Gene Emery with Reuters news service explains the social dynamics of his Sims Online experience.
'Sims Online' Offers Surprises for the Sociable
By REUTERS
Filed at 7:22 a.m. ET
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (Reuters) - So, no sooner had I stepped inside Rodney's Romp Room, than June, a beautiful brunette, came over and asked if she could give me a warm, passionate kiss.
I, hoping to spare her the pain of rejection, politely agreed, only to have a beautiful blonde come over and ask if she could kiss me the same way. I, being a believer in equal treatment, felt compelled to accept.
That's how the catfight began.
Aaah, such are the challenges when you join ``The Sims Online,'' the new multiplayer version of an immensely popular computer game series from Maxis and Electronic Arts.
The original ``Sims'' is a low-violence role-playing game that, at first blush, seems designed for people who need to get a life -- even an odd sort of life.
The player, represented by a small animated figure on the screen, interacts with other computer-controlled characters. The goals: To earn money, buy a house, and keep yourself fed, rested, educated, clean, and entertained.
I found the game intriguing, though not particularly addictive, probably because I've got enough challenges already with a wife, kids, parents, etc.
``The Sims Online'' may look like ``The Sims'' games, but it's a vastly different product because all the characters in the online game are controlled by real people. You can speak to them, you can relate to them, and you can role-play with them. It's like having a secret life in a world that is, for many reasons, friendlier than our own.
Getting started requires a $50 software package. Then would-be players must register with a credit card number (so they can be charged $10 per month) and give some personal information -- such as their birth date and telephone number -- which should be voluntary, but isn't.
Then it's time to select a fictitious virtual city to live in (there were five available when I tried the game), pick a name, describe some likes/dislikes of your character, and choose a figure to represent yourself.
Women have 226 outfits and 234 heads to choose from. Men have 172 outfits and 189 heads, including a skull, a mime, several aliens, polar bears, thieves, a zombie and a one-eyed robot.
I avoided the superhero costumes, kilts, spacesuits, leisure suits, gladiator garb, and the overweight topless guy in dungarees. Instead, I selected a bald guy with a goatee in standard slacks and shirt, named my creation Desmond, and decided to pose as a pet psychic -- a bad move because it turns out the game has no pets -- at least not yet. You can create up to three personae at a time, and retire them once you tire of them.
The game gives you a handy way to find areas that specialize in shopping, entertainment, romance, games, or just hanging out. You can also scroll down the list of other popular characters.
In the place I chose to live, East Jerome, the population included players who call themselves Al Einstein, Britney Spears, MmmMmm Good, Kragoth the Mighty, Xena, and Fox Mulder.
The characters in ``The Sims'' speak their own language; their inflections provide clues to what they mean. But this game also lets players type in messages that appear as speech balloons. Alternatively, you can chat privately with specific individuals in a side channel.
Lots of interesting characters roam the cities. There's Snowball, who has the head of a polar bear; Niecy, who said she is 17 in real life, whose character became ``engaged'' to another character after just one day, and wished her real-life boyfriend showed the same kind of commitment; and Tonya, whose motto was ``A gurl only needs 4 animals in her life: a mink on her back, a tiger in bed, a jaguar in the garage and a jackass to pay for all of it.''
This is not a game for online introverts. It can be pretty boring sitting in a room watching your character play chess or work on a chalkboard problem to build up logic points. Be prepared to keep yourself busy chatting with the other visitors.
And even if you enjoy chatting, which you can do for free in any of the thousands of Internet chat rooms, you still have to devote a lot of time to sleeping, finding food, and emptying your bladder.
A unique thing about ``The Sims Online'' is that it offers a precious commodity that, for most of us, modern life can no longer provide: A world with a sense of safety.
You never have to worry if the guy you're talking to is a closet rapist, or worse. You are not allowed to steal, even if you're playing the role of a thief. If someone is being annoying, you can instruct the game to ignore them. If they persist, the owner of the house can banish them with a few clicks of a mouse. In extreme cases, you can complain to the game's developers and the offenders will be banished. Punishment is swift, unequivocal and not debatable.
In short, the rules are designed to encourage people to get along. It rewards you for making friends, and working and playing together. And because you're always anonymous, it's easy to take the risk of meeting people and interacting with them freely.
If only real life could be like that.
``The Sims Online'' is rated for Teens because of the potential for comic mischief, mild violence and mature sexual themes.
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(Gene Emery is a columnist who covers science and technology. His Internet address is GEmery(at)Cox.net. Any opinions in the column are his alone.)
Posted by justin at January 18, 2003 03:48 AM