In a further effort to reach out and communicate with fans and players of The Sims 4, the team behind the game started the first of a series of streams called Behind the Sims where they shared lots of sneak peaks and updates about what’s happening and what’s coming soon. I didn’t watch the video myself but have seen plenty of the news that’s been reported on since, and some of it is very exciting.

Last time I wrote about The Sims, I had just discovered my purchase of The Sims 4 and dived into the game, a little late to the party as always. I finished off that post saying ‘The trick now is to not let it take over my life while I see what it’s all about.’ I think I finally managed to get a good Sim balance in my life - it’s not an addiction that sucks up too many hours, but I do check in on the game regularly and get a quick fix of micro-managing those little idiots.

As is tradition now, I have come to the latest Sims game very, very late. When I talked about The Sims 3, it was about four years after the game had been released. I love a good late review, honestly. Well, The Sims 4 is slightly different. I did download it slightly nearer its release date - 2017, I think. But it didn’t work on my Mac, because it’s an old and rickety machine that desperately needs updating.

A while back, I discussed the new Sims Social game - a Facebook only game that was clearly developed to generate cash whilst fostering relationships at the same time. I wasn’t sure about it at all back then, but was willing to give it a few more days. I have played it quite a lot since then, for a week or so I was checking in every day. It is fun seeing what you can do and interacting with other people, but I think the charm has worn off now.

So, who has tried out The Sims Social? I’m just starting to use Facebook more as their battle with Google+ heats up, so that I can see who is winning and who is losing. Then they went and introduced my favourite ever game as a Facebook game. It’s not really the same Sims at all, nothing like it, really, and it’s very, very… social. That might sound crazy, given that it’s called The Sims Social - but I’m finding that you can’t do very much without interacting with neighbours - neighbours that I don’t really have yet and don’t know the etiquette for getting.

I haven’t had a proper cold for a long time, well over a year. The occasional sore throat descends upon me, and I always prepare for the worst, but then it just goes away. I don’t know whether that means I have a better constitution than I used to, or if I am just lucky enough to have already had all the germs that have been circulating recently, and therefore gained some useful antibodies.

Apparently, the Sims 3 is breaking all kinds of records, and I don’t own it yet. Grr. According to this CNET story, EA are reporting that the game sold 1.4 million copies in the first week, is topping the PC gaming chart, and the iPhone app chart, plus it has been EA’s best game launch ever. Now, CNET suggest that whilst this is something of a surprise, it does fly in the face of criticism levelled at EA that they rely too much on long-term game franchises.

I’m not really a big gamer. I’m obsessed with The Sims franchise, but have no time to play. I steer clear of driving games because I am beyond useless. Occasionally, we play games over on Sidepodcast and they are fun little flash games on the web. I am even worse at those. However, I recently found a game I both love and am pretty good at. It’s called Skywire. You may have heard of it, I know it’s quite popular on Miniclip.

WordPress and Del.icio.us 101 (link retired) A great place to start, wouldn’t you say? Bienvenidos al nuevo canal de Tecnología En Espanol, por favor. The Sims 3 If only there were 72 hours in a day…

Official details of The Sims 3 have been released. Whilst I’m flipping out with excitement, I’m also desperately sad, because I just don’t have time to play anymore. Maybe I will by the time 2009 rolls round… ha.