The Sims 3 Primer

Is this your first time diving into The Sims 3? If you are entirely new to the bestselling series of games (well over 100 million have been sold around the world), then everything in The Sims 3 is brand new.

But if you are just checking into the game after experiencing The Sims or The Sims 2, then you will be surprised at how much the game has changed.

Yes, you still control your Sims as they embark on individual narratives created from the houses you build, the relationships you forge, and the dreams you pursue.

However, The Sims 3 gives you even greater control over your Sims’ destinies—even though life does tend to hurl a curveball (or five) while you play. There are more enhanced options for creating new Sims—both on the inside and outside.

A new mood system uses hundreds of little moodlets to help you steer Sims toward happiness by letting you know exactly what the Sim is feeling at that second. New social interactions help you guide matters of the heart.

And finally, a new Lifetime Wish system gives your Sims overarching dreams to achieve, giving their lives a sense of structure.

Not everything you do with your Sims has to be in pursuit of this big dream. No contract says you must be 100 percent benevolent. No enforcement mechanism prevents you from charting a new course.

The whole point of the changes in The Sims 3 is to give you a new level of interaction and control to make your game experience—the life experiences of your Sims—as unique as a snowflake.