears blue jeans and a purple striped top, and has a black pompadour. According to the neighborhood back story, Don is the local womanizer, holding down relationships with four women at once. His love interests include the Caliente sisters Nina and Dina), the maid Kaylynn, as well as Cassandra Goth, to whom he is engaged at the game's start...

Unknown month 2008
An autonomous reaction is one which a Sim does that isn't player defined. These can be reactions to the environment, for example, a smelly rubbish bin, an unusual event, for example, a sim dying, a bad memory, a missing object or simply something for a sim to do if you haven't told them to do anything - providing free will is on. read more...

When someone dies, the Grim Reaper will appear. If another family member wants to, they can plead with Death to spare the deceased's life. If Death is in a bad mood, he will take the corpse anyway; if Death is in a good mood, he will play rock, paper, scissors with that Sim. If the Sims wins, the deceased is brought back to life for a second chance, but if the Sim loses, Death will either take the corpse or be nice and turn the deceased into a zombie. read more...

Townies are a class of NPC in The Sims and The Sims 2. In fact they are probably the biggest class of NPC. Introduced in Hot Date Townies are Sims who do not live in the neighborhood, but they live close enough so that they can come in to town. They are full fledged Sims with jobs and skills and personalites. read more...

Mrs. Crumplebottom is a very old-fashioned, stern, and strict woman who appears to abide by a moral code from the late-1800s. She detests when two sims do any romantic interactions in public, including hugging, kissing, and flirting. When Mrs. Crumplebottom sees any of these actions taking place on a community lot, she will promptly scold the sims, smack them, or worst of all, beat them with her frumpy purse. read more...

The Grilled Cheese aspiration is introduced in the expansion pack Nightlife as an undesirable and failure aspiration. All the want and fears are related to grilled cheese sandwiches. It is rumored to be inspired by Sims in Sims 2 cooking this sandwiches autonomously all the time. However, it might also be based on the tradition of giving the employees grilled cheese sandwiches to eat when there is a significant milestone in Maxis. read more...