'The Sims 4'

When I was about 12 years old, I had a passion and interest for how buildings were formed. I saw my first floor plan when I was at Lowes with my dad. My dad was trying to find a good floor plan for building a garage. I came across this one book that had over 500 floor plans in it. Most of the plans were for 2 story houses. I asked if he could buy it for me and he did.

I remember going home and getting on my old Dell computer and opening up Paint. I would draw floor plans just like the ones in the book using the line tool. It was hard of course, but I learned what all the symbols were. It got to the point to where my grandparents took notice of my obsession and they bought me an actual program to design house floor plans. It would give me a 3D model of it as I was building. I loved it! I could even print the plans out and I would share them with my mom and dad.

Then I aged to about 15. That was when my mom and dad bought me a PlayStation 2. Apart from Need for Speed and Crash Bandicoot, another game they had bought me was The Sims 2: Bustin Out!. I had never heard of The Sims until that moment. So, I played it for the first time. My eyes were so big from excitement when I found out I could build my own houses and design the inside! Goodbye world... I basically spent all my time every day after school playing The Sims. I would even invite my friend Brendan over and he would play too!

Then I was on the internet and saw that The Sims 3 was coming out. OH BOY!!! I remember asking my mom to get it for me and she bought it for my birthday. Of course, I then saved up my own money and bought most of the expansions and stuff packs. The years go on and Sims 4 finally comes out.

Sims 4 is my favorite. Designing homes are so much easier now. The way the graphics are, make it so much more realistic. If you are like me, you would know that playing Sims is more of an escape from reality and a way to express myself more creatively. Some people don't understand the whole concept of The Sims but the people who do understand it, can't get enough of it.

I have built so many houses and shared them with the online community and have had tons of amazing feedback. I think the houses that I build the most are one story small houses, because they are easier to manage but also look so cute when decorated. Many times, I have downloaded other creators' houses and I find that a lot of people design their houses way too big. They will have a huge living room and the furniture isn't that big for that space so there is a lot of wasted space that could have been used for other rooms or even more yard.

Apart from building houses on The Sims, I also like putting people I know into the game. It is fun to see your friends in the game and oddly enough, you can make the characters look exactly like your friends.

Overall, The Sims has changed me as a person because it works as a mental therapy for me and a creative outlet. Some people love to paint, work on cars, mow lawns, sing, dance, go for walks, jog, and exercise. Me... I can do that in my Sims game and build houses all in one day!