The Sims, made by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts, has been a mainstay of simulators since 2000 and continues its long life with the new The Sims 4 expansion, “Growing Together”. The Sims have never shied away from emulating reality, and here they take it even further, exploring significant events, struggles, and what it means to live a fulfilled life.

The expansion coincides with the release of the free update which introduced the infant-type Sim and Preferences. “Growing Together” adds even more, loaded with fresh features and content. It’s never been a better time to get into the Sims. The perfect formula is already in place: create your Sims, and build houses and relationships with some notable improvements. It’s the classic life simulator but even closer to a true representation of life than ever. It all starts with making a life for yourself. Well, for your Sims.

Firstly, it’s time to move into a new region, San Sequoia, a city that bears a striking resemblance to San Francisco. With a balance of urban and suburban, residential properties, parks, and entertainment centres, it’s a great place to settle down. Colours are bright and the world feels lived in, bringing much more oomph than the standard maps. The potential for development in a variety of zones, maybe a beach house or cottage is a nice touch, giving plenty of options to make a home.

Unfortunately, with a total of 12 lots, I found there wasn’t enough choice where I wouldn’t have to destroy pre-existing buildings to build my Sims a home. Be wary avid builders, empty spaces are limited – unless you’re willing to evict and sacrifice an existing property.

Before anything though, to make a house a home, one needs residents. I’m one of those people who can sink a good few hours in character customisation and “Create-a-Sim” is no exception. I spent several hours on my first household of only three people due to the many ways to tailor-make individuals, it’s hard to resist the urge to go all in. With 196 bonus items spanning across the age ranges, there was a decent amount of ‘fits, however, not many stuck out apart from the additional infant catalogue. The real game-changer for customisation starts in the freshly added preferences system.

“Growing Together” marks the next phase in The Sims that places a huge focus on establishing a Sim’s identity. The new likes and dislikes menu allows Sims to show their particular interests and preferences which will impact the way they interact in the world and shape themselves individually. Naturally, my first instinct for my Sims was to make myself and my best friend and test our compatibility based on setting up traits, likes, and dislikes. With so many options the possibilities for accuracy were high, and their separate ambitions, theoretically, should work very well for their personal and professional goals.

When it came to the big move I chose a lot with a pre-built house that I performed substantial renovations on, using some funky new furnishings from the 190 new build items. The majority of additions are stylish and modern, with plenty of family-friendly options to deck out kid’s rooms, living spaces, and even a treehouse! I was lost engaging in some interior design while listening to The Sim’s signature upbeat jams and Growing Together’s uplifting theme.

My Sims appreciated their new crib quickly, and thankfully, I very swiftly learned that to care for the baby I needed to provide the proper facilities. Adjusting to the new age group was challenging. It’s more crucial than ever to monitor Sims to make sure the baby is tended to, and more often than not, my Sims wandered off to play video games or make cheese toasties. The baby took a substantial amount of time away from my adult Sim’s needs and wants.

Often they would need to stop skill-building tasks for the child. Personally, the pressure of raising a kid while trying to grow my adults at the same time was incredibly stressful, but if players wish to live an entire life from start to finish, it all has to start somewhere, even if it’s a pretty rough start. It becomes a game of micromanagement, which is indeed, very true to the real experience of child carers.

Infants bring with them quirks that develop as they act for the first time, a baby that throws food might be a “messy eater,” and this will most likely stick with them into adulthood. The introduction of Milestones for all age groups celebrates all the big moments Sims will experience; the first time crawling, or perhaps an adult that got a new job. Each moment can have a bearing on their development and personality.

It can even be a source of positive or negative memories that impact their growth. The extra significance completely changes the game, knowing that one bad moment can impact the Sims later, even from childhood, or that during these key moments, their possibility to redefine themselves.

The realism doesn’t end there. To really hit close to home “Growing Together” also provides plenty of “adulting” circumstances too: workplace drama, burnout, and even the possibility of a mid-life crisis. The Sims have you covered for a share of virtual existential dread. It is possible to turn things around though, with age-based goals to learn from the experience or engage in moments of self-discovery. My young adult Sims and I have very swiftly learned the harsh truths of the world as they’ve begun chasing their aspirations. The combination of gaining skills versus time management is crucial for success, and as the overseer of my Sims, I really needed to pay attention to the extended variables in place.

Despite the increase in stressors introduced, I was more invested than ever in the actual process of my Sims’ lives. I’ve been playing since the original, way back in the year 2000, and it wasn’t until this expansion that I felt my Sims were doing more than “going through the motions” of daily life. There’s an abundance of changes I didn’t know I needed. Not only can I watch a Sim version of myself playing video games for too long and having an atrocious sleep schedule, but I can also actively find ways to set goals to overcome these types of obstacles. In its own unique way, the new elements in this add-on focus on the process of growing up and made me question how my Sims, and even myself, approach life and its trials.

There’s never been a better time to jump into the Sims 4 with the release of “Growing Together.” For long-term Simmers and newbies, there are endless possibilities for how Sims’ lives will play out and plenty of reasons to keep on playing. Finding meaning in the mundane is something this expansion highlights incredibly well, and encouraging Sims to live a full life rather than staying in one place is something we should all aspire to.

Written by: Yasmin Noble