9 minute read
Joey & Granny
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Meet Joey & Granny
How long have you and granny been playing computer games?
Granny has been playing for well over twenty years. My earliest memory of playing games was The Sims with Granny when I was around four years old, since about 2003.
What were both of your first gaming console/PC
Both of us started out on PC. The Sims is where it all began, for both of us.
Growing up I had a Game-cube, and so did Granny. We both had our own memory cards and I’d bring mine when I came to visit. Granny got me into Animal Crossing, Harvest Moon (Granny played too), and of course, The Sims. We also both really enjoyed playing DS games; The Sims 2: Castaway being our favourite.
Are there things about Sims you both fight about like ‘which Sims is the best, CC and mods’ etc
Nothing that we really fight about regarding the Sims. The only ‘arguments’ we’d have would be playful, usually over the fact that she would come over to our house with her laptop to download all of her custom content since she had limited internet (she only had a certain amount of gigabytes she could use a month). We both agree that The Sims 2 & 3 were the best
Was Sims the first game you both played?
Yes!
How did you both get started playing the
Sims? Was it granny's love of the game that encouraged you to play yourself joey?
Granny loved to play those mystery games where you would have to find the hidden objects. Also games like Nancy Drew & Sherlock Holmes. We would go to the store and pick them out off the shelf. That is how The Sims came into our life. Granny started playing The Sims before I can even remember, but as soon as I could, I was playing in her lap. She even got me my first PC, a Dell Dimension 2400, when I was five years old so I could play next to her at her house.
Has Granny tried playing the console with you? Or online games?
Granny played the Game-cube with me when I was little. Her and my grandpa loved the Need For Speed games… they even had the whole setup with the steering wheel and pedal. Granny still has limited internet so multiplayer games would be difficult for her to play.
Besides Sims, what other games do you both like?
As I said earlier, Granny loves mystery games as well. She still plays to this day. I have found myself broadening my gaming library, I personally love playing horror games. At the moment, I am playing Dead by Daylight, Animal Crossing, and Resident Evil: Village. I used to play Grand Theft Auto at a young age at Granny’s house… she had two rules. The first being that I had to play with the volume turned down, and the second being that I was NOT allowed to run over elderly NPCs!
What is your favourite thing about the sims game?
Granny: In Sims 2 & 3, you could have closer to a virtual life. She particularly loved the Get to Business expansion in Sims 2 where you could run your own store.
Joey: My favourite thing about The Sims is building. I love being able to build a house from scratch and let my creative juices flow as I decorate. It’s one of the many ways I like to express my creativity.
How does Granny see the changes that have happened over the years to The Sims and what would she change if she could?
Granny appreciates the effort that has gone into the most recent Sims games but
she does not enjoy The Sims 4 at all. We both agree that we miss many of the features from the previous games. She would like to see more clothing options and hairstyles for elder Sims. She feels as if they are often overlooked in the Sims games. She also wishes that you could run an efficient farm, with farm animals that produce like cows, chickens, pigs, etc. Crops like corn, wheat, cotton, hay. She is a country woman and has been for all 76 years of her life; she grew up on a farm in Kentucky. She would like to make her Sims worlds as “country as possible”.
How has the Sims improved your lives?
Granny: By having something fun and creative to do with my grandson. We began with Sims 1… wonderful memories. That is what started the Sims journey for both of us.
Joey: The Sims has improved my life by giving me a way to express my creativity. I love building and decorating. I like to build nontraditional buildings. For example, in real life I work at a funeral home so there’s been a few times I’ve been inspired to build a funeral home in-game. I also enjoy building cemeteries, homes for aliens, dirty trailer parks, etc. Places that have their own little charm in their own way.
Do you both think that the Sims can help players, for example, those that may be struggling with depression/anxiety, or with identity issues?
Granny: The game could pull you away from everyday life and sink yourself into your own world of your making. I can not speak for other people, but for me, it helped with my anxiety.
Joey: I really do believe that the game can help with all three. I personally struggle with anxiety and depression and the game, like my Granny said, can be an escape. You are in charge of the world in the Sims… for the most part… yes, I’m looking at you evil cowplant… but really it is a place where you can leave the real world behind for a moment. In terms of identity, I think the Sims is a great avenue in terms of exploration of self-identity. More so in the Sims 4 than in previous games, I like how you are able to change the body frame of sims and even choose if the sim is able to get pregnant or not. However, in terms of inclusivity, I think there is more than can be done. I would like to see pronouns implemented in the game, and more customisation in terms of gender and identity expression. I also really enjoyed seeing that The Sims 4 implemented pride themed items and clothing. The previous games are a bit set back in time, so I can’t be too upset at the lack of inclusivity. But, it would be nice to have without needing custom content.
What has Granny learned in her years of playing the game and does she have any top tips?
Granny: What I learned from 2&3, is there are many awesome creators of furniture, clothes, and Knick knacks to make more realistic home. I ran a real life business, so I never learned how to do this process (making CC). I admit to downloading a TON of other people’s creations. I guess I would say I still had a lot to learn about creating. My tip would be, to choose carefully where you download
stuff. If you choose the wrong one it can destroy your world. I have lost a few.
What is your most favourite cc to "shop" / download?
We both have always been very fond of ModTheSims and TheSimsResource. Joey: My personal favourite creator is Luumia.
What are your fondest/funniest memories of the game?
Granny: Grandson and myself sharing a chair or sitting in chair next to me and watching him create his home in Sims 1. Then as he grew we shared downloads and hints and tricks. He used to lock his sim in a room and not feed him when he didn’t like what he created. He was 5.
Joey: Not me playing, but I once watched a dear friend of mine, XoGlitter, stream The Sims 4 on Twitch. She was doing the 100 babies challenge and the babies were named after members of her Twitch community. We called what happened “The Rapture” -- randomly out of nowhere all the first generation of kids all died at the same exact time. The phone kept ringing and we all watched our sims die one by one right after each other. This happened with every generation of children and we all would panic when we knew the rapture was coming. It was hilarious. Oh, she also had a “baby bunker” where the babies lived… the wallpaper and flooring was Glitter’s face… it was amazing. My fondest memories would of course have to be playing alongside my Granny.
We know Granny said TS4 was a dud, does still feel that way?
Granny: YES. no worlds, no nothing. I hated it from the get go and took it off my computer.
Joey: I’ve tried getting her back into it after showing her the expansions, but the fact still stands… the Sims 4 is still a dud. We both miss the open world concept dearly, as well as the custom colour wheel that was in the third game. The fact that The Sims 4 released without POOLS to drown, I mean, entertain my sims? Unacceptable. All joking aside, there are so many features that we, and many others, loved in the previous games that are missing from The Sims 4… and then to have so many expansion packs and now kits… it just seems like you need to have all the packs to even enjoy the game.
What kind of reactions do you both get when Joey tells people his gran plays The Sims and when Gran tells people she plays the Sims?
She was very popular with my friends growing up. She was the cool Granny who cussed and played video games! Always received words of adoration and appreciation of her from friends! People have been surprised when I tell her that she owns every single game and pack from The original Sims to the Sims 3. She would always buy me and herself a copy whenever the latest pack came out!
