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COULD VIDEO GAMES INSPIRE OUR REAL-LIFE HOME DESIGNS? EI asks if the home designs of the future may come from a very surprising space.
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48 DECEMBER 2021
Many people will build their first four walls on a
The Sims 4 has thousands of build-and-buy
computer-based game before buying or building
objects to unlock through gameplay and expansion
their first ‘real’ home. Creating emulative avatars
packs, allowing almost limitless opportunities to
that live out an aspirational life can be inspiring.
create a unique home.
And testing home designs on the simulation can
Sarah continues, “Another reason I think home
not only be rewarding – it might just be a good idea.
design games are popular is because for a lot of
The Sims 4 has over 33 million unique players.
young people, owning their own home and being
If the digital platform were a country, its population
able to furnish it without financial limitations
would exceed that of Australia. The popularity
isn’t always the most achievable thing (at least in
of the game is immense, with people building
the short term). For people who have even the
their dream homes even seven years after this
smallest interest in design, these games make that
version’s release.
interest more accessible and fun!”
The popularity of the game among budding
Juan Sandiego, an interior advisor at Boreal
home-designers is thanks to its “creative freedom”
Abode (and an avid Sims fan) agrees that game
says Sarah Kendall, a gaming content creator and
simulations push our creativity, “There is something
Sim-fluencer with over 107 thousand followers
fascinating about being in total control of your
on TikTok. “I can definitely say not everything in
home’s design. In real life, we encounter barriers
the game is architecturally compatible with real-
such as budget or space limitations. However, in
life designs, but trying out different styles and
a virtual world, we can push our creativity to the
structures in the game can open up your mind to
extreme. Home simulation games are the perfect
what might be possible in reality!”
sandbox to explore new ideas and styles. Plus, the
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