When the first Sims came out, I was really excited. Being able to create people and find their careers appealed to me.
My first Sim families had a lot drama. Some people were married three or four times. People cheated on each other. People moved from house to house. Some were kicked out of the neighborhood, while others died.
Nonetheless, the houses managed to stay spotless.
Hot Date (my favorite Expansion pack) pretty much turned my game into Sim City 90210. No relationship was safe. My Sims would go home tired and not bother to go to work the next day. They were all commitment-phobes (partly because I had the hardest time marrying them off).
The only thing I didn't like about the original Sims was that the kids never grew up. After a while, I sent them off to military school. I created "older" versions of them and had them move into another house. But it wasn't really the same.
I just bought Sims 2 and am already addicted to it. However, I had to essentially re-learn it all over again. The interactions are specific and even the Sims themselves are different. Plus, the Sims closely resemble real people this time around rather than computerized dolls.
I like the fears and aspirations aspects of it. In the first one, I would be too involved in making sure their needs were met. Then, I would create drama. The fears and aspirations part keeps me in check, I've noticed. I want my Sims to teach their son or daughter to walk rather than just play video games all day long.
My current house has two parents, a teen son and a female child. The mom wants to be successful in her science career. The father is stay-at-home, gets into tiffs with the nanny, and plays video games. The teen son wants to be popular (and his grades are falling as a result). The girl wants to spend time with her family and play.
With all their inner conflcits, I don't have to create drama.
I'm satsifed with it. I love playing a game and being fascinated by it at the same time.
