Sim Play Homesteading

Can you cheat if there is winning?

Cheating and The Sims—these concepts seem inseparable. From the classic rosebud to the lucrative motherlode, some cheats have become so ingrained in the culture that it’s baffling to imagine a simmer not utilizing them. Yet, I often find myself pondering: is it truly cheating? After all, The Sims is a solitary experience—so if I’m “cheating,” what exactly does that imply? To me, cheating suggests dishonesty, but if I simply declare, “I want this sim to have unlimited money,” where’s the deceit in that?

There are instances where we engage in challenges or scenarios with clearly defined rules. In such cases, yes, withholding information about advantages would indeed be dishonest and tantamount to cheating.

In my latest legacy save I’ve meticulously crafted a family over four generations without cheats. Every possession and skill they possess has been earned through story development and playtime. Today I designed a new family within the same save—a pair of young adults. I’ve decided to offer them a slight “head start.” Why spend hours developing skills like cooking, wellness, athletics, and logic, which they’d likely have by this point in their lives? I won’t max out their skills in these areas, but I’ll certainly grant them a boost. I would lose interest if I had to start from the beginning again, and they are a side story, not my main game; to me this isn’t cheating, it’s furthering my storyline. Because of my self imposed guidelines, I won’t do that to any of my legacy sims nor will I marry either of these sims. Even if I did, what would the harm be? 

My daughter AlphaSim has a different approach; she frequently bestows her sims with money and free real estate. She relishes the process of skill-building and home building. While I appreciate that aspect, my enjoyment stems from crafting multigenerational sagas, and constantly adding new noob characters would make that experience repetitive. I like to challenge myself to builds that are achievable with starter funds or “moving up” to family homes. Occasionally, I do dabble in her style of gameplay, and it is equally enjoyable, just not my go-to. To me, it’s not about cheating; it’s about embracing diverse gameplay styles.

Returning to the fundamental question: is it cheating or merely a different approach to gameplay? According to EA themselves, “Cheating is a big part of the game. Not only is it easy to access, but it’s even something we kinda, sorta, actually encourage.” They even provide a list of commonly helpful gameplay cheats on their website. Thus, there is no morality in this virtual realm designed for storytelling and personal development, these varied play styles simply offer avenues for self-expression.