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Back in the heady days of alt.digitiser, I used the original Sims to test how well the characters could fend for themselves if I switched the game on, turned 'Free Will on', and then went to sleep (I was a scumbag student).
I also did Black & White and Little Computer People, but they weren't as interesting.
The Sims 'Jefferson' Family.
This is a fairly average family of four. Maxwell, the father, is a
police desk sergeant. Mamie, the mother, is a member of congress. And
the two children, Ross and Rena, both had 'B' report cards. I left
them to their own devices.
The next morning, I noticed only Maxwell was left. Checking the family
album, I discovered that first Mamie had died in a cooking fire,
followed by Rena and then Ross being sent to military school. Maxwell
had also lost his job and, owing to not knowing to pay the bills,
managed to get half the furniture repossessed despite having over
$5,000 in the bank. The house was infested with cockroaches, filthy
dishes covered the dining room table, and empty pizza boxes, the only
source of food available, were strewn everywhere, including the front
lawn. Curiously, Maxwell had taken the time to clean up all the ashes
from the destroyed kitchen but hadn't bothered emptying the trash. He
was also extremely depressed and starved of social interaction,
because he also hadn't known to call his buddies up.
RESULT: Semi-failure. Most of the household died, but the surviving
member recovered.
The Sims 'Futuro' Family
The Futuro family is the most advanced family in the neighbourhood.
Their house entirely one floor above ground level, and is filled with
the most advanced technology and items available. All the rooms are
colour coded as to their purpose, and a Servo robot is located in the
central room. Brett, Adia, Frodo and young Kelli all live a life of
ease, and thus, relative boredom.
After the customary 6-8 hour experiment period, everyone was dead
except Frodo. Brett had starved to death when he became trapped in
bed. Both Adia and Kelli had died in the same kitchen fire. Deeply
disappointing results. The house was, of course, filthy, as Servo was
likely the first item to be repossessed when the bills weren't paid.
RESULT: Semi-Failure. Too many people died, although the 'starving to
death in bed' was certainly a new result.
The Sims 'Futuro' Family
Some slight modifications were made to the house for another
experiment. The only exit, the front doors, were removed not only
making it impossible for the Futuros to get out, but also for nasty
things like repo men to get in. The problem with Brett's bed was
fixed, and all potentially flammable kitchen appliances were replaced
with user friendly microwaves and toaster ovens. Finally, to sustain
them over this long incarceration, almost $11,000 was placed in their
bank account.
At the end of the experiment, everyone was dead. They had all starved
to death. How is this possible? They somehow managed to use up all the
money. If anything they ate so much they burst, as it's impossible to
imagine how they could possibly have eaten $11,000 worth of food. A
mere $3 was left in their bank account. The house was still filthy,
but at least nothing had been stolen.
RESULT: Complete Failure. Didn't take into account the insane appetite
of Sims, who almost literally ate themselves to death.
The Sims 'Richman' Family.
The Richmans are the wealthiest family on the block. The father is a
vice president in a huge heartless multinational corporation, while
the mother is the head of the local social circle. They have a teenage
daughter who is extremely talented in music and art. They also have
three younger children, two boys and a girl, who are all doing very
well in school. They also employ two live-in servants, a butler and a
night watchman/security guard.
At the end of the six hours, the butler was dead from a kitchen fire
(despite the presence of a smoke detector) and all three children had
been packed away to military school. However, for the four surviving
family members, life was still fairly sweet. The bills had only just
started to pile up, meaning only a few items had been repossessed. The
house itself was fairly clean, thanks to the maid service, and both
the daughter and the security guard were in good spirits unlike Mr and
Mrs Richman. The family had also retained several friends, although Mr
and Mrs Richman's relationship had deteriorated.
RESULT: Partial success. The three irritating members of the family
were eliminated (the two boys, one an annoying wimp, the other a Bart
Simpson-esque twat, and the lazy butler) but at the cost of the young
daughter who had incredible talent on the piano surpassing even that
of her older sister. The father had also managed to lose his job but
in spite of this they were able to enjoy a high standard of living.
The Sims 'Nuclear' Family
The Nuclear Family (fnarrr) is a themed family, with all 1950s era
technology. So, a black and white TV, no microwave or cordless phone,
no smoke or burglar alarms, no hot tub... all fairly basic. Prior to
starting the game, the father was unemployed so at the last minute I
got him a job as a typesetter, and added $2,000 to the bank.
At the end of the run, everyone was dead. The father, mother and
sister all perished in the almost inevitable cooking fire, and the
son, deprived of a fridge, starved to death. However, it didn't end
there. All the neighbours came to visit, and somehow got trapped on
the Nuclears' property, and starved to death too! The entire second
block of the neighbourhood was wiped out! What on earth happened?
CONCLUSION: Catastrophic failure.
I can't find the 'dear diary' post I wrote of the Roomies (who became lesbians... hell, I don't know of anyone who DIDN'T make them become lesbians. That's what the Sims is all about, making lesbians make it. Yes.)
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