History VideoGame / TheSims1

*** There was only ''one'' relationship bar, that would periodically be reduced if two sims didn't interact. From ''Hot Date'' onwards, there would be ''two'' bars: one representing the "historic" relationship of the characters, that would be reduced moore slowly, and the original one, representing the "instant" feelings of both sims, thus making relationships both easier and more complicated.
*** Speaking of which, each social interaction had a single pie menu option (like "kiss") and sims would sometimes play different animations depending on the relationship level towards the target sim. From ''Hot Dste'' onwards, interactions were grouped in categories, and the player could choose different types of one (for example, "Kiss... Peck"). Plus, an entire array of new interactions was added with that expansion and each subsequent one.

** The Grim Reaper is much more menacing here, as his entrance and sound effects are chilling, everything about him (apart from one occasion where he'll perform a doorbell prank and giving Bonehilda his autograph) is played much more seriously, and depending on his mood may actually turn down a Sim's plea.

** A Sims' scream whenever they burn or starve to death (or by disease), is much more realistic and agonizing, rather than comedic. Their "Slap" interaction is also not comical, if used on sims of the same gender with the cartoonish multi-hand slap (which is a standard for later games) being reserved for sims of the opposite gender.

*** All lights had the option to turn them on or off; it probably was considered so unpractical that the first patch made all of them automatic. Plus, they didn't have graphical fading and weren't dynamic.

*** On the base game, there was no option whatsoever for sims to have sex, and children would spawn from two sims of oppoaite genders kissing a lot; ''Livin Large'' introduced a heart-shaped for that purpouse that had a chance to spawn a baby whenever two opposite-gender adult sims ''used'' it. And nearly every subsequent expansion gave options for sims to ''play''.

* AbsurdlyElderlyMother: Since, unlike posterior games, elderhood doesn't technically exists, being just part of the head selected for a given sim, it's completely possible for a female sim who looks like a granny to have a baby.

* IncestIsRelative: Unlike the later installments, ''The Sims 1'' has no way to track whether two Sims are related or not. Because of this, you can deliberately invoke this trope either by [[GameplayAndStorySegregation hooking up two Sims who are canonically related]] or using the Age of Instant charm from ''Makin' Magic'', which [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin instantly ages up]] the child using it, allowing them to romance their parents or other aged-up siblings.

** The Grim Reaper is much more menacing here, as his entrance and sound effects are chilling, and doesn't have any comedic quirks (apart from one occasion where he'll perform a doorbell prank), and depending on his mood may actually turn down a Sim's plea.

* EarthDrift: The first game is far more grounded in our reality than later ones, even if it still featured aliens and later, magic. For example, it mentions real world history, and the downloadable Agent Household name's are from real world government organizations rather than a Sim equivalent (i.e. SCIA, SNDFA, etc.).

* EarthDrift: The first game is far more grounded in our reality than later ones, even if it still featured aliens and later, magic.

** A Sims' scream whenever they burn or starve to death (or by disease), is much more realistic and agonizing, rather than comedic.

* UselessUsefulSpell: The "Banish" spell might have been a very valuable.... except it cannot be used on both the Burglar and the Obsessed Fan.

* {{Hammerspace}}: Sims apparently carry around everything from screwdrivers to mops to shovels in their pockets and can whip them out as needed. Hell, you can store a ''piano'' in a Sim's inventory (in the sequel at least).

* TheManyDeathsOfYou: Apart from deaths by starvation, fire, drowning, etc. that would also appear on this game's sequels, there are some kinds of death that are unique to the first game, such as being launched to the sky by the skydiving simulator or by being eaten after being turned into a toad. [[note]]They notably prevent the Grim Reaper from spawning. The sim's tombstone appears instantly.[[/note]]

** Drew Carey arrives in his limo if your party is hoppin' enough. Yes, ''that'' Drew Carey.

** The game is fairly grounded in reality - with most of the fantastical things (such as the genie lamp or voodoo doll in ''Livin' large'', or the magic societies in ''Makin' Magic'') being fairly easy to ignore or just being there for [[RuleOfFunny humour]]. See also EarthDrift.

** A Sims' scream whenever they burn or starve to death (or by disease), is much more realistic and agonizing, lacking any form of BlackComedy whenever it happens.

** This is the only game where cats and dogs can be starved or burned to death unlike in later games where they can only die by old age.

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: Aside from babies (which are treated as ''objects'' instead of a life stage) growing up into children, Sims do not age naturally. Adults will never die of old age and children will never grow up, barring the Age of Instant charm that magical children can create and use in ''Makin' Magic''.

* ArtShift: As noted in the YMMV section, while the graphics never changed (which was a point of contention for reviewers) the object sprites and details increased whith each subsequent Expansion Pack. This is specially noticeable in the flora, which went from pretty simple designs in the base game to sprawling, growing and really beautiful drawings in the ''Makin' Magic'' Expansion Pack.

* ArtShift: As noted in the YMMV section, while the graphics never changed (which was a point of contention for reviewers) the object sprites and detailes increased whith each subsequent Expansion Pack. This is specially noticeable in the flora, which went from pretty simple designs in the base game to sprawling, growing and really beautiful drawings in the 'Makin' Magic' Expansion Pack.

* EarthDrift: The first game is far more grounded in our reality than later ones, even if it still featured aliens and later, magic. Many in-game items' descriptions would make references to our world rather than exclusively featuring made-up locations, even making references to real-life history and trends throughout the decades.

''The Sims'' is the first game in ''VideoGame/TheSims'' series, released in 2000, with seven expansion packs. Several sequels have succeeded it: ''VideoGame/TheSims2'' (September 14, 2004), ''VideoGame/TheSims3'' (June 2, 2009), and ''VideoGame/TheSims4'' (September 2, 2014). There have also been many spinoffs; noteworthy titles include, but are definitely not limited to, ''VideoGame/TheSimsOnline'' (December 17, 2001), ''VideoGame/TheSimsMedieval'' (March 22, 2011), and ''VideoGame/TheSimsFreePlay'' (December 15, 2011).

A people simulator from Maxis, the creators of the insanely popular ''VideoGame/SimCity''. Players are in charge of the lives of everyone in a neighborhood, though you can only play one household at a time. For that household, mind the Sims' needs (food, sleep, entertainment, socialization, hygiene, and the like) as they guide them through the daily grind of dealing with work, chores (and the kids, if you're inclined to get your Sims to start a family). Sometimes things go awry, and your Sims won't listen to you, or they'll have nervous breakdowns. [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential It can be more fun to let this happen if you're feeling sadistic]], or just like to see your Sims implode, have their house catch on fire, or die en masse. Alternately, you can set up your own little SoapOpera, or recreate your favorite fictional characters, or even just play normally.

It's a game about RealLife. ItWillNeverCatchOn.

''The Sims'' is known to be extremely addictive in most and/or all of its variants. The game includes tools which allows you to export your houses, Sims, and neighborhoods as DownloadableContent for other people; and, as mentioned, there is a huge variety of unofficial {{Game Mod}}s which change the way the game functions. It has been used to create several works of fiction: Rooster Teeth Productions, creators of ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'', were employed by EA to make "Machinima/TheStrangerhood" using ''The Sims 2'' as a marketing effort; and a British college student created a homeless-father-daughter drama blog called "Webcomic/AliceAndKev" using the third game.

* GRatedSex: To have a baby, two sims only need to do enough romantic interactions (such as kissing) with each other until a pop-up asking if they should have a baby appears. The "Livin' Large" expansion pack, however, introduced a heart-shaped bed that has the option for a couple to "play" under the covers, a precursor to the "[=WooHoo=]" present in The Sims 2 and onwards.