Friday 26 / April / 2024
If, like most of the people at the Times of Oman newsroom, you are a young adult who’s on the verge of being settled in his/her career, you’ve probably quite often come across the word ‘adulting’.
If you’re a bit younger, don’t worry — chances are you’ll come across it soon enough. If you’re a lot older than us, then you know of the challenges and the roller-coaster ride that adulting brings to you, on an almost daily basis. Simply put, adulting is the practice of being an adult, for someone who is new to adulthood. It’s the juggling act of balancing work with your personal life (I’m sure there are few corporate stooges giggling at this if they’re reading it. Personal life? What personal life?), it’s the commitment towards doing things you thought you’d take for granted to the rest of your life, you know, tedious things such as waking up on time, prepping for your meals, paying the bills, and still having enough leftover to bank in your savings account.
To some, this might seem a bit overwhelming, but within this social and personal maelstrom, it is indeed possible to find the perfect balance, and once you have found it, it’s kinda hard to un-find. Truth be told, that’s what Sims 4 is all about — finding that elusive perfect balance.
EA Games’ virtual sim game is available to play on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Mac, and is one of the most popular games in its genre across the world.
Characters in game are referred to as ‘sims’ and are capable of interacting with you (another sim) on a daily basis, across several tasks, including going for a run together, taking a walk in the park, hanging out at a hip new nightclub or the new museum around the corner, helping you throw a party at home, or even just talking things through. Social interaction is one of the six cornerstones of your sim’s life in-game, the other five being hunger, hygiene, fun, rest, and er, going to the bathroom. Of course, there will be times when your sim doesn’t want to talk to anyone, but just stay in and read a good book, play a game on the computer (that’s doable), or splash around in the tub.
But while your sim is out frolicking either alone or with friends, there’s only so long you can do that without a care in the world. The rent and your bills are due every week, and if you don’t have enough to pay for them, you can expect the power company to not very nicely shut things off. And that often means finding a job. Many of us have been thrust into careers for two reasons — it’s either what we’ve wanted to do, or what we’ve been told to do. Fortunately, Sims 4 allows you to exact virtual revenge on those who doubted you by offering you a number of career options, that range from the conventional (techie), to the creative (chef, writer, painter), the out there (ever fancied being an astronaut or a spy?) or even the ridiculous (would you like to be a thief? There’s plenty of money in it).
As you advance down your chosen career path, the hours get smaller and the pay bigger, allowing you to finally live the idyllic life you’ve always wanted to. Since the arrival of the original game, EA Games have introduced a bunch of add-ons that make the game a lot more diverse, immersive and fun to play. Sims can now begin lives as toddlers (something tells me you’ll be spending most of your time in the customisation screen, looking fondly at the tiny virtual fingers of the little one on screen), while further expansion packs allow you to own businesses and adopt pets.
All in all, the Sims series is about keeping things fresh and fun, and that’s exactly what the game delivers in spades, making it an evergreen game you can play over and over again.
The Short and Skinny
Name: Sims 4
Genre: Fantasy/Simulation
Produced by: EA Games/Maxis Studios
What it’s about: Live the life of your dreams in one of the world’s most popular games, and scale the heights you’ve always wanted to
Where to buy: Origin, EA Store, PlayStation Store, Xbox Marketplace, Microsoft, Amazon, G2A Games
Platforms: PC, Mac, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
IGN Rating: 7.5/10
