It is not often I find an educational video that is both interesting, and mentions the sims. this video is about portals and how they can take us to imaginary worlds. At 2:10, it mentions The Sims, saying:
It is the reason why a game like The Sims was so revolutionary. It felt like the characters, the Sims, had virtual free will. You place them in a world we helped shape, that we never knew the exact outcome of. The game would act as a portal to an alternate version of our own reality, one that we felt we had more control over. When you enter a virtual world, an important aspect that keeps you engaged, is the illusion of choice: that the decisions you make will affect the outcome of the game. Even though in reality it has already been pre-programmed.
Watch the entire video, it is a good one that makes you think about how we connect to virtual reality/youtube/imagined worlds and only 8 minutes long:
Wow, that is awesome! Such a great way to use the Sims as a metaphor/example! Love it