If you were to ask me what I did this past Sunday—when the weather was in the 70’s and the breeze was just right—I would have no remorse in informing you that I sat on my couch and played video games. 

If you’ve never played The Sims, though, you wouldn’t understand my choice. 

The Sims 4 is a life simulation video game where players control virtual characters known as Sims. In the game, players can customize their Sims appearance, personality, and life goals, and live out all kinds of crazy adventures. Character customization is so detailed, you could create a mini you and live out your wildest dreams, or recreate a movie franchise; my favorite save file is my Twilight household, with a replica of their mansion that I worked on all summer, painstakingly. 

The only problem was that base game content gets a little boring after playing for 6 years…

But earlier that day, I had received an email from Microsoft alerting me that there was a sale on expansion packs for the Sims 4. What was originally $40 was now $19.99 plus tax. Steal! 

I sat on my couch, sun blaring off my TV, filtering through the 61 options for in game additions that the developers had added since their release of Sims 4 in 2014. I eventually settled on 2 packs, Dream Home Decorator and Cottage Living, which offered new clothing, hair styles, and furniture options for my sims, along with a bunch of other small features like grocery delivery, new careers and livestock raising. I left my janky Xbox to do the downloading while I cleaned the dishes and vacuumed the stairs to account for my buyer's remorse.

A few minutes later I sat back down and started playing.

I immediately noticed some slowness. The build mode, where players can access construction and furniture tools, was glitchy. It took about 5 minutes for the frame rates to return to normal. I assumed it was due to all the new content still loading in, but this theme continued. 

The Dream Home Decorator pack allows your sim to take a job as a freelance interior designer and remodel clientele homes. During the grand reveal, when your character can show off the new designs curated from preferences of the client, some… fun things happen. I watched as my sim gestured toward the front entrance of a home I had remodeled. The family of sims placed their hands over their eyes and proceeded to walk into their house and perform tasks of living, with eyes still covered. One magically levitated a pot over a stove, with their hands preoccupied and their eyesight unavailable. The walls of the home didn’t seem to exist anymore, either, since there were multiple occasions where the sims walked wherever they pleased regardless of if a wall stood between them and their autonomy.

It was a funny sight, but something worth mentioning. One thing I really enjoyed about the pack was the ability to choose when I wanted my sim to work. My sim could select a gig when she was low on money, instead of working a 9 to 5 which would have allowed me less time to explore the new content offered by the second pack I bought, Cottage Living.

Though the pack stresses living off the land and having sims provide for themselves, the new additions are anything but simple. The new complexities were so refreshing, and there was so much to explore, from the new fishing spots to the incredibly friendly neighbors, some who happened to be rabbits, more fluffy than friendly at times.

 New Old Henford, the village nearby, has plenty of festivals that Simmers can enter their crops and livestock in to win prizes, which gives players an incentive for raising llamas, chickens, and oversized pumpkins. There's plenty of chances to form relationships with the locals, too. Your character can offer to help someone run errands which often involve delivering fresh produce. You can give them some of your own milk and eggs, or heckle the local grocer for cheaper prices. 

The 2 packs together made for an immersive and fresh experience, regardless of the odd glitch or two. I feel like I’ve just scratched the surface of what they have to offer. I’m curious as to how my sims career will change as she is promoted and becomes a well known interior decorator in the community. Will the bunnies ever like me, or am I doomed to be hated by the local animals? I don’t know if I could stand that. But I could stand to play this game for hours, and hours, and hours.