It’s been a while since I posted, because my ongoing eyes issue took a turn for the worse and is causing me frequent and severe eye strains. I’ve been making the rounds with the doctors and have a couple of specialist appointments coming up, but in the meantime gaming is taking a backseat (since staring at a computer screen for long periods of time is out of the question for me right now… in fact, staring at ANYTHING for long is out of the question). What I AM able to handle are low-intensity gameplay — which means minimal MMORPG at the moment — and it gave me an opportunity to delve into games I never tried before.
Case in point? I downloaded The Sims 4 to try it out. Surprisingly, it hits a couple of things that I’ve always been interested in, and I’ve been enjoying it at the moment.
I probably don’t need to explain Maxi’s/EA’s “The Sims” series of games; they have been around for over 20 years and are well-known to any gamer. The Sims 4 is the latest version, but even it is been out for 9 years. Sims are life simulation games, where you create a character or multiple characters called Sims, and guide them through their lives based on abilities, skills and needs. If you come from an MMORPG, the gameplay in Sims isn’t exactly “exciting”… there are no epic battles of good versus evil, clashing of armies, gods and demons and monster; but what it lacks in epicness, there are a few things that make Sims appealing to someone like me. First and foremost, it allows for some expressive creativity in character customization (i.e. Barbieing) in both appearances and wardrobe, and long-time readers of my blog know how much I love Barbieing! The second thing is customizations of homes or shops, which scratches an interior design itch I didn’t know I had. Third, Sims 4 is designed to allow for extensive modding by players, called “CC” or Custom Content to be imported into the base game, that greatly expands the amount of customization options. And let me tell you, some of the available CC are absolutely insane and well-crafted! There are even CC that are more than mere cosmetic mods, but actually add layers of gameplay. There are some really talented and dedicated players out there!
Anyway, I started messing around with character creation a couple of weeks ago, and that quickly ballooned to a full household. Eventually I created a household loosely based on the idea of a sitcom, which I named “Six’s a Crowd” because there are six main cast members. I’ve been playing them for a short while now and it’s fun to watch them do their own thing, while I intervene and give them directions semi-regularly. And sometimes? They actually surprise me. Today, allow me to show off my very own sitcom!
Six’s a Crowd
The premise of this “sitcom” is the trials and tribulations of six unrelated young adults living in a big, fancy house. Like any good sitcom, there is a ridiculous circumstance that sets the stage for them: in this case, the main lead character Chris received an inheritance of a large house from his rich, eccentric uncle, on the condition that he has to pay off the remaining 5-year mortgage. Which, of course, Chris has no way of affording, so he ends up renting out the rooms to come up with enough money. From there, social and romantic hijinks ensue!
The Cast
Chris Collins
Profile: Male, Age 27.
Currently employed as a third line cook at a fancy restaurant, Chris is technically the “lead” of this sitcom as he is the inheritor of the house. He is the “straight man” of the group, arguably the most level-headed one and despite being constantly exasperated by the antics of his housemates, he takes on a bit of a big brother role in times of crisis.
Chris is comically unlucky with romance (not by choice, the game just happened this way!). He has an ongoing “will-they won’t-they” relationship with Sasha that is unfortunately losing steam; he’s been trying to start a relationship with an NPC townie Summer Vest to little avail; and now with Ayesha joining the cast he finds himself competing with Jaime for her attention.
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Jaime Santiago
Profile: Male, Age 27.
A party animal and a slacker, Jaime is nonetheless gregarious to a fault and a bit of a skirt-chaser. Jaime and Chris were roommates in the city when the house inheritance came up, and it was Jaime’s suggestion to move into the house and rent out the rooms. Of course, the big house is also particularly advantageous for Jaime to throw big parties! Despite his overall appearance as a strong, confident hunk, the game somehow decided that Jaime has some weird phobias: he’s afraid of drowning, and he’s afraid of being outside in the dark. Not sure how those happened!
This dude is definitely a playa and super flirty with all the girls. He has a secret crush on Jia but he’s not she steadfastly remains a friend, and now his attention is shifting towards the newly arrived Ayesha.
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Sasha Bonilova
Profile: Female, Age 26.
In high school Sasha was a cheerleader and was Chris’ girlfriend; she’s since become an athlete and now works as a fitness instructor at a local gym. She’s a total health nut, hitting the treadmill and weights every chance she gets (on her own without prompting)! Remarkably, she’s the toughest one of the cast, regularly beating out the boys in fighting practices. Sasha is sassy, outspoken, and a bit hot-headed, but Chris still wants to get back with her which is why she is the first person he invited to move into the house. Sasha and Chris have a little relationship dance going but it’s starting to look like it’s in jeopardy.
Unexpectedly, Sasha and Jia got on so well, they seem to be developing romantic feelings for each other. The two are always looking for each other to chat and flirt on their own, a fact that I’m sure frustrates the boys to no end.
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Jia Park
Profile: Female, Age 24.
Jia is of Korean (Sorean?) descend and a musical prodigy. While currently she works as a clerk at the same entertainment studio that Jaime was originally employed at, she has aspirations to become a K-Pop (or S-Pop) star one day, against her parents’ wishes. Yes, I also created her parents and brother as another Sims household! She is probably the most reserved of the main cast, prone to musical inspirations and something of a fashionista. Jaime invited Jia to move into the house because he has a secret crush on her, and he hopes to increase his chances by sharing the same living space.
I’m not exactly sure why Jia and Sasha grew so close; their interests and personality quirks don’t really match up, with Jia being demure and artistically inclined, while Sasha is an outgoing athletic type. But hey, I guess opposites attract?
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Tony Chen
Profile: Male, Age 25.
Tony is of Chinese (Sinese?) descend and a computer wiz/programmer. He started out as a stranger, technically answering an ad and moving in after the previous tenants left (the Palicki brothers…. more on them later), but he’s a jokster/prankster and gets on well with almost everyone. Tony is also the smartest one of the bunch, and it’s a bit difficult to pin down his angle; I’ve caught him sweet-talking Jia and Ayesha in private, when no one else is present! Sneaky bastard. He’s also been doing some shady stuff on the computer, hacking servers for money and writing viruses. I think there’s a chance Tony may eventually switch from a tech career to a criminal one. Need to watch this guy.
Between his tech background and genius attribute, Tony is a real handy guy to have around the house because he’s gotten to the point where he can insta-repair everything.
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Ayesha Morgan
Profile: Female, Age 26.
Ayesha is an up-and-coming social media influencer, and the latest addition to the group following the departure of another tenant, Denis. Outgoing, friendly, attractive, Ayesha isn’t just a tenant — she sees the potential of the household as an ongoing source of entertainment, and continuously posts about the antics of the group to attract fans. In fact, the in-universe joke is that Ayesha is the one who coined her channel “Six’s a Crowd”.
Ayesha is also the latest source of drama in the house, as both Chris and Jaime both showed immediate interest in her after she moved in. This has led to some new jealousy and tension between the two best friends… never mind Tony sneaking around on the perimeter!
Previous Cast Members
Linda – The first “outsider” to join after Chris, Jaime, Sasha and Jia, Linda is a bossy older woman who disliked the antics of her younger housemates (Don’t they go to sleep at night??). She only stayed for a short time before leaving in frustration. Linda has come back to the house a couple of times, which seems to be particulary irking for Jaime.
Palicki Brothers – The twin brothers moved in after Linda left, and got along well with the main cast. Unfortunately they were both lazy slobs and couldn’t keep up with their rent, and had to leave for somewhere cheaper. They are still friends with the cast though, so they do drop by to visit on occasion.
Denis – Denis is a smart, overweight nerd; his main issue is that he’s not very sociable and is a bit snobby to everyone. The main cast actually didn’t mind his antisocial behavior, but eventually things got tense (I just made up the story that they found out Denis was perving on the girls by being a peeping Tom). He was tossed out of the house but occasionally tries to sneak back to peep through the windows – the first time it happened it really surprised me! Chris has confronted Denis and even got into fisticuffs with him to kick him off the property!
Current Plots and Drama!
Obviously, in a life simulator game, most of the drama comes from interpersonal relationships. And in a house full of attractive young adults, romance is at the heart of the drama! If you remember the popular classic sitcoms like Friends, you’ll get the idea.
But love (and libido!) isn’t the only thing in their lives. Chris obviously has money concerns, and each of the others has to worry about their own careers. I’m hoping to find some of the expansion packs on sale, such as career packs that allow Sims to own restaurants (for Chris) and become famous (for Jia), but at regular price they’re just way too expensive. As I mentioned, I also made Jia’s family as a separate Household, though not placed/played yet, but it does open the door to similar setups for the other cast members.
As I noted, the gameplay of their everyday lives is fairly low intensity; I find that I spend more time on character, wardrobe and home customization than actual playing! But it does tickle my creative side so right now Sims 4 is the perfect time-waster for me. But stay tuned! I may pose updates of these guys on occasion.
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