The Sims 'sparks real-life breakups' over in-game character affairs | indy100

EA celebrates 25 years of The Sims with re-releases of classic games

Straight Arrow News / VideoElephant

The Sims has been a defining game for many, shaping much of millennials’ teenage years. Even now, it remains hugely popular as a way to escape the day-to-day grind.

But some players appear to be taking it a little too far – and no, we’re not talking about motherlode’in too hard, or removing the ladder from the pool. In certain cases, it’s starting to affect real-life relationships.

One such example from recent reports online comes from Russia, where Max and Katya ended their three-year relationship after his growing obsession with the game.

Katya discovered he had created a Sims character closely resembling himself and was pursuing virtual romantic relationships with female characters. The discovery led to their breakup, with Katya moving out.

It seems this isn’t an isolated concern, either.

On Reddit, a discussion thread asked how people would feel if their partner cheated on them in a game, sparking a flurry of responses.

“My boyfriend had a meltdown one day and deleted my game. My Sims were dating people who looked nothing like him,” one user shared.

Another admitted: “I would probably be salty just cause I'm a pretty jealous person lol.”

The Sims

Some, however, saw the funny side. One wrote: “My wife made me in Sims 4. Game me the Cheerful, Good, and Slob traits. Then she had Caleb Vatore's vampire babies and locked my simself in the basement of their home. NGL it's pretty funny to me.”

Another added: “Lol, I did this with me and my boyfriend and made us cheat on each other as much as possible and try to hide it from one another.”

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