Kev and Alice
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- identity
An experiment in playing a homeless family in The Sims 3. Two Sims were created, they were moved to a place made to look like an abandoned park, removed all of their remaining money, and then the author attempted to help them survive without taking any job promotions or easy cash routes. A lot of really unexpected things happen along the way...
- identity0
posted this late last night - def. worth checking out for 5 mins.
- YAYPaul0
Caught this yesterday via Twitter. I know a couple of Sims haters who are now converts thanks to this blog...
- identity0
For me, its a breakthrough in gaming. Not only do you have characters making moral choices, but you have complicated reactions going on between contradictions in their personalities and social/familial structures. Its not cookie-cutter anymore
I also think he’s trying to shed light on the complexity of homelessness and to do a social experiment. Interesting to think, even in a game, is it possible to get out of this cycle?
- I was a sociology major in college and this stuff absolutely fascinates me. Too bad my white 24" iMac barely meets the minimum requirements to playmonospaced
- minimum hardware requirements to play this game.monospaced
- really? I dont have it either... but this game makes me want to try it. Recently messed around with Fable 2 and the Good/Badidentity
- scenarios within it - but this game seems to take a more realistic approach and to a whole NEW levelidentity
- identity0
and if you read through the comments - (and this could JUST be in part due to his minimal writing) - you can see that people feel REAL empathy for her. This, I think is a water-shed movement in the gaming industry. A game designed and functions in a way that brings about genuine emotion and empathy from people and subsequently raises what might be true thought into her plight. I love this quote from the guy who writes this:
"What does it mean when a character you’ve created makes you re-examine your own life through their astonishing selflessness?"
- d_rek0
Where's my empathy box at?
- lvl_130
this sure is a lot of hype based on 4 posts from the creator. this could get interesting in the future, but as it stands right now: meh.
- 4 posts? It goes on for many, many pages. The saga is quite interesting for a game.monospaced
- really? i see only 4 posts about the characters from the original creator. link to the unfolding please?lvl_13
- Yes that is were i got confused the!rson
- ismith0
I read the log, and while it's a cool experiment– I don't see it as groundbreaking in any way... any remarkable events (such as the quote above) are very much like going to see a psychic– you get such general feedback that of course if you notice it you can relate it to your real life, because if it seemed insignificant you wouldn't even pay attention. The interaction between characters doesn't strike me as complex either, but perhaps a less sensational method of picking "random" actions based on a list of accessible actions or developments (leading to new actions). I really have to run right now, but I'll try and get back to this later to further explain myself since that probably didn't make sense... also for the record I've never played SIMS in my life even though I always wanted it as a kid, so I AM excited about where this is going.
- rson0
http://aliceandkev.wordpress.com…
Very confusing in blog format :)
- monospaced0
To see the rest of the saga, click "Next: [topic]" at the bottom of the page, just above the comments. I've gone through at least twenty now. Cool shit.
- identity0
http://aliceandkev.wordpress.com…
then when you read the story and scroll-down, click on the link that will take you to the next story (should be bottom right and be rust colored)
- rson0
"No hugs and no sleep" - Sounds like an emo band! HA
- version30
- If you read the whole thing you'd realize that that was the point of the article. But that's expecting too much from you.monospaced
- you're an idiot, i read every episode before i posted.version3
- Horp0
Go to a park or derelict waste ground, weep for real people.
- identity0
the POINT of the experiment/article is to raise awareness
- version30
homeless and hungry people need awareness? what, you forgot?