Sim

For the first game in the series, see The Sims.

For the series, see The Sims series.

Sims are the simulated people that form the base of nearly every Sim game, however you can only interact with them greatly in The Sims and its sequels. They are the residents of SimNation. An Urb (pluralized Urbz) is a type of Sim that appear to live exclusively in Urbzville and Miniopolis.

The word "Sim" comes from the word "simulated".

The Evolution of Sims

Sims were first mentioned in the first edition of SimCity but never could be seen. Their first known appearance was in SimAnt (1991), where they were the owners of the yard the ant colony lived upon. Apparently the first "seen" Sims were a black man, his dog, and a boy which is assumed to be the man's son. You can also see a stray or wandering cat outside the yard that the dog frequently scares away.

Further interaction was given to the Sims in SimTown (1994), and was the base of many concepts that later went into The Sims. Among these, a very basic mood meter was introduced (it just contained "sad" and "happy" and had relatively few factors go into it), you could choose certain Sims' favorite things (somewhat like Aspiration in The Sims 2), and you could actually pry into all houses (only one floor could be revealed, however).

After that, no game quite got as close to The Sims as the game itself. However, Streets of SimCity (1997) introduced Simlish for the first time in the radio music. The first game with spoken Simlish was SimCopter (1998).

Simology

Sims are a bipedal, humanoid species, found in SimNation. Most Sims are omnivores, however certain Sims exhibit hematophagy. Sims have four limbs, two arms and two legs. 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 in some of the simplest of tasks. Sims tend to be social animals, and can hallucinate if left alone for too long.

The Sims

The characteristics of Sims in The Sims, The Sims (console) and The Sims Bustin' Out.

• A Sim's Needs affect their Mood.
• A Sim's Personality determines what activities they prefer and how they interact with other Sims. It is affected by their Zodiac Signs.
• Interests are what Sims like to talk about.
• Age affects the interactions a Sim can perform
• Relationships with other Sims
• Employment and Education
• Skills determine how well Sims perform certain tasks

The Urbz: Sims in the City

The characteristics of Sims in The Urbz: Sims in the City.

• A Sim's Needs affect their Mood. Urbz only have five of the usual eight motives.
• Relationships with other Sims
• Skills determine how well Sims perform certain tasks. Urbz only have three skills instead of six.
• Reputation is based on how well a Sim gets along with others and increases when completing tasks for them.

The Sims 2

The characteristics of Sims in The Sims 2, The Sims 2 (console), The Sims 2: Pets (console), The Sims 2: Castaway and The Sims 2: Apartment Pets, and The Sims Stories. Some characteristics are only available with Expansion packs.

• A Sim's Needs affect their Mood. Their needs are based on their Life state and age.
• A Sim's Personality determines what activities they prefer and how they interact with other Sims. It is affected by their Zodiac Signs. Their sign and their Turn-ons/offs also determine their romantic compatibility
• Interests are what Sims like to talk about.
• Age affects the interactions a Sim can perform
• Memories of what has occurred in their lives
• Relationships with other Sims
• Employment and Education
• Life state
• Aspirations that determine a Sim's short- and long-term goals
• Wants and fears, determined by a Sim's aspiration
• Skills & Talent Badges determine how well Sims perform certain tasks
• Hobby enthusiasm
• Reputation is based on how nice a Sim is to others

The Sims 3

• A Sim's Needs affect their Mood as well as Moodlets from what is occurring in their lives
• The Sim's Traits determines how they interact with other Sims and what activities they prefer.
• Lifetime Wish
• Wishes are determined by their Traits, their lifetime wish and what is happening in their life and environment.
• Age affects the interactions a Sim can perform
• Relationships with other Sims
• Employment and Education
• Skills determine how well Sims perform certain tasks

The normal life state

A Sim is born or created with the normal life state or lacking a life state. Unlike the other life states, being normal does not offer any pros or cons, although, that in itself, can be seen as a pro or con.

Compatibility

Unlike the other life states, if a normal Sim turns to another life state he or she will cease to be normal. For example, if a vampire is attacked by a werewolf, the vampire will remain a vampire but also become a werewolf. However, if a Sim is attacked by a vampire the Sim will cease to be normal and become a full vampire.

Thus it is impossible to make Sim-hybrids, except in the case of aliens, but this is caused by genetics, rather than a "true" life state as in the case of a werewolf's savage or a vampire's bite neck.

Sim as a species

In The Sims universe, normal Sims appear to be the same as Humans. A Witch is a Sim who possesses the knowledge of using magical abilities. A werewolf is a Sim during the day. A PlantSims is not a Sim, nor is a Bigfoot. Vampires are arguably Sims. Some consider them to be Sims while some do not. Zombies are not considered to be Sims but they are really just a living dead Sim.