Homeless in The Sims 3
Can a video game show us what it would be like to live on the streets? Can it show how growing up in a dysfunctional family could influence a person later in life? Can it inspire others to donate to charity to help the homeless?
These questions are starting to be asked, ever since a social "experiment" began in The Sims 3, the new "real-life simulation" game by EA Games. Robin Burkinshaw, a game development student in the UK, decided to act out a homeless family in The Sims 3 and publish the family's development on a blog.
Enter Alice and Kev, a father and daughter who live in a park of a neighborhood in The Sims 3. Kev is a pretty bad father: neglectful, often angry, and accusing. Alice is a clumsy girl, very much alone but still kind-hearted. She takes solace in going to school every day, and puts off going home as long as she can.
They sleep on benches, or the occasional bed that they can find when they go over others' houses (much to the owner's displeasure). Alice eats at school, but is otherwise left to eat whatever she can find on the street...or in other people's refrigerators.
There are many interesting dynamics at play here. First is the relationship between Alice and Kev. The story starts with Alice as a child, and she later grows into a teenager, which brings a whole new dimension to her relationship with her father as well. Then there is the relationship Alice and Kev have with the rest of the neighborhood -- particularly the reactions that others have when Alice smells because she hasn't showered, or when they find her curling up for a nap on their couch. We also see how tough it is for Alice and Kev. When you have no money to buy food, what do you do? When you don't have a bed, and are miserable because you are tired and have not had a comfortable place to sleep in weeks, how does that affect the rest of your life and interactions?
Some of the interactions and events in this story are dictated by the creator, but Robin states on her site that "a surprising amount of the interesting things in this story were generated by just letting go and watching the Sims’ free will and personality traits take over."
The story is quite moving. Robin documents the family's exploits, complete with some rather realistic looking screen shots. At times amusing and at other times saddening, this story has gotten quite a following, as readers are anxious to see what might happen next and how Alice will grow up.
The comments on the blog posts are really interesting to read as well. There are some pretty varied reactions, but overall people seem to be saddened by the story and yet drawn to it, rooting for Alice and hoping for a happy ending. A couple of user comments in particular caught my attention:
Read the full blog here.
These questions are starting to be asked, ever since a social "experiment" began in The Sims 3, the new "real-life simulation" game by EA Games. Robin Burkinshaw, a game development student in the UK, decided to act out a homeless family in The Sims 3 and publish the family's development on a blog.
Enter Alice and Kev, a father and daughter who live in a park of a neighborhood in The Sims 3. Kev is a pretty bad father: neglectful, often angry, and accusing. Alice is a clumsy girl, very much alone but still kind-hearted. She takes solace in going to school every day, and puts off going home as long as she can.
They sleep on benches, or the occasional bed that they can find when they go over others' houses (much to the owner's displeasure). Alice eats at school, but is otherwise left to eat whatever she can find on the street...or in other people's refrigerators.
There are many interesting dynamics at play here. First is the relationship between Alice and Kev. The story starts with Alice as a child, and she later grows into a teenager, which brings a whole new dimension to her relationship with her father as well. Then there is the relationship Alice and Kev have with the rest of the neighborhood -- particularly the reactions that others have when Alice smells because she hasn't showered, or when they find her curling up for a nap on their couch. We also see how tough it is for Alice and Kev. When you have no money to buy food, what do you do? When you don't have a bed, and are miserable because you are tired and have not had a comfortable place to sleep in weeks, how does that affect the rest of your life and interactions?
Some of the interactions and events in this story are dictated by the creator, but Robin states on her site that "a surprising amount of the interesting things in this story were generated by just letting go and watching the Sims’ free will and personality traits take over."
The story is quite moving. Robin documents the family's exploits, complete with some rather realistic looking screen shots. At times amusing and at other times saddening, this story has gotten quite a following, as readers are anxious to see what might happen next and how Alice will grow up.
The comments on the blog posts are really interesting to read as well. There are some pretty varied reactions, but overall people seem to be saddened by the story and yet drawn to it, rooting for Alice and hoping for a happy ending. A couple of user comments in particular caught my attention:
Good god, I feel so sorry for Alice. I know she’s a fictional Sim and everything but everything that’s happening to her is truly miserable. It makes one think of the similarly difficult lives that many among us live out here in the real world.
(posted by "Sol Invictus" in Just trying to be alone)
This makes me wonder. What is Kev’s backstory? Was he an Alice at one point? On the streets with a horrible parent, struggling like Alice? Or was he placed here by his own actions and circumstances? Where is Alice’s Mother? Will Alice become a Kev? And have an Alice of her own?As part of the blog, Robin has also linked to various charities that give to support for homeless. I wonder if anyone has gotten involved in any of these because of this story. It seems to be generating awareness, at least.
(posted by "Eric" in Better than Teddy)
Read the full blog here.
posted by Karen at
1:59 PM
2 Comments:
It's presented very well, I think, at times humorous, other times depressing. For the most part, however, I think that because it's using a medium that we view as unrealistic, there probably won't be that many donations to charity.
The reactions seem to reveal that the followers see it almost purely as entertainment - at times meaningful and sad, but not something that would result in, say, donating money.
Wonderful. There is truly no need to have good old reality anymore ! Experience it all without leaving your armchair and your fast food. Cool !
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