When you have an idea and everybody tells you it’s crap, you know you’ve found a valuable niche.

More than 20 years ago a young computer freak had an idea. He wanted to create a computer game that didn’t contain action and violence.

When Will Wright tried to find a publisher for “Sim City” everybody said he’s crazy, a game without action is just boring, nobody would ever buy such a shit.

Little time later Will Wright was a Multi-Millionar…

Deja-vu!

It’s most interesting that Will Wright made the same experience about 10 years later, when he again wanted to create another kind of “boring” game, The Sims.

Again, most publishers were laughing at him. It’s no secret that nobody at EA Games, who finally published The Sims (original release date was February 4, 2000), believed in a big success.

Who would love to play with a virtual puppet house and characters that act in the same none-spectacular way like everybody’s neighbor?

Happy Birthday, Sims…

…and congrats to about 125 Million sales (instead of 160.000 expected) and 2.5 Billion turnover.

Will Wright’s The Sims franchise really changed the computer game industry, it flattened the ground for virtual worlds like Second Life, it set a new definition of the word Avatar and in some cases even changed the way of thinking.

Your Sims can be straight or gay/lesbian, they are in all directions open-minded and demonstrate that it’s cool to work hard and learn new things everyday.

Power up your creativity!

But the most important point for me personally is: The Sims unleashed the hidden creativity of millions of people.

I know pretty many computer games and i am a first-generation simulation game fan (Sim City 2000 from 1993 was my first computer game on the PC) . But i don’t know any other game that gives you so many – almost unlimited – possibilities to build, create and share virtual content. Back in 2000 this was simply ground-breaking.

In fact – and this is what you won’t read in the old media press – The Sims also pushed the game modding scene onto a higher stage, out of dark shady corners into burning spotlight.

Without the free and uncensored thinking and developing of independent programmers and creators the game never would have gained such a gigantic success. Of course this is not the official version.

In the meantime the official “exchange” has commercialized the custom-creation-trend. I repeat myself when i say that EA’s exchange is the commercial mainstream pool for custom content.

Though it’s every companies right to keep their customers nearby (it’s easier to get their money then), i always recommend to support the “free” scene…

Anyway…

May they live a long life!

Just let me say Happy Birthday to The Sims, thanks for 10 entertaining years. May you live a long life, i’m still looking forward to The Sims 47 ;)

And a thousand thanks to Will Wright for swimming against the stream to make the whole river flow into the reverse direction.

Let me close with a few words Simish:

Dee mee numin, ron be mau mau, geng gee dohz! Bomb lap ga doh hogey, sha boom ad dif woah!

Leave a Reply