life-simulator game originally designed by American Will Wright for personal computers and released on Feb. 4, 2000. The Sims was published and distributed by the American companies Maxis and Electronic Arts and is a division of their SimCity electronic gaming (electronic game) franchise. The Sims was tremendously popular the first two years after its debut, selling more than six million copies. Since then a bevy of expansion packs and sequels have been produced.

In The Sims, players have the ability to control the lives of ordinary people. Players orchestrate the mundane daily activities of characters, including the intricate workings of the virtual dating world; the degree to which these activities are successful is contingent on the soundness of the players' decisions. The Sims provides a world of nearly infinite freedom, allowing players to determine the type and quality of life for their characters. As a character, or “Sim,” progresses, new elements are integrated into the game. Sufficiently advanced Sims acquire additional family members, find better jobs, and inhabit nicer homes, which the players themselves design. In general, the game features a highly sophisticated architectural system and artificial-intelligence engine for the characters.

As with the immensely popular SimCity gaming franchise, The Sims has its own language—a combination of Ukrainian and Tagalog known as “Simlish”—and its own culture. The fan base for The Sims is unique in that a large percentage of the community consists of female players, a rarity in the video game world.