CrazyMarq gets in-depth with TS2/3 with Ivana

Chats with SimmedUp on content creation and wacky sims details

By Ivana

Fascinated with various details from The Sims? Then, you’ve probably seen CrazyMarq on YouTube, who already made lots of videos showcasing the normal, the deep, the wacky and the obscure details present in the original The Sims up to The Sims 3 (with his own fun twists). And he would not stop anytime soon. That’s how much detailed this game franchise really is. Get to know more about this retro simmer, and go on a deep dive to his content, content creation process, and his story in this interview.

Tell us something about yourself.

Hi, I'm Marq and I'm a 22-year-old university student from Slovenia. In my free time, I play football, dabble in guitar and make YouTube videos. I enjoy all sorts of music and would like to release a song one day.

How did you start playing The Sims?

The first game in the series that I tried was The Sims 2 – this was way back in 2008. I was looking for a new hobby and gaming piqued my interest, since that's what some of my friends were getting into and it seemed fun. One day my parents took me to a store to buy me a game of my choice, with some limitations, of course. Sims 2 grabbed my attention almost immediately – mainly because the box looked interesting – so they bought it for me. When we got home, I turned on the family computer, opened the

box – and to my horror, the disk was tiny and didn't fit at all. That's when I realized we had actually bought the PSP version of The Sims 2. Rookie mistake. Like I said, I was totally new to gaming and didn't understand the difference between various platforms. Because I didn't own a console, the game was essentially unplayable, so we returned it and got the PC version of The Sims 2 – the Double Deluxe edition, as well as the Bon Voyage expansion pack. Of course, I also didn't get the concept of expansions back then, so I tried to install Bon Voyage first, but after some trial and error, I finally managed to get the game up and running and the rest is history. Once I launched the game, it was basically love at first sight – the game completely captivated me, more than I had expected.

You're known in the community for showcasing Sims 2 & 3 details. What fascinates you most about these details?

To me, the most fascinating thing about these details is just how well thought out they are and you can tell a lot of love and hard work went into them. Some details are also quite obscure and you wouldn't even expect to experience them. The developers could've simply decided not to work on such rarely seen details, but they still decided to include them, which is awesome.

What inspired you to finally get into content creation around this topic?

Interestingly enough, when I started my channel, my plan was to make chaotic Sims gameplay videos with commentary, similar to what Call Me Kevin does. Initially, I stuck to the plan and released a bunch of videos in that style, but to be honest, I just never felt completely comfortable making them. That's why I decided to switch the way I produce my content. This is where my inspiration for detail videos, onlyabidoang, comes into play. I saw a couple of his detail showcases and thought it would be fun to post something similar, but with my own spin on the topic. Showcasing interesting facts about Sims games, accompanied by subtitles, instead of spoken commentary seemed like a better option for me, so I decided to make some episodes and haven't looked back since. I had always suspected I'd prefer making content this way, but I didn't think I'd enjoy it THAT much.

For me personally, there are so many benefits of approaching content creation the way I do. For one, making commentary videos means having to essentially speak to yourself, which is a bit awkward when you think about it. I also found it awkward to record when, let's say, my family members or friends were nearby, which restricted me to only recording during a specific time of day – and that's not really viable when you have other hobbies and obligations going on. Having to record my voice also meant I had to pay attention to my surroundings. My room had to be quiet at all times, which wasn't ideal either, as I prefer to listen to music while I'm recording. All things considered, I'd say the inspiration behind my detail showcase videos is onlyabidoang, while the thing that finally pushed me towards making those videos was the fact I didn't enjoy doing commentary and was looking to switch things up.

You mentioned before that you're also going to university. How do you manage & balance between Sims content creation and your studies?

Oh, it can definitely be hard at times and I'm surprised I managed to do this so well last year. I think I'm lucky because my memory is good so I don't need a whole lot of revising. What also helps is recording in bulk. When I have a lot of spare time, I record as much as I can because you never know when such an opportunity will come by again. Lastly, I'd say my content isn't particularly difficult to

produce and one video per week had been reasonably doable, although I've recently started to spice up my videos, which means they take longer to make and I can't upload as regularly anymore.

What were your expectations when you first started your channel and uploaded your content? How did the community react and receive them?

Going into this, all I wanted was to build a small community of people who like old Sims games. Frankly, I didn't even know there was a market for my type of content, especially considering I mostly focus on older Sims games, but I've been proven wrong. Initially, my videos didn't get much traction, but they slowly and surely started getting picked up by the algorithm, especially the detail videos, and things just snowballed from there. I started getting more and more positive comments as the community began taking notice of my channel. Honestly, I’d say even at this point, I’ve already exceeded all my expectations as far as growth goes.

How do you handle negative feedback and criticisms on your content?

To be fair, I get very little negative feedback – I think I'm quite lucky in this regard. I do believe constructive criticism has its place and was beneficial for my growth, but I draw the line at comments that showcase the commenter was either intentionally malicious or extremely ignorant. I tend not to respond to those because I think at one point you just have to accept that no matter what you'll do, some people will find something to tear into.

Your content focuses exclusively on the older Sims games. Do you have plans to feature The Sims 4 in the future? Why or why not?

Even though I prefer old Sims games, I’m open to posting some Sims 4 content in the future. Initially, I wasn't too keen on the idea of making Sims 4 videos because I didn't like the game that much, but I've given it another chance recently and I think I can certainly see myself uploading a quick Sims 4 video here and there. However, I believe the focus of my channel will always remain on old titles.

What's the most mind-blowing detail you've discovered in The Sims games?

This is a tough one! It's so difficult to pick a winner, but I think my favorite detail is related to the garden gnome in Sims 2. If someone steals a garden gnome from your Sims lot, there's a chance that one of the Sims in the active household will disappear off the lot during the night and take the gnome back. Even children can do this. I love how random this detail is. It's not a “traditional” detail you'd expect to see in a life simulator, but it works so well and goes to show how much work went into this game. The developers didn't just settle with the standard, realistic details – they also added some more hilarious and obscure ones.

I feel like I also have to mention freeing the burglar in Sims 2. This is one of the rarest interactions in the entire series and there's hardly any info about it online. After the police officer handcuffs the burglar and puts them into the car, there's a small-time frame while the officer is inspecting the house, during which you can click the police car and free the burglar. The active Sim will open the rear door and let the burglar out. Afterwards, the officer will angrily stomp towards the Sim and lecture them. Doing this increases your Sims relationship with the burglar, but their relationship with the police officer will take a hit. This is great for storyline purposes. While it's possible to do something similar in The Sims 3, the interaction is much more common than in its

predecessor, so I don't find it as interesting. In The Sims 2, it often just doesn’t want to appear for some reason and I’m still not sure what enables it.

Last, but not least, I just can't leave out this Sims 1 gem. If Bonehilda sees the Grim Reaper, she'll wave at him and might even ask him for an autograph. As you can see, I'm a huge fan of the more bizarre, obscure details – perhaps they're not as useful for normal gameplay, but they add a special layer to the game and show just how much attention to detail went into this series on all levels.

What challenges do you face when it comes to content creation? How do you manage or address them?

The biggest challenge is definitely obtaining footage of certain details. Some are only available under highly specific circumstances and it's not super unusual for me to spend over an hour just to record one segment for a video. And the worst thing is when I'm waiting for a The key components to success are goodrare event to happen and when it finally ideas, a solid does, I can't capture it from a good angle. But patience goes a long execution of said ideas, and tailori ngway and I'd say I generally don't face the content to the many problems when creating content. algorithm.

What are your favorite and least favorite things in the Sims community?

I think the Sims community is one of the kindest and most welcoming communities out there. Gaming communities can get toxic really quickly, but the Sims community is perfect for the most part and it feels good to be a part of it. Of course, just like in any given group, there are some bad apples here and there, but I think the best way to deal with those is to simply ignore them, as they're mostly just craving for attention.

What advice can you give to people who want to start content creation?

If they just want to do it for fun, the best advice I can give is to just release content they're happy with and have fun along the way. But if their goal is to grow a lot and possibly even earn money, they'll likely have to tailor their content to match a specific formula. This doesn't mean they have to be devoid of any originality or personality –there are plenty of popular authentic creators, but it's still easier to grow if you follow a certain formula.

The key components to success are good ideas, a solid execution of said ideas, and tailoring the content to the algorithm. Make sure your ideas are somewhat original and have “viral” potential at the same time –after all, not everything that's original is also destined to grow. After you've come up with an idea you think has potential, present it well – the viewer needs to understand the message you're trying to get across and the video should have some sort of structure. When it comes to the algorithm, longer videos are preferred, but only if they can maintain high viewer retention. Clickthrough rate is also important and can be boosted with a clear, inviting thumbnail and a captivating title. Taking inspiration from established content creators and adding your own spin on their ideas is also a good way to grow. At the end of the day, most popular things –regardless of the medium – are derived from somewhere else. Just make sure to provide credit. But the most important thing of all is not to obsess over stats. It's hard not to let the stats dictate how you feel about your content, but try to detach your emotions from the numbers.

What's your most favorite Sims game?

Even though I primarily upload Sims 2 content, my favorite Sims game is actually The Sims 3. My favorite thing about it is, of course, the open world, but the game has a lot of strong points, such as well-crafted environments, story progression, fun expansions, and a great balance between realism and “wacky” gameplay. It also has a calming effect on me, perhaps because it's a bit slower-paced than for example, Sims 2 and 1. Although I have to point out Sims 2 is running a close second and I get a very similar level of enjoyment out of both games.

What's in store for CrazyMarq in the near future? What can we expect from your channels soon and look forward to?

I’ve already experimented a bit with this, but my next videos will include more fast-paced and fun edits, as well as simple skits, which will hopefully strike a good balance between informative and entertaining. I'll also try to feature Sims 1 on the channel a bit more frequently and will most likely post some Sims 4 content too. I feel like I'm starting to become a bit more expressive and hopefully, my videos will become more unique in the upcoming months.

Where can others find you online?

I primarily post on YouTube, where I go by the username CrazyMarq. I also have an Instagram account @crazy.marq and a Twitter account @CrazyMarq where I share behind the scenes stuff, post real life updates, channel news, and gameplay pictures that don't fit my channel.

On that note, we have come to the end of this interview. If you haven’t followed him yet, now’s the time for you to check out his showcase videos, updates, and many more on his social media channels. It would surely inspire you to try out The Sims 2 and The Sims 3 more!

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