What is the draw of games like The Sims?

Power. You are rather like a lesser deity when you’re running The Sims, one with little regard for things like free will.

I see the draw to fill insomnia hours if I didn’t have a partner. For people with no partners, no family on hand or limited social life then it could be a lot of fun. Look how addicting YoVille and other facebook games are in the wee hours.

and um… you can make Sims have sex. What about that wouldn’t appeal to teens?

Manipulating people who have no say over their actions.

When the same amount of gay and lesbian families swimming at the very same swimming pool. :)

Roller coaster tycoon.

If I was not completing the ride, so the people would fall off. I was dropping them into the lake. ;-)

You can do things in the virtual world that you may not be able to do in your real life. Say you always wanted to be a musician, but couldn’t really make a living off of that because you never got noticed. In the virtual world, you can be a musician (or anything else).

Where else can you get a monkey butler? I totally get it. ;)

@jonsblond I love those!

I caught my friend’s little brother um… really enjoying it. It was a scarring sight…but I think I grasp its “draw” because of it. Dirty boy.

It makes a lot more sense than Poker with playing chips (not money), if you ask me. It’s a big step up from Monopoly.

My favorite part of the Sims was designing the house. I loved building new houses and designing the interior.

Creating the characters – designing how they look – building beautiful elaborate homes and furnishing them. Landscaping the gardens and even designing the township.

Then watching all the characters interact… it is hilarious and multifaceted.

I suppose one could also ask the appeal of playing a game in which a main character steals cars and drives around completing random illegal missions…