A life of your Design

I’m assuming most people have heard of The Sims- even if you are like myself and have never played it. The game is advertised as a “people stimulator” in which you not only play the game but create the world within the game as well. It is a game that absorbs it’s players in imaginative play.  The Sims intimate rather the expansive world is all of the players making- the players even give the characters personality traits. The question I want to discuss is whether The Sims is a learning environment or just a place where people are able to create the life they want. People who play this game can create the perfect family in which the children are sent off to school and the parents go to work to earn virtual money to spend on virtual objects. It could on the other hand be like directing a movie in which the Sims life is full of drama and high tech gadgets the players dream of having in their real home. In the Sims anything is possible- no life is unimaginable. Though the game requires the parents to go to work and earn money in order to pay for things like in everyday life, the Internet does have cheat codes- and all you have to do is type in “cheat codes” it’s as easy as that. But is this teaching us that you can cheat your way through life as well?  The fact that the game can accommodate a number of different playing styles and preferences- from the comfy everyday home to the mansion with high tech gadgets- helps with the flexibility of the games design.. Because players control no fewer than the six key variables- physical features, personality, career, behaviour, interactions and Physical characteristics of character’s homes- this gives players numerous options and possibilities of play. The game is a stimulation of social interaction and teaches kids to be creative and create a world they would want to live in. This could be seen as educational as it sets them life goals (if they don't take the cheat route). And if you look at it this way-the game doesn't involve guns or violence which has been argued as a motive behind teenage aggression. If I was a parent I think I would rather have my kids play The Sims and play in a virtual neighbourhood of their design than splatting other characters guts all over the place.