Looking back at the first-ever Sims game for its historic 23rd anniversary

Start at the beginning, right?

For most of The Sims' four-year lifespan, I was in lockstep with every new expansion pack release.

I remember when this was my everyday life, oh I do.

A blocky yet attractive female Sim from The Sims 1 stretches out in front of a (definitely not in-engine) glowing fire, with a similarly non-canonical bottle of wine and two glasses next to her.

Maybe there is hope for my imaginative capabilities after all.

My single biggest take-away, though, was how much the Sims' AI has improved over the years.

Not a word of exaggeration, it took my poor fellow nearly all day to finish taking a piss.

Cover image for YouTube video

And trust me, that’s saying something.

But this is, of course, the nature of The Sims as it was originally designed.

A pleasant city streetcorner next to a restaurant in The Sims: Hot Date, complete with unreasonably large cupid fountain.

The Create-A-Sim screen from The Sims 1 with an in-progress Sim. The creator is a blue void with options allowing you to set the Sim’s personality, the basics of their physical appearance, their name, and a short bio.

A close-up render of three characters from the original The Sims, socialising together in a kitchen. Two of the Sims are smiling widely enough to show teeth, which mercifully wasn’t a feature in the actual game.

A “tacky house” from The Sims: Livin' Large, complete with giant heart-shaped bed, animal prints on the walls and floor, a tiki bar, and a genie granting wishes.

A house from The Sims: Makin' Magic, The Sims 1’s final expansion pack. Demonstrating the significant tonal shift in the generation’s final year, the household includes a woman with a magic wand casting a spell on another Sim, a green-skinned fairy tending to a plant, and a skeleton maid emerging from a coffin.

Promotional art for the original The Sims showing a house blueprint fading into an in-game render, demonstrating the series' roots as an architectural simulator.